How to Get Your Social Work License in New York
Looking to get your social work license in New York? The timing is perfect. Job prospects look promising, with New York state projecting a 24% growth in opportunities for child, family, and school social workers from 2020 to 2030. The outlook appears even better for other specialties. Mental health and substance abuse social workers can expect 26% more positions, healthcare social workers 27%, while other social work roles should grow by 13%.
New York State offers two types of licenses for social work practice: the Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). You’ll need an MSW degree with at least 900 internship hours to qualify for either license. The LCSW license comes with extra requirements. Your coursework must focus on the person-in-environment point of view. You’ll also need to complete training from an approved provider to identify and report child abuse.
This guide gives you a complete walkthrough of the licensing steps. From education requirements to application procedures, you’ll find everything you need to kickstart your social work career in New York.
Education Requirements
Education is the foundation of your experience to get a social work license in New York. The state has specific educational criteria that you need to meet to qualify for either license type.
To qualify as a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), you need to complete a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree or its equivalent. The program must be registered by the New York State Education Department as licensure-qualifying. The program must also be accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Your MSW program should take two years of full-time study with at least 60 semester hours of graduate coursework.
Let’s take a closer look at the specific content areas your MSW curriculum needs to cover for New York’s licensure standards:
- Social work values and ethics
- Diversity, social justice, and at-risk populations
- Human behavior in the social environment
- Social welfare policy and service delivery systems
- Foundation and advanced social work practice
- Social work practice evaluation and research
- Field practicum integrated with the prescribed curricular content
The field practicum plays a crucial role—you need to complete at least 900 clock hours of supervised fieldwork along with your coursework. This hands-on training gives you practical skills that complement your theoretical knowledge.
Students pursuing the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) path need additional education. On top of the standard MSW requirements, you must complete at least 12 semester hours of clinical coursework. These courses should highlight the point of view of person-in-environment and cover diagnosis and assessment in clinical social work practice, clinical social work treatment, and clinical practice with general and special populations.
Students with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree might qualify for advanced standing in many MSW programs. This option helps you complete your master’s degree faster—some advanced standing programs take as few as 12 months. But no more than half of the total semester hours for your MSW program can come from advanced standing credit earned during undergraduate social work study.
New York has many CSWE-accredited MSW programs throughout the state. These programs include public institutions like SUNY Albany and SUNY Buffalo, and private universities such as Columbia, NYU, and Fordham. Most programs qualify for LMSW, but some specifically qualify for both LMSW and LCSW, including Columbia University, CUNY Hunter College, and Syracuse University.
You also need to complete specialized training to identify and report child abuse. This requirement applies to all social work license applicants in New York and must be completed through a New York State-approved provider.
Full-time students typically complete an MSW program in about two years, while part-time students usually take three years. Keep in mind that fall admission applications usually have priority deadlines between December and January.
Exam Requirements
Getting your social work license in New York requires passing specific licensure exams. Your path determines which exam you need – either LMSW or LCSW credential.
You must pass the “Masters” examination from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) to become a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). Note that New York State won’t let you take the test until you complete your MSW degree.
Here’s how to qualify for the LMSW exam:
- Submit your Application for Licensure (Form 1) along with a $294.00 fee to the New York State Education Department
- Request your school to verify your education directly to the Department using Form 2
- Wait for the New York State Education Department to approve your education and application materials
- Once approved, the Department will notify ASWB of your eligibility
- Register directly with ASWB for the Masters examination
The Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) credential needs you to pass the “Clinical” examination by ASWB. You’ll need these requirements before exam approval:
- Received your MSW degree
- Met the supervised experience requirements
- Submitted verification of your supervised experience in diagnosis and psychotherapy (Form 4B)
The exam fees stay the same across the country: $230.00 for Masters and $260.00 for Clinical exams. Once you get your Authorization to Test email from ASWB, schedule your test with Pearson VUE. They run social work licensing exams at test centers worldwide.
You might qualify for special testing arrangements if you have a disability, health condition, or English isn’t your first language. The Department only accepts ASWB-submitted scores if you’ve passed their examination in another jurisdiction. They won’t take scores from you or other jurisdictions.
Test preparation resources can help you succeed. The National Association of Social Workers New York chapters offer prep packages for both LMSW and LCSW exams. These self-study programs come with recorded content and test prep materials sent to your email. You can also find other commercial prep courses throughout the state.
The ASWB provides helpful resources to understand the process better. Their Examination Candidate Handbook explains what to expect, and their Exam Candidates video shows licensing processes in all jurisdictions.
Supervised Experience
Getting your Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) status in New York requires completing a crucial supervised experience component. You’ll need to finish a substantial period of supervised clinical practice after you get your MSW degree.
The state of New York requires 36 months (three years) of supervised experience in diagnosis, psychotherapy, and assessment-based treatment planning. You must accumulate at least 2,000 client contact hours during this time. The experience needs completion within six consecutive years. Note that you still need three years even if you complete more than 2,000 client contact hours sooner.
