All articles in the handbook
Every article in the Interior Designer Handbook: interior design education, the NCIDQ exam, state licensing, wages by state, fees, contracts, dues and software costs.
Chapter 1. Education and the NCIDQ
Chapter 1 covers cIDA-accredited degrees, NCIDQ exam sections, fees, eligibility hours and certificate renewal, each entry sourced and dated.
- 1.1 CIDA-accredited interior design programs: standards, fees and checks
What CIDA accreditation certifies, the 16 Professional Standards 2024, the 2026 fee schedule, the six-year term, and how a CIDA degree affects NCIDQ eligibility
- 1.2 NCIDQ exam 2026: sections, fees, eligibility hours and renewal
NCIDQ exam facts from the CIDQ Candidate Handbook 1225: IDFX, IDIX and IDPX question counts, $235 application, $305 to $470 section fees and 3,520 work hours
Chapter 2. Licensing and Pay
Chapter 2 covers state practice acts and title acts, board fees, and Bureau of Labor Statistics wages by state, each entry sourced and dated.
- 2.1 Interior design license requirements by state: acts and fees 2026
Which US states license interior designers: Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, DC and Puerto Rico restrict practice, 24 more protect a title; board fees by state
- 2.2 Interior designer salary by state: BLS May 2025 wages and outlook
BLS May 2025 wages for interior designers: $67,190 national median, $114,140 at the 90th percentile, plus employment, mean and median pay for 50 states and DC
Chapter 3. Practice and Hiring
Chapter 3 covers fee models, contract contents, ASID and IIDA dues, and the software stack a US studio pays for, each entry sourced and dated.
- 3.1 Interior designer fee models and contracts: 2026 rates and terms
Four US interior design fee models with 2025 and 2026 ranges ($60 to $500 per hour, 10% to 30% of budget, 15% to 35% markups) and the 11 ASID contract schedules
- 3.2 ASID and IIDA dues and interior design software costs in 2026
2026 dues for ASID ($549 plus fees) and IIDA ($346 to $599), with US prices for AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Chief Architect, Enscape, Adobe and Studio Designer