Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.
Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.
Summary
A GFCI receptacle is the outlet with the TEST and RESET buttons on its face, and it is usually the one in a bathroom, a kitchen, a garage, a basement or outdoors. It watches for current leaving the circuit through something that is not the return wire — a person, for example — and it cuts the power in a fraction of a second. It only protects anyone for as long as it still works, and it can stop working with no outward sign at all. That is why the CPSC and the device makers both ask you to press the two buttons on a schedule. The whole test is a lamp, a press, a look and a second press.
This page covers that test and stops there. It does not cover replacing a GFCI receptacle, wiring one, or any work behind the cover plate. Never open the service panel and never take a receptacle out of its box: that is a licensed electrician's work, and a device that fails this test is a call to one rather than a repair. The page also does not print the leakage current the device responds to as a specification, because the standard that sets it, UL 943, is not a public document. Where a number belongs to your particular device, the page sends you to the instruction sheet that came in the box with it.
Safety
NEVER REMOVE THE COVER PLATE OF A RECEPTACLE.
The parts behind the cover plate have electrical power. Contact with them can cause a fatal electric shock.
DO NOT TOUCH A RECEPTACLE THAT HAS WATER ON IT.
Water and electrical power together can cause a fatal electric shock.
Necessary equipment
| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| Table lamp | The lamp must give light when you connect it. |
| Notebook or maintenance record | Record the date of each test. |
| Flashlight optional | Some receptacles are in a dark space. |
Specifications
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
Find the GFCI receptacles
Estimated 6 min to 17 min
- Look for a receptacle that has a TEST button and a RESET button.2mReport a problem with step 1, Find the GFCI receptacles
- The two buttons are on the face of the device, between the two outlets.
- The buttons usually have the words TEST and RESET on them.
- Examine the receptacles in the bathroom, the kitchen, the garage and the basement.3mReport a problem with step 2, Find the GFCI receptacles
- Outdoor receptacles usually have this protection.
- A receptacle near a sink usually has this protection.
- Read the label on the face of the receptacle.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Find the GFCI receptacles
- A label with the words GFCI PROTECTED OUTLET shows a receptacle that another device protects.
- A receptacle with such a label has no buttons of its own.
- Record the position of each GFCI receptacle in the building.2mReport a problem with step 4, Find the GFCI receptacles
Prepare for the test
Estimated 4 min to 6 min
DO NOT PUT A TOOL OR A WIRE INTO THE SLOTS OF A RECEPTACLE.
The slots have electrical power and can cause a fatal electric shock.
- Read the instruction sheet for the device.2mReport a problem with step 1, Prepare for the test
- The instruction sheet gives the test method for your device.
- If you do not have the instruction sheet, use the method in this page.
DO NOT DO THIS TEST ON A RECEPTACLE THAT SUPPLIES MEDICAL EQUIPMENT.
A loss of electrical power can kill a person with medical equipment.
- Find the equipment that the receptacle supplies.1mReport a problem with step 2, Prepare for the test
- One GFCI receptacle can protect other receptacles on the same circuit.
- Those other receptacles also lose electrical power during the test.
- Connect a table lamp to the receptacle.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Prepare for the test
- Set the lamp to ON.<1mReport a problem with step 4, Prepare for the test
DO NOT DO THIS TEST ON A RECEPTACLE THAT SUPPLIES A COMPUTER.
The test removes the electrical power. A loss of data can occur.
- Make sure that the lamp gives light.<1mReport a problem with step 5, Prepare for the test
Do the test
Estimated 1 min
- Push the TEST button on the receptacle.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Do the test
- Listen for a click from the receptacle.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Do the test
- Make sure that the lamp gives no light.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Do the test
- A lamp that gives no light shows that the device tripped.
- A device that trips removes the electrical power from the outlet.
DO NOT USE A RECEPTACLE THAT DOES NOT RESET.
A device that does not reset gives no protection against a fatal electric shock.
- Push the RESET button fully.<1mReport a problem with step 4, Do the test
- Make sure that the lamp gives light.<1mReport a problem with step 5, Do the test
- The RESET button restores the electrical power to the outlet.
