10–12 Kids Isn’t the Question — 175–250 Hours Is

Before the tea: Pair didn’t work at this clinic or see this caseload. What follows is a recap of what people said publicly on Reddit this summer — not Pair’s opinion. We’re not naming anyone. Corrections: contact@pairaba.com.

It starts like a polite poll. A clinic BCBA asks r/bcba: what size caseload do clinic BCBAs usually carry?

Then she shows her hand.

She’s managing ten to twelve kids. Somewhere between 175 and 250 client hours under her. A weekly billable target of 26–28. And here's the kicker: newer BCBAs at her clinic are expected to carry even larger caseloads.

She’s drowning. Programming materials aren’t getting made. Notes aren’t getting written. And the breaks she took to pump — the ones she understood the law protects — got squeezed out to maintain billables. Meanwhile more clients keep landing on her plate.

Pair’s three-number decode (before you sign)

Ask for all three, in writing:

1. How many kids? The headline number.
2. How many authorized client hours across that caseload — and what’s the range? If it swings like 175 to 250, ask who gets the high end. In this thread, it was the newest BCBAs.
3. What’s the weekly billable target — and what counts toward it? Then ask where notes, programming, and treatment plans live in that week.

One number is a vibe. Three numbers is a job description.

Pair’s Take

Our matchmakers don’t stop at “how many kids.” We ask clinics for the hours behind the caseload and the billable target in front of it — and whether the newest BCBA on the team is carrying the heaviest load. If a clinic can say all three numbers out loud without flinching, that’s a conversation worth having.

Want a caseload that adds up?

Tell us your location, setting, schedule, salary goals, and non-negotiables. We’ll show you what’s open.

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