Every state sets its own rules for the supervised experience you need before you can practice clinical social work independently — and the license isn't called "LCSW" everywhere. Compare the post-MSW routes below, keeping work, client-contact and supervisor-meeting hours separate; the cited document versions and license-cohort conditions matter.
Supervision requirements by state
Initial independent clinical licensure after an MSW · 50 states + DC · Source documents checked 15 September 2026; individual eligibility is determined by the licensing authority.
Showing 51 of 51 jurisdictions.
| State and license | Qualifying experience and client hours | Meetings with your supervisor | Time and start conditions | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama — LICSW | 3,000 clinical employment hours | 96 contact hours; the current board plan specifies 4–10 per calendar month | LMSW first, plus a board-approved supervision plan. The board may approve a start date up to 30 days before it receives the plan — credit is not automatic. | Board plan, Form B (PDF) · Board verification, Form D (PDF) |
| Alaska — LCSW | Two years of full-time postgraduate experience or 3,000 hours part-time | 100 face-to-face supervision hours | Supervisor must be a qualifying clinical social worker, psychologist or psychiatrist; other named disciplines need advance board approval | Board FAQ |
| Arizona — LCSW | 1,600 hours of direct psychotherapy. Up to 400 psychoeducation hours and up to 400 crisis-intervention hours may count inside that 1,600 | 100 clinical supervision hours, at least 50 with an LCSW; at least one supervision hour in every month you have direct client contact | At least 24 months | R4-6-403–404 (PDF) |
| Arkansas — LCSW | The cited legacy rule defines two post-master’s years as equivalent to 4,000 hours. | Under that rule: an average of 1 hour weekly of face-to-face LCSW supervision. Group counts only with 4 or fewer in the group and only up to half of total supervision time. | The two years must be complete before application under the cited rule. The board’s June 2025 evaluation form asks for submission within 60 days after supervision ends. | Legacy clinical rule text (LII) · Board evaluation (PDF) |
| California — LCSW | 3,000 total hours: at least 2,000 clinical (diagnosis, assessment, treatment, psychotherapy), of which at least 750 must be face-to-face individual or group psychotherapy; no more than 1,000 non-clinical | At least 104 supervised weeks, including 52 individual or triadic weeks (13 of those with an LCSW). In each week and work setting: 1 hour individual/triadic or 2 hours group; over 10 direct clinical hours in that setting requires a second such unit. A statutory exception applies to qualifying workshops, seminars, training and conferences. | 104 supervised weeks over at least 2 years. Experience generally must fall within the 6 years before the board receives your application. You must hold ASW registration before hours count, except under the statutory 90-day rule. | BPC §4996.23 · BPC §4996.23.1 (FindLaw) |
| Colorado — LCSW | 3,360 post-degree clinical social work hours, including 1,680 in a professional relationship involving diagnosis, testing, assessment or counseling | 96 hours, at least 48 of them individual (in person or telesupervision), reasonably distributed across the experience | At least 24 months. Experience must be gained under the applicable candidate registration, qualifying license or statutory exemption. The rule also has a five-year pre-application lookback, subject to its good-cause provision. | Rule 1.14, May 2025 text (LII) |
| Connecticut — LCSW | 3,000 post-master's social work experience hours | 100 hours under professional supervision by a licensed clinical or certified independent social worker | Use the initial-license route, not the separate experienced out-of-state route. The qualifying experience is post-master’s. | DPH LCSW requirements |
| Delaware — LCSW | 3,200 supervised experience hours, including 1,600 under professional direct supervision. That 1,600 is not a direct-client-contact minimum. | 100 hours of one-to-one supervision, included in the professionally directly supervised experience. Live video may qualify; telephone and email do not. | Two to five years. Supervisor is an LCSW, with psychologist or psychiatrist alternatives when an LCSW is unavailable and the rule’s conditions are met. | Rule 3900, §§3.1–3.2 |
| District of Columbia — LICSW | 3,000 supervised experience hours | 100 hours of face-to-face immediate supervision | Experience must come after you obtain the LGSW. Use the LICSW section of the checklist, not the LISW section. | DC Health examination checklist (PDF) |
| Florida — LCSW | 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy. This is not an all-work-hours total | 100 supervision hours across at least 100 weeks; at least 1 hour every two weeks | Two years of post-master's supervised experience. Your intern license must be issued and your qualified supervisor approved before any hours count | Board LCSW requirements · Registered intern: before supervision |