- Set the lamp to OFF.<1mReport a problem with step 6, Do the test
- Disconnect the lamp from the receptacle.<1mReport a problem with step 7, Do the test
Read a result that fails
Estimated 2 min to 6 min
- If the lamp gives light after you push the TEST button, the device did not trip.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Read a result that fails
- Do not use a receptacle that does not trip.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Read a result that fails
- Do not use a receptacle that does not reset.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Read a result that fails
- A device with a lockout function does not reset if the device failed its internal test.
- A device also does not reset if it has no electrical power.
- Speak to a licensed electrician about a receptacle that fails a test.1mReport a problem with step 4, Read a result that fails
After the job
Estimated 1 min
Source: Home Electrical Safety Checklist: Keeping You and Your Family Safe, Room-by-Room (CPSC Pub 513) · tier 1 · accessed 2026-07-29
Source: CPSC Fact Sheet: What Is A GFCI? (Pub 099) · tier 1 · accessed 2026-07-29
- Record the date of the test.<1mReport a problem with step 1, After the job
- Do this test again after one month.<1mReport a problem with step 2, After the job
- Do this test again after a loss of electrical power in the building.<1mReport a problem with step 3, After the job
Terminology
This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.
- GFCI receptacle
- Also called: GFCI outlet, GFI outlet, ground fault outlet, ground fault plug, outlet with test and reset buttons, bathroom outlet with buttons, safety socket, shock stop outlet
- TEST button
- Also called: test button, black button, the little button
- RESET button
- Also called: reset button, red button, the other button
- ground fault
- Also called: earth leakage, current leak, electrical leak, leakage to ground
- trip
- Also called: pop, kick out, cut out, shut off, go out
- cover plate
- Also called: faceplate, wall plate, outlet cover, socket cover
When to use a professional
Stop if the device does not trip when you push the TEST button. Stop if the device does not reset. Stop if the receptacle has damage, marks from heat, or a smell of burnt plastic. Stop if the receptacle has water on it. Speak to a licensed electrician.
Never remove the cover plate of a receptacle. Never take a receptacle out of its electrical box. Never open the service panel. This page does not give a method to replace a GFCI receptacle. That work needs a licensed electrician.
The device makers say that a licensed electrician must replace a GFCI receptacle that fails this test. Do not put the outlet back into service first. Do not put tape over the buttons. A device that fails the test gives no protection, and the equipment on that circuit gives no warning of it.
Common questions
How often should I test a GFCI outlet?
Monthly, and a government source and the device makers all say so. CPSC's home electrical safety checklist says to test every GFCI once a month according to the manufacturer's instructions, and CPSC's separate GFCI fact sheet adds three more occasions: after installation, after a power failure, and whenever the manufacturer's instructions say. Leviton's own support literature says the same thing in its own words, that it is recommended you test them monthly. Because the sources agree, this page prints one month rather than a range.
My GFCI won't reset. What does that mean?
It means the device is refusing to come back on, and the refusal is deliberate. Leviton's instruction leaflet gives three causes: no power is reaching the device, the LINE and LOAD connections were reversed when it was installed, or the device cannot pass its own internal test and so may not be able to protect anyone. None of the three can be told apart, or fixed, without opening the box. Leviton's instruction is that a GFCI receptacle which fails the test should be replaced immediately by a licensed electrician, and CPSC says the same in different words. That is where this page ends and a phone call begins.
What current does a GFCI trip at?
This page does not print that number, and the reason is worth reading. Two federal sources describe the threshold differently: OSHA's construction eTool says the device interrupts when the current going and the current returning differ by approximately 5 milliamperes, while CPSC's fact sheet describes the interruption happening when they differ by a very small amount, as little as 0.006 amperes. We publish the disagreement rather than splitting it, because the exact limits belong to the device standard UL 943, which is not free to read, and almost every figure quoted online is a restatement of a document the writer has not seen. Read both as descriptions of how the device behaves, not as a value you can set, measure or adjust. Nothing in the monthly test depends on knowing it.
