Licensed social workers intervene to improve people’s lives every day. A social worker’s tasks can range from mental health counseling to family crisis management. Because of their vast array of responsibilities, social work positions across fields and concentrations are growing both in demand and importance.

And because social workers engage with different communities and perform different consequential tasks, social work licenses are essential to practice in the field.

The difference between a licensed vs. unlicensed social worker is pretty clear. Anyone who has completed their licensure is considered a clinician who has fulfilled social worker education requirements, which are legal prerequisites for practicing social work. Conversely, an unlicensed social worker is a practitioner who can’t actually practice in the field unless they are supervised by someone who has a license.

A crucial – and perhaps the most confusing – step in social work licensure involves learning your state’s specific requirements.

In all cases, though, social work license requirements by state will involve obtaining a Master's-level degree or certificate from an accredited institution. Still, specific details for obtaining a social work license will vary from state to state.

If state-specific requirements for social work have tripped you up in the past, or if you are new to thinking about being a licensed social worker, you're in the right place. Here is a guide on how to understand social work license requirements by state. More directly, this guide will unpack the state-specific conditions that surround what it takes to become a licensed social worker (LCSW).

 

Social Work License Requirements by State

Social work license requirements by state tend to have a lot of differences.

Importantly, they vary in the number of experience hours required after graduation, the number of continuing education hours needed for license renewal, how frequently you have to renew your license, and whether there are renewal fees.

All states permit social workers that are licensed and in good standing to practice in other states by filling out a reciprocity application and paying a fee.

Here are the state-specific requirements needed to become a licensed social worker. 

Alabama Social Work License Requirements

●  24 months of supervised social work experience hours within 36 months.

●  30 hours of continuing education every two years. $100 renewal fee.

Alaska Social Work License Requirements

●  Must have two years of postgrad field experience.

●  License renewal bi-yearly.

●  Forty-five hours of continuing education.

Arizona Social Work License Requirements

●  Thirty hours of continuing education classes every two years.

●  3,200 hours of supervised social work experience.

Arkansas Social Work License Requirements

●  4000 hours of supervised work experience over a two-year period.

●  48 hours of continuing education credits.

California Social Work License Requirements

●  3,200 hours of supervised work experience.

●  36 hours of continuing education every two years. $220 renewal fee.

Colorado Social Work License Requirements

●  3,360 hours of supervised work experience in no less than 24 months.

●  40 hours of continuing education every two years.

Connecticut Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised work experience.

●  15 hours of continuing education credits each year.

Delaware Social Work License Requirements

●  3,200 hours of supervised work experience.

●  45 hours of continuing education every two years.

District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 paid social work experience hours within 2-4 years. One out of every 32 hours must be supervised.

●  40 hours of continuing education credits every two years for renewal.

Florida Social Work License Requirements

●  1,500 hours of supervised clinical experience.

●  30 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Georgia Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience in no less than 36 months.

●  35 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Hawaii Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of clinical experience.

●  45 hours of continuing education every three years for renewal.

Idaho Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience.

●  20 hours of continuing education annually for renewal.

Illinois Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of clinical experience.

●  30 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Indiana Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of paid experience; four hours each month of directly supervised work.

●  20 years of continuing education each year; renewal is every two years.

Iowa Social Work License Requirements.

●  Two-full years of supervised work, and 4,000 hours of experience within two to six years.

●  27 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Kansas Social Work License Requirements

●  4,000 hours of supervised practice experience.

●  40 hours of continuing education every two years.

Kentucky Social Work License Requirements

●  Two years of full-time supervised post-graduate experience.

●  Maintain 30 hours of work per week to maintain good standing.

●  40 hours of continuing education every three years for renewal.

Louisiana Social Work License Requirements

●  5,760 hours of professional experience, 3,840 of which being supervised.

●  20 hours of continuing education for yearly renewal.