| Georgia — LCSW | 3,000 post-MSW clinical hours; the first 2,000 require direction and supervision | 120 supervision hours; no more than half group, and at least half with a qualified LCSW | 36 to 108 months on the MSW route | Rule 135-5-.04 (PDF) |
| Hawaii — LCSW | 3,000 clinical hours, made up of 2,000 assessment/diagnosis/psychotherapy, up to 900 advocacy/consultation/evaluation, and the 100 supervision hours | 100 face-to-face clinical supervision hours — counted inside the 3,000 | Two to five years. Supervisor must meet the state's LCSW and experience qualifications | LCSW application instructions (PDF) |
| Idaho — LCSW | 3,000 clinical hours: 1,750 direct client-contact treatment hours and 1,250 assessment, diagnosis and other clinical work | 100 contact hours, no more than 50 group. At least half the supervision must be with an LCSW. Live remote visual supervision may qualify. | Two to five years. Supervision continues until the clinical license is issued. The rule separately addresses older experience and practice restrictions when five years are reached without the clinical license; see the Idaho note. | IDAPA 24.14.01.100 (LII) |
| Illinois — LCSW | 3,000 supervised clinical hours after the MSW | An average of at least 4 supervision hours per month | LCSW supervisor. A separate doctoral route exists | IDFPR qualifications (PDF) |
| Indiana — LCSW | Two years, with 1,500 hours treated as one year; at least 50% must be direct client contact | At least 4 face-to-face supervision hours per month. Since July 1, 2024, qualifying supervision may be 100% virtual by synchronous audio-video. | You cannot finish sooner than 24 months. Requires the appropriate LSW or temporary permit. Phone, text and email do not qualify as virtual supervision. | PLA licensing information · PLA virtual-supervision notice |
| Iowa — LISW | 3,000 total practice hours, including at least 1,500 direct client hours | 110 direct supervision hours, equitably distributed, no more than 50 group. Supervision continues after 110 hours until the experience is complete | At least 2 years. File the written supervision plan before you start, and again before starting with a new supervisor | Rule 481—880.7 (PDF) |
| Kansas — LSCSW | 3,000 experience hours, including 1,500 direct client hours | 100 supervision hours, at least 50 individual; at least 1 hour per 15 direct client hours; at least 2 separate sessions each month, one of them individual | Two to six years. Submit the clinical supervision training plan before you begin | K.A.R. 102-2-12(c) |
| Kentucky — LCSW | Supervised clinical experience with at least 60% spent in direct professional relationships with clients; the rule expresses this as a proportion, not a flat direct-client-hour total | 150 hours, including at least 100 individual and no more than 50 group. At least 2 hours of individual supervision every 2 weeks. | At least 2 years of supervised experience under the rule. A supervision contract and board-qualified LCSW supervisor are required before the supervised practice begins. | 201 KAR 23:070 |
| Louisiana — LCSW | 3,000 hours of post-MSW practice under a board-approved clinical supervisor (LCSW-BACS) | 96 face-to-face supervision hours. Sessions run 30 minutes to 2 hours. No more than 80 practice hours between meetings. Up to 48 of the 96 may be group (up to 72 with board approval, 5 supervisees maximum) | LMSW first. The supervision contract and employment verification must reach the board within 60 days of your first session, and required changes must also be filed. Late filing changes the credited start date; obtain the board’s date rather than assuming all earlier hours count. | LABSWE rules, §503 |
| Maine — LCSW (LC) | Clinical-concentration MSW: 3,200 clinical hours. Other MSW concentrations follow a different, longer branch — see note. | Clinical-concentration MSW: 96 consultation hours. Nonclinical-concentration MSW: 192 consultation hours under the statutory route. | Clinical-concentration route: at least 2 years. Nonclinical-concentration route: 4 years, subject to the statute’s limited waiver provision. Obtain the relevant conditional license and consultation arrangement. | 32 M.R.S. §7053 · Board licensing and forms |
| Maryland — LCSW-C | 3,000 supervised clinical hours, including 1,500 face-to-face client-contact hours | 100 face-to-face supervision hours. Board guidance also states at least 3 hours monthly or 1 hour per 40 work hours; regular clinical supervision continues until LCSW-C licensure. | At least 2 years, up to 6 consecutive years, after the LMSW. Board-approved supervisor and a written contract before you start. | Health Occupations §19-302(e) (Justia) · COMAR 10.42.01.04 (LII) · Board supervision guidance |