Your hours will count toward licensure only when you practice under proper supervision in an authorized setting. Clinical supervised experience hours in New York count only after you become a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) or get a limited permit.
Your supervisor must be one of the following:
- A licensed and registered LCSW in New York State
- A licensed psychologist qualified in psychotherapy
- A physician who is a diplomate in psychiatry of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
You need at least 100 hours of in-person individual or group clinical supervision spread across your supervised period. These supervision sessions involve discussing cases with your supervisor who oversees client diagnosis and treatment while evaluating your professional work regularly.
You can complete your supervised experience in professional service corporations, licensee-owned sole proprietorships, state-approved programs, federally authorized facilities, and public schools authorized to provide social work services.
Documentation plays a vital role in this process. Your supervisor’s responsibilities include keeping records of your supervised experience and submitting verification on Form 4B directly to the Office of the Professions. Make sure you save copies of all completed documents.
Your supervisor takes legal and professional responsibility for your clients. Clients must receive informed consent that explains your practice under supervision. When you get third-party supervision outside your employment setting, you’ll need a written agreement between you, your employer, and the supervisor to ensure proper access to client records.
The state board recommends submitting Form 6 to review your supervisor and setting before you start your supervised experience.
Application Process
Your final step to get your social work license in New York starts after completing your education and passing the required exams. You need to submit a well-documented application with several forms.
The process begins when you submit Form 1 (Application for Licensure) with a $294.00 fee for licensure and first registration. Credit card payments (MasterCard, Visa, or American Express only) work for online applications. Paper applications need payment by personal check or money order to the New York State Education Department.
Your educational institution must send Form 2 (Certification of Professional Education) straight to the Office of the Professions. You cannot submit this form yourself. Licensed professionals from other jurisdictions need Form 3 (Verification of Other Professional Licensure/Certification). The licensing authority should send this directly.
LCSW candidates must submit Form 4B for each supervised experience listed on their Applicant Experience Record. Your supervisor needs to send this form directly to the Office of the Professions.
A limited permit lets you practice while your application processes. Submit Form 5 with a $70.00 fee. This permit allows supervised practice for up to one year without renewal options.
Applications process in order of receipt. Most license certifications arrive within 3-4 weeks. In spite of that, some applicants wait 3-4 months for approval.
Every applicant must complete coursework in child abuse identification and reporting from a New York State approved provider. Include this certificate with your application.
Of course, keep copies of all documents you submit. The New York State Education Department reviews everything and notifies you about eligibility. Your registration certificate arrives after license approval. Display this at your workplace.
International applicants should pay by check or draft from a United States bank in US currency. The department won’t accept other payment forms.
Continuing Education
Your New York social work license needs more than the original qualification process. You must complete 36 hours of approved continuing education every three-year registration period. This requirement applies to Licensed Master Social Workers (LMSWs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) since January 1, 2015.
The New York State Education Department outlines these guidelines about acceptable continuing education activities:
- You can use up to 12 hours of self-study educational activities from state-approved providers
- Your registration periods starting April 1, 2023 must include three hours on appropriate professional boundaries during each renewal cycle
- You need to complete a one-time requirement of two hours on identifying and reporting child abuse and maltreatment. These hours don’t count toward continuing education credit
The New York State Education Department must approve your continuing education providers. The state started reviewing and approving continuing education providers after May 14, 2014. Only courses taken since January 1, 2015 count toward meeting these requirements.
Social workers in New York have several options to get continuing education credits. NetCE serves as a state-approved provider (#SW-0033). The New York State School Social Workers’ Association also provides approved continuing education (#SW-0057).
NASW-NY members get a great deal. They earn 12 continuing education credits yearly at no cost. This covers the entire 36-credit requirement over a three-year renewal cycle. NASW-NY offered 17 free continuing education programs between January and May 2025.
Approved providers must keep records for at least six years. These include instructor details, attendance records, course outlines, and completion certificates. You must maintain your own records of completed continuing education activities. This helps verify compliance when you renew your registration.
Additional Information
Social workers pursuing their social work license in New York need to understand several key requirements beyond standard licensing.
New York handles license mobility through endorsement rather than true reciprocity for social workers licensed in other jurisdictions. Your ASWB exam score stays valid as you apply for a license in another state, so you won’t need to retake the exam. You still need to submit an application to legally practice in New York, whether you plan to provide services in person or electronically.
New York offers limited permits while New Jersey doesn’t. These permits let you practice under supervision as you wait for your exam results. They last for one year and you can’t renew them. Note that permit holders can use distance technology to practice while under qualified supervision.
The state changed its rules about employment settings that didn’t need licenses. Chapter 159 of the Laws of 2021 kept these exemptions going until June 24, 2022. After that date, you must have a license to work in programs that specific state agencies operate or fund.
New York provides official documents that confirm your license status. You’ll pay $20.00 for certification of licensure and $10.00 for written verification. The Online Verification Service lets you check any New York professional license for free.
Social workers moving to New York should reach out to ASWB and pay the $40.00 exam transfer fee.