Maine Social Work License Requirements

●  3,200 hours of work experience over two years. This includes 96 hours of clinicals. Master’s recipients without clinical degree concentration require 6,400 hours of work experience over a two year period, 192 of which being supervised.

●  25 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Maryland Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised experience, half of which being clinical work.

●  40 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Massachusetts Social Work License Requirements

●  3,500 hours of clinical experience in at least two years, 100 of which being supervised.

●  20 hours of continuing education annually for renewal.

Michigan Social Work License Requirements

●  4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience.

●  45 hours of continuing education every three years for renewal.

Minnesota Social Work License Requirements

●  4,000 hours of clinical social work experience, 200 of which being supervised and 1,800 of which involving direct client contact.

●  40 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Mississippi Social Work License Requirements

●  1,000 hours of direct client work experience and 100 hours from weekly one-on-one meetings with a supervisor.

●  40 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Missouri Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice experience within two to four years.

●  30 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Montana Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised clinical work experience.

●  20 hours of continuing education yearly for license renewal.

Nebraska Social Work License Requirements

●  No license is needed to practice as a social worker in Nebraska.

●  30 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Nevada Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000-hour supervised internship and 2,000 hours of practice experience

●  30 hours of continuing education yearly for renewal.

New Hampshire Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice experience.

●  40 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

New Jersey Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work experience.

●  40 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal

New Mexico Social Work License Requirements

●  3,600 hours of social work experience, 90 hours of which is supervised.

●  30 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

New York Social Work License Requirements

●  36 months of supervised clinical experience.

●  36 hours of continuing education every three years.

North Carolina Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of paid clinical work experience, 100 hours of which being supervised.

●  40 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

North Dakota Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience within four years after graduating.

●  30 hours of continuing education on odd-numbered years.

Ohio Social Work License Requirements

●  Two years of work experience, including 150 hours that are supervised.

●  30 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Oklahoma Social Work License Requirements

●  4,000 hours of clinical experience over the span of two or three years.

●  16 hours of continuing education yearly for renewal.

Oregon Social Work License Requirements

●  3,500 hours of clinical experience within 24 months.

●  40 hours of continuing education yearly for renewal.

Pennsylvania Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of clinical work experience.

●  30 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Rhode Island Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of clinical experience within 24-72 months.

●  30 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

South Carolina Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised social work practice.

●  40 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

South Dakota Social Work License Requirements

●  Two years of supervised clinical work experience.

●  30 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Tennessee Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised clinical work experience.

●  9-15 continuing education hours per year for renewal.

Texas Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of experience and 100 hours of supervision within 24-48 months.

●  30 continuing education hours yearly for renewal.

Utah Social Work License Requirements

●  4,000 hours of clinical work experience, 100 of which including one-on-one meetings with a supervisor.

●  40 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Vermont Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised clinical work experience.

●  20 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Virginia Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of clinical experience, 100 of which being supervised.

●  30 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Washington Social Work License Requirements

●  3,200 hours of supervised practice experience.

●  36 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

West Virginia Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of part-time experience, 100 of which being supervised.

●  40 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

Wisconsin Social Work License Requirements

●  3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice experience.

●  30 hours of continuing education every odd-numbered year for renewal.

Wyoming

●  3,000 hours of clinical social work experience, 100 of which being supervised.

●  45 hours of continuing education every two years for renewal.

The Major Step in Getting Licensed in Social Work is Getting A Master’s (MSW)

Licensure in social work is crucial because practitioners must deal with human problems that require clinical experience. And the only way that social workers can verifiably and authoritatively prove that experience is by getting licensed in social work.

The differences between social work license requirements by state (LCSW) are post-graduate clinical hours and continuing education requirements for license renewal.

And even though becoming a licensed social worker (LCSW) requires a master's degree in all states, the state-specific requirements are often marginally different enough to warrant greater self-guided research. 

Be sure to check out our interactive guide on MSW programs by state, and begin your journey to social work practice today.