| Massachusetts — LICSW | 3,500 clinical social work hours, after your LCSW is issued | 100 individual face-to-face clinical supervision hours, at 1 per 35 work hours, with no more than 1 supervision hour credited in any week. Part-time is pro-rated | At least 2 years. Supervisor must be a qualifying LICSW licensed in the jurisdiction where the supervision happens | Massachusetts LICSW applicant instructions |
| Michigan — full LMSW, clinical designation | 4,000 hours while holding the applicable limited master's license. Credited work is 16–40 hours per week, capped at 2,080 per calendar year | At least 4 hours of supervisory review each month, including 2 face-to-face individual hours. If you use group supervision, at least half must still be individual | Hold the applicable limited master’s license. For limited licenses issued on or after March 31, 2021, supervision must meet the Michigan LMSW requirement. The earlier-license exception applies only under the rule’s conditions, including no lapse in that limited license. | LARA master’s licensing guide · Master’s experience verification (PDF) |
| Minnesota — LICSW | At least 4,000 and no more than 8,000 hours of supervised clinical practice, including at least 1,800 direct clinical client hours | 200 hours at 4 to 8 per 160 practice hours. At least 100 must be one-on-one in person or by eye-to-eye electronic media. The remaining hours may use the other permitted individual/group formats, including telephone. Groups of 6 or fewer; email does not count. | The supervisor must meet the statute’s clinical-supervision qualifications, including 30 hours of supervision training; the LICSW route requires the specified 2,000 post-licensure practice hours. These are format categories, not a requirement to finish one block of 100 hours before the other. | Minn. Stat. §148E.115 · Minn. Stat. §148E.106 · Minn. Stat. §148E.120 |
| Mississippi — LCSW | Board guide (2021): 1,000 face-to-face client-contact hours. This is a client-contact figure, not an employment total. | 100 supervision hours, at least 1 per week, at least half individual under the board guide’s definition | 24 to 36 months, with an approved supervision plan before you start. Under the board guide, an offsite supervisor visits the practice location at least once per 6-month supervision period. | Board supervision guide, 2021 (PDF) |
| Missouri — LCSW | 3,000 supervised clinical experience hours | 2 supervision hours every 2 weeks, which may be consolidated into 4 hours every 4 weeks. No more than half of any month's supervision may be group | 24 to 48 consecutive months. LMSW before the clinical experience begins. Register the supervised experience for approval before starting; the rule gives the committee discretion to review experience that was not registered in advance, so retroactive acceptance is not automatic. | 20 CSR 2263-2.030 (LII) · 20 CSR 2263-2.032 (LII) |
| Montana — LCSW | 3,000 supervised work experience hours | 100 supervision hours within the 3,000: at least 50 individual, face-to-face hours with an LCSW, including at least 10 involving direct observation. At least 2 supervision hours per 160 practice hours. | Use the applicable candidate license and a qualified supervisor. The LCSW requirements are separate from the LBSW/LMSW provisions in the same rule. | Board licensure checklist (PDF) · ARM 24.219.504 (LII) |
| Nebraska — LIMHP with the applicable social work certification | 3,000 supervised hours; at least half must involve clients diagnosed with a major mental illness or disorder | At least 1 hour weekly. For LIMHP experience with clients with major mental disorders, at least 2 hours per 15 client-contact hours; no more than 45 such hours may accumulate without supervision. | Standard qualifying-education route: an underlying mental health practitioner or provisional license is required. CMSW is a separate social work certification, not a substitute for LIMHP authority — see note. | Neb. Rev. Stat. §38-2124 (Justia) · 172 NAC 94-003 (LII) · 172 NAC 94-009 (LII) |
| Nevada — LCSW | 3,000 internship work hours, including 2,000 psychotherapeutic hours | 104 supervision hours; at least 1 individual hour each week; up to 24 group hours under the June 2026 internship policy | Two to three years; extension is a separate process. Program, site and supervisor need board approval. A wholly telehealth internship site is not permitted under the policy; a hybrid setting is required. | Board internship policy (PDF) |
| New Hampshire — LICSW | At least 3,000 post-master's supervised clinical hours | 100 hours of individual face-to-face supervision, at least 1 hour weekly. The rule permits qualifying HIPAA-compliant video. | Two to four years. Have the supervision agreement approved before the experience begins; use a supervisor who meets the LICSW rule. | Mhp 304.02 (LII) |
| New Jersey — LCSW | 3,000 clinical experience hours, including 1,920 direct face-to-face client hours; at least 960 of those must be psychotherapeutic counseling | At least 1 hour weekly with a qualified LCSW. Group supervision is limited to 4 supervisees. Up to half may be individual supervision through qualifying synchronous video. | Two to four years, while holding the LSW or meeting the rule’s exemption. The rule also restricts how old completed experience may be when you apply; legacy experience has separate provisions. | N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.1 (LII) · N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1 (LII) |
| New Mexico — LCSW | 3,600 hours of licensed master's-level social work experience | 90 supervision hours: at least 70 "direct supervision" (which may include video-teleconferencing) and no more than 20 group, with 6 or fewer in a group. At least 1 supervision hour per 40 experience hours. Interdisciplinary supervision is capped at 30 hours and needs a written request | Two to five years, on the LMSW route. Use a board-qualified LCSW/LISW supervisor, or obtain advance approval for the limited interdisciplinary-supervision exception. | 16.63.11.8 NMAC · 16.63.1.7 NMAC |
| New York — LCSW | 2,000 client contact hours in diagnosis, psychotherapy and assessment-based treatment planning. New York sets no total-hours figure | 100 hours of in-person individual or group clinical supervision, spread over the supervised period | Three years of full-time experience, or the part-time equivalent, within a continuous period of no more than 6 years. The setting must be legally authorized to provide psychotherapy — see note | NYSED Appendix A |
| North Carolina — LCSW | 3,000 paid post-MSW clinical practice hours | 100 supervision hours, at least 1 per 30 clinical practice hours, no more than 25 group | 2 to 6 years. The LCSWA route includes six-month reporting. Supervisor must be an LCSW with the board-required post-licensure experience | Board levels and eligibility |
| North Dakota — LCSW | 3,000 supervised clinical social work hours | 150 face-to-face clinical supervision hours, no more than 50 group | Complete and document the 3,000 hours during the four-year post-master’s period. Submit a supervision plan before beginning and a new plan when you change supervisors. | 75.5-02-03-04.1 (LII) |
| Ohio — LISW | 3,000 paid experience hours as an LSW, with no more than 1,500 credited in any 12 months | 150 supervision hours, at 1 per 20 practice hours, with an LISW-S | Two complete years. The first supervision session must be in person; later sessions may use the rule’s permitted video or telephone formats. | Rule 4757-19-02 (LII) · Rule 4757-23-01 (LII) |
| Oklahoma — LCSW | 3,000 supervised clinical hours, including 3,000 direct-client-contact hours under the rule’s treatment-related definition. Administrative work, case management, travel and training are excluded from that client-contact category. | 100 educational supervision hours. At 20 or more work hours weekly: average 1 continuous hour weekly, or 2 hours every 2 weeks. At 19 or fewer work hours: at least 1 hour every 2 weeks. | LMSW plus an approved supervision contract and effective start date before credit. The two evaluation milestones are 1,500 clinical/50 supervision hours and 3,000 clinical/100 supervision hours. Log a zero for weeks with no meeting and report extended absences. | Board supervision forms · Agency rules, July 2026 (PDF) |
| Oregon — LCSW | 3,500 experience hours, including 2,000 direct client hours | 100 supervision hours, at least 50 individual. The board requires two 1-hour supervision meetings monthly. | At least 24 months. Use the approved CSWA supervision plan and required six-month reports. | Board CSWA information |
| Pennsylvania — LCSW | 3,000 post-MSW clinical experience hours, at least half in the listed clinical services. Those listed services include consultation, so this is not the same as 1,500 psychotherapy hours | 2 supervision hours per 40 experience hours, at least 1 of them individual and in person | Two to six years, with 500 to 1,800 hours credited in any 12-month period. At least half the experience must be supervised by a clinical social worker meeting the rule’s qualifications. | 49 Pa. Code §47.12c |
| Rhode Island — LICSW | 3,000 clinical experience hours, including at least 1,500 direct client hours | Two tests apply at once: at least 2 supervision hours every 2 weeks and at least 1 hour per 20 direct client hours. At least 75% individual; groups of 10 or fewer | 24 to 72 months immediately before you apply. In Rhode Island, LCSW is the supervised-level credential and LICSW is the independent endpoint | 216-RICR-40-05-7 |
| South Carolina — LISW-CP | 3,000 supervised clinical practice hours after the LMSW | 100 supervision hours, equitably distributed across the experience | 2 to 4 years, with the supervision plan filed before you start. Supervisor must meet the statutory LISW-CP experience and training requirements. The CP (clinical) specialization is the clinical route — not AP | S.C. Code §40-63-240 (Justia) |
| South Dakota — CSW-PIP, clinical specialization | Full-time: at least 30 work hours weekly for 2 years. Part-time: 18–29 hours weekly for 4 years, in the clinical specialization. | Full-time: at least 4 hours monthly. Part-time: at least 2 hours monthly. Group supervision may not exceed half of supervision in each six-month period. | Hold CSW status while accruing; CSW-PIP is the endpoint. Supervision needs advance approval and six-month reports. | Board licensing instructions (PDF) · ARSD 20:59:05:07 (LII) |
| Tennessee — LCSW | 3,000 clinical hours | 100 supervision hours in addition to the 3,000 clinical hours, with at least 60 one-to-one and no more than 40 group. No more than 75% of individual supervision may be by qualifying visual technology. | Two to eight years under Rules 1365-01-.04 and -.08. The rule measures the eight-year limit from receipt of the application and fee. Maintain the LMSW and detailed supervision records. | Rule 1365-01-.04 (LII) · Rule 1365-01-.08 (LII) |
| Texas — LCSW | 3,000 clinical experience hours | 100 supervisor-contact hours | At least 24 months on the LMSW-to-LCSW route. Your supervisor must hold the board-approved LCSW-S designation. Complete the written plan at the beginning and retain it for the application; it is not an advance board-approval submission. | BHEC LMSW-to-LCSW requirements |
| Utah — LCSW | Current statutory route: 1,200 direct client-care hours. A separate provision sets 3,000 hours or 2 years of supervised experience when required for federal Medicare qualification — see note. | 100 direct clinical supervision hours; at least 25 direct-observation hours and no more than 25 group-supervision hours under §58-60-205(1)(e) | Use the current statutory route and DOPL instructions for your license cohort. Do not assume an earlier CSW license automatically preserves an older supervision schedule indefinitely. | Utah Code §58-60-205 (Justia) |
| Vermont — LICSW | 3,000 supervised practice hours, including at least 2,000 direct psychotherapy hours | At least 1 supervision hour per 30 practice hours; at least half individual. Group size is limited to 8. | At least 2 years. Use the required supervised-practice registration or roster route before beginning. The rule also limits yearly credit and the age of part of the experience. | Vermont social worker rules (LII) |
| Virginia — LCSW | 3,000 clinical and ancillary hours, including 1,380 face-to-face client contact hours | 100 supervision hours, at 1 to 4 per 40 work hours, no more than 50 group | Two to four consecutive years, subject to the rule’s extension provision. Written board approval — a Registration of Supervision — is required before Virginia experience counts. Obtain required approval for new or additional supervisors. | 18VAC140-20-50 |
| Washington — LICSW | 3,000 experience hours, including 1,000 direct client contact hours supervised by an LICSW | 100 direct supervision hours: at least 70 with an LICSW, and at least 60 of the 100 one-to-one. Remaining hours may be with an equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner. | At least 2 years. Use the LICSW subsection, not the separate Licensed Advanced Social Worker requirements. | WAC 246-809-330 |
| West Virginia — LICSW (Level D) | 3,000 post-MSW direct clinical practice hours | 100 face-to-face supervision hours with an approved clinical supervisor | At least 2 years. Level C LCSW is not the independent clinical endpoint in West Virginia. | Board Level D LICSW requirements · Clinical application (PDF) |
| Wisconsin — LCSW | 3,000 post-degree supervised clinical hours, including 1,000 face-to-face client contact hours involving diagnosis and treatment | At least 1 supervision hour weekly, which may be averaged over the period of supervised experience. Group supervision is limited to 6. | Begin after the appropriate advanced-practice or independent social worker certification. Special supervisor approvals must come before the supervision, not after | DSPS clinical social worker requirements · MPSW 4.01 (LII) |
| Wyoming — LCSW | 3,000 supervised clinical experience hours, including 1,200 direct client-contact hours | 100 hours with a designated qualified clinical supervisor. At least 1 supervision hour per 20 hours of direct clinical services, assessed monthly. | 18 to 36 months, with an extension process. Obtain the required designated-supervisor approval before relying on the supervision. | Social work rule, ch. 9 §4 (LII) · Supervision rule, ch. 18 §5 (LII) |
How to read this table. States count three different things, and they are not interchangeable: hours you work, hours you spend with clients, and hours you spend meeting your supervisor. The "Meetings with your supervisor" column is the third kind. Where a state sets a rate instead of a total, we show the rate, because that's what the rule says.
A source labeled LII, Justia or FindLaw is a reproduction of legal text, not a state-board website. Document dates identify the source being compared; they are not a promise that every historical or transitional route has the same requirements. A cell that does not state a total or calendar limit should not be read as saying that no such condition applies.
Scope. Fifty states and the District of Columbia. No territories, no Canadian provinces. This comparison focuses on initial post-MSW clinical licensure, not every doctoral, endorsement or legacy-license exception. Rules change between our checks, and your board is always the authority.
State notes
These are the details that would mislead you if we left them in a table cell.
Arizona. The experience and supervision structure comes from R4-6-403 and R4-6-404 as amended effective 2 November 2025. Older sources still circulate a 3,200-hour total; the amended clinical-experience rule instead specifies 1,600 direct psychotherapy hours over at least 24 months. The psychoeducation and crisis-intervention allowances are inside that requirement, not extra hours added on top. R4-6-403–404 (PDF)
Delaware. The rule separates 3,200 supervised experience hours from a 1,600-hour portion under professional direct supervision and 100 one-to-one supervision hours. “Professional direct supervision” is not a synonym for time spent directly with clients. Do not relabel Delaware’s 1,600 as a client-contact minimum. Rule 3900, §§3.1–3.2
Idaho. The 1,750-hour subset is direct client-contact treatment, not a requirement that every one of those hours be psychotherapy. The rule requires supervision to continue until the clinical license is issued. It separately addresses older experience and the restrictions that apply if the five-year point is reached without clinical licensure; completing an experience total does not itself authorize independent practice. IDAPA 24.14.01.100 (LII)
Kentucky. The rule expresses direct clinical work as a percentage: at least 60% of the supervised clinical experience must be in direct professional relationships with clients. That is not a standalone 3,000-hour requirement. The supervision requirements include both 150 total hours and at least two individual hours every two weeks. 201 KAR 23:070
Maine. The 3,200-hour route applies to candidates whose MSW is in a clinical concentration. A candidate without that concentration follows a different and longer branch. The statute specifies four years of supervised clinical experience and 192 consultation hours for that branch, with a limited waiver provision. Match the route to your degree before signing the consultation agreement; do not apply the clinical-concentration figures to every MSW. 32 M.R.S. §7053 · Board licensing and forms
Nebraska. Independent clinical authority and a social work title are separate parts of the credential structure. LIMHP is the independent mental health practice license; CMSW is a separate certification for social workers. The LIMHP row follows the standard qualifying-education route, including the major-mental-illness experience requirement. The clinical social work supervision provisions also specify the supervisor’s social work and mental health credentials. 172 NAC 94-003 (LII) · 172 NAC 94-009 (LII)
New York. Three details matter beyond the hour counts.
- There is no total-hours requirement to hit. The rule is three years of full-time experience (or the part-time equivalent) inside a window of no more than six consecutive years, plus 2,000 client contact hours.
- The setting must be legally authorized to provide psychotherapy. A general business corporation or a not-for-profit may not provide professional services or employ licensed professionals unless the law authorizes it. Check the employer's authorization, not just the job description.
- A supervisor who isn't licensed in New York needs Form 4Q approved. A supervisor may not be a family member.
Oklahoma. Use the board’s July 2026 rules for the experience requirement. Its older supervision-log instructions still show a 4,000-hour figure, but the revised rule states 3,000 clinical hours and defines the direct-client category. The first and final evaluation milestones are cumulative checkpoints, not a reason to add 1,500 to 3,000. Agency rules, July 2026 (PDF)
South Dakota. CSW is the credential held while you complete this experience; CSW-PIP is the endpoint. The rule gives two schedules: at least 30 work hours weekly for two years with four supervision hours monthly, or 18–29 work hours weekly for four years with two supervision hours monthly. Do not substitute a flat “104 supervision hours” for those schedules. ARSD 20:59:05:07 (LII)
Utah. Section 58-60-205 lists 1,200 direct client-care hours and 100 direct clinical supervision hours, including at least 25 direct-observation hours and no more than 25 group hours. Its separate overall-experience provision ties 3,000 hours or two years to the requirements for federal Medicare qualification. Those clauses should not be collapsed into an unconditional “3,000 hours for everyone” rule. Earlier CSW-license cohorts require their applicable DOPL transition instructions; the statutory figures alone do not establish a grandfathering decision for a particular license. Utah Code §58-60-205 (Justia)
Washington. Chapter 246-809 WAC sets out requirements for more than one social work credential. The 800-hour and 90-hour figures you may find belong to the Licensed Advanced Social Worker, not the LICSW. Use WAC 246-809-330's LICSW subsection. WAC 246-809-330
The three kinds of hours, and why mixing them up is expensive
Most confusion about supervision comes from one word doing three jobs.