Does a GFCI protect against everything electrical?
No, and both the manufacturer and OSHA are blunt about it. Leviton's leaflet states that a GFCI receptacle does not protect against circuit overloads, short circuits, or shocks, and gives the example that you can still be shocked touching bare wires while standing on a non-conducting surface such as a wood floor. OSHA makes the same point from the other direction, saying a GFCI will not protect you from contact between two conductors, though it does protect against the most common form of shock hazard, the ground fault. It is not a circuit breaker and it is not a fuse. It is never a reason to touch wiring that has power on it.
My bathroom outlet has no buttons. Is it unprotected?
Not necessarily. Protection can come from a GFCI receptacle somewhere else on the same circuit, or from a GFCI circuit breaker rather than a receptacle. CPSC notes that a receptacle-type GFCI protects everything plugged into it and everything further downstream on that branch circuit, and Leviton's leaflet describes labelling those downstream outlets with a GFCI PROTECTED OUTLET sticker. If you find such a sticker, the test button that protects that outlet is on a different device — find it and test that one. If you find no sticker and no buttons anywhere, ask a licensed electrician what protects that circuit.
My GFCI tests itself. Do I still have to press the button?
Yes. Leviton's own literature on self-test devices says a self-test GFCI receptacle performs a self-test every fifteen minutes to confirm the electronics are functional, and then says in the same breath that self-test GFCI receptacles should still be tested every month by hand. The two tests answer different questions: the automatic one checks the device's own electronics, and yours checks that the power to that outlet actually stops. The fifteen-minute interval and the indicator colours are Leviton's design and are not general to every maker, so read the sheet that came with your device for what its lights mean. What is general is the monthly press.
Is a GFCI the same thing as an AFCI or an RCD?
They are three different things and the words get mixed up constantly. A GFCI, sometimes written GFI, watches for current leaking to ground and is the device this page covers. An AFCI watches for arcing faults, which is a different failure and a different device, although combination units exist that do both. RCD is the term used outside North America for a device that does broadly the same job as a GFCI. If your outlet has TEST and RESET buttons on its face, the test on this page is the right one for it.
Related procedures
- How to find out which outlets a GFCI protects, and why a dead bathroom or garage outlet is often a GFCI that tripped somewhere else
- How to tell if a surge protector still works, and when to replace a surge protector or power strip
Sources
Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.
- Tier 1CPSC Fact Sheet: What Is A GFCI? (Pub 099)
- Tier 1Home Electrical Safety Checklist: Keeping You and Your Family Safe, Room-by-Room (CPSC Pub 513)
- Tier 1Construction eTool: Electrical Incidents — Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI)
- Tier 1How to test a Leviton GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)
- Tier 1Self-Test GFCI Indicators
- Tier 1Installing and Testing a GFCI Receptacle (instruction leaflet PK-93693-10-00-2C)
Revision history
Current version 1 · updated 2026-07-29 · next review due 2027-07-29
- v1 · 2026-07-29First draft. Scope deliberately limited to the two-button test that the manufacturer documentation describes as a homeowner action. Replacement, wiring and any work behind the cover plate are refused and routed to a licensed electrician in the professional boundary. Rests on six tier-1 sources: CPSC Pub 099 and Pub 513, OSHA's construction eTool, and three Leviton documents. Every sentence written independently in Simplified Technical English after the sources were read and closed. The ground-fault trip current publishes as a disagreement rather than as a value: OSHA says approximately 5 mA and CPSC says as little as 0.006 A, the standard that settles it (UL 943) is not public, and rule 2 forbids averaging them. Registering the sources themselves is refused to a delegate, so the entries are held in data/sources-additions-test-a-gfci-receptacle.json for merge. With that side file merged, the record passes all thirteen checks with three warnings (two verified specs carry no spec_key because data/specs.json is also refused to a delegate, and zero related links because relate.py finds no honest pair in the published corpus).
Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.
Comments and corrections
Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.
Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.