Work hours are qualifying experience under the state’s rule, not automatically every hour at a job. California’s 3,000 and Michigan’s 4,000 are overall experience figures, although each state controls what may count inside its total. BPC §4996.23 · Master’s experience verification (PDF)
Client hours are hours spent directly with clients — sometimes any direct contact, sometimes only psychotherapy. Virginia's 1,380, Iowa's 1,500, Washington's 1,000 and Idaho's 1,750 are this kind. Their definitions still differ. 18VAC140-20-50 · Rule 481—880.7 (PDF) · WAC 246-809-330 · IDAPA 24.14.01.100 (LII)
Supervision hours are hours you spent meeting your supervisor. Minnesota's 200, Georgia's 120 and New Mexico's 90 are this kind. Minn. Stat. §148E.115 · Rule 135-5-.04 (PDF) · 16.63.11.8 NMAC
Here's why this matters more than any single number. Florida requires 1,500 hours and California requires 3,000, which makes Florida look like half the work. It isn't. Florida's 1,500 must all be face-to-face psychotherapy. California’s 3,000 is an overall experience requirement that includes at least 2,000 clinical hours and a 750-hour face-to-face psychotherapy subset. Those figures measure different categories; they do not establish that one license takes half as much work or that one applicant will provide twice as much therapy. Board LCSW requirements · BPC §4996.23
New York doesn't publish a total at all. Its rule is three years of full-time experience plus 2,000 client contact hours. Louisiana’s current board rule requires 3,000 hours under a board-approved clinical supervisor and 96 supervision hours. NYSED Appendix A · LABSWE rules, §503
So a "3,000 hours" headline tells you almost nothing until you know which hours it counts.
One more piece of arithmetic worth doing early: at 40 qualifying hours a week, 3,000 hours takes 75 working weeks. That is arithmetic, not a projected licensing date. Where the state also requires at least two years, as Florida and California do, reaching an hour total does not waive the calendar condition. Working extra hours will not move it. Planning around the hour number alone is how people end up surprised. Board LCSW requirements · BPC §4996.23
A related trap: some supervision figures are calculations from a rate, while others are expressly stated totals. Ohio expressly requires 150 supervision hours as well as a one-per-20 practice-hour rate. Pennsylvania’s two-per-40 rate works out to 150 across 3,000 qualifying hours, but its distribution and individual-supervision conditions still apply. California’s 104 supervised weeks are not a flat 104-hour supervision requirement. If your state sets a rate, plan around the rate as well as any stated total. Rule 4757-23-01 (LII) · 49 Pa. Code §47.12c · BPC §4996.23.1 (FindLaw)
A worked example: California, hour by hour
California shows how experience categories, supervision meetings and calendar requirements stack. Say you work full time as a registered ASW in one setting.
You need 3,000 hours total. Inside that:
- At least 2,000 clinical hours — diagnosis, assessment, treatment, psychotherapy.
- Inside those 2,000, at least 750 hours of face-to-face individual or group psychotherapy.
- No more than 1,000 non-clinical hours — advocacy, consultation, research, training, and your supervision time itself.
- At least 1,700 hours of any type supervised by an LCSW.
Then the caps. No more than 40 hours count in any 7 consecutive days, so a 55-hour week still credits 40. No more than 6 hours of direct supervisor contact count in any single week. BPC §4996.23
Then the weeks. You need 104 supervised weeks, of which at least 52 include individual or triadic supervision, and 13 of those 52 must be with an LCSW. Every week, in every setting where you claim hours, you need either 1 hour of individual or triadic supervision or 2 hours of group. If you did more than 10 direct clinical hours in that setting that week, you need another hour of individual or triadic supervision, or another two hours of group supervision. Triadic supervision means one supervisor and two supervisees. The statute has a specific exception for qualifying workshops, seminars, training sessions and conferences; it is not a general exception for ordinary clinical work. BPC §4996.23.1 (FindLaw)
Now the trap. Suppose you take three weeks off and no supervision happens. Those weeks don't count toward 104. Even after you reach the experience-hour total, your supervised weeks may still be short. Because the experience is generally subject to the six-year lookback before the board receives your application, a long gap can also push earlier hours outside the usable window. BPC §4996.23
Where a state sets both requirements, hours and calendar are separate tests, and you have to satisfy both. Completing the California hours does not itself authorize independent practice; required supervision continues until the license is issued. BPC §4996.23.1 (FindLaw)
Before your next supervision session: an eight-point check
Work through these once, then repeat the affected checks when your job or supervisor changes.
1. Confirm what the license is actually called. LICSW in Alabama, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and DC. LCSW-C in Maryland. LISW in Ohio and Iowa. LISW-CP in South Carolina. LSCSW in Kansas. Full LMSW with a clinical designation in Michigan. In South Dakota, CSW is the credential held while accruing experience; CSW-PIP is the endpoint. Searching the wrong title finds the wrong rule. Use the license title and source in your state’s row above.
2. Confirm your own status. Several states require a specific credential before hours count — California’s ASW registration, Florida’s registered intern license, Louisiana’s and Missouri’s LMSW, Indiana’s LSW or temporary permit. California has a narrow statutory 90-day exception; do not treat it as general permission to count pre-registration work. BPC §4996.23 · Registered intern: before supervision · LABSWE rules, §503 · 20 CSR 2263-2.030 (LII) · PLA licensing information
3. Check whether paperwork has to be on file before you start. Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia and others require a plan, contract or registration for the supervision arrangement. The filing and approval processes are not identical. In Louisiana, the contract must reach the board within 60 days of your first session. Late filing affects the credited start date; do not assume every earlier hour survives. Rule 481—880.7 (PDF) · K.A.R. 102-2-12(c) · 20 CSR 2263-2.032 (LII) · 75.5-02-03-04.1 (LII) · Board CSWA information · S.C. Code §40-63-240 (Justia) · 18VAC140-20-50 · LABSWE rules, §503
4. Check your supervisor's credential against the rule, not their job title. "Clinical supervisor" at your agency is not a board credential. Texas requires an LCSW-S. Louisiana requires an LCSW-BACS. Nevada requires board approval of the supervisor, the site and the program. BHEC LMSW-to-LCSW requirements · LABSWE rules, §503 · Board internship policy (PDF)
5. Look up your supervisor's license yourself. Use the licensing authority’s lookup to confirm the license and, where required, the separate supervisor approval. Match the person’s qualifications to the applicable rule rather than relying only on an employer’s description.
6. Check whether your setting qualifies. New York's rule limits experience to legally authorized settings. North Carolina requires the work to be paid. Ohio caps credited hours at 1,500 per twelve months; Michigan caps them at 2,080 per calendar year; Pennsylvania requires between 500 and 1,800 per twelve months. NYSED Appendix A · Board levels and eligibility · Rule 4757-19-02 (LII) · Master’s experience verification (PDF) · 49 Pa. Code §47.12c
7. Check the remote-supervision rules before you agree to video. Indiana allows qualifying supervision to be 100% virtual by synchronous audio-video under its policy effective July 1, 2024; phone, text and email do not qualify. New Jersey permits up to half through its specified individual video format. Tennessee caps technology-delivered individual supervision at 75% and requires visual contact. A permission in one state does not carry over to another. PLA virtual-supervision notice · N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1 (LII) · Rule 1365-01-.08 (LII)
8. Diary your change-of-supervisor deadline now. Louisiana requires a new contract within 60 days of specified changes of employer, supervisor or agency supervisor. Iowa requires a new plan before you start with a new supervisor. These windows are easy to miss when you're changing jobs. Obtain the outgoing supervisor’s required verification as part of the change. LABSWE rules, §503 · Rule 481—880.7 (PDF)
A completed checklist is not approval of your hours. Resolve a questionable start date, setting, supervisor or format in writing before relying on the arrangement.
If you still have a question, ask the board in writing
Give the board enough information to identify your route and supervision arrangement. Copy this, fill in the brackets, and send it to your board's licensing email.
Subject: Supervised experience question — [your credential type, e.g. LMSW #12345]
Hello,
I am working toward [state's clinical license title] and want to confirm my supervision arrangement before I accrue further hours.
- My current credential: [e.g. LMSW, issued 00/00/0000]
- My supervisor: [name, license type and number, and any supervisor designation they hold]
- Setting: [employer type — e.g. non-profit outpatient clinic, group private practice, hospital]
- Start date of supervision: [date]
- Format: [in person / video / mix, and how often]
My questions:
- Does my supervisor meet the requirements to supervise me toward [license title] under [rule citation, if you have it]?
- Is my setting an acceptable one for this experience?
- Has the board received everything it needs from me for hours to count from [start date]? If not, what is outstanding?
- [Your specific question — e.g. how video supervision is counted, or whether a category of work counts.]
Thank you,
[name, credential number, phone]
Do not include client names, case notes or other identifying client information in this inquiry.
Keep the reply. If your circumstances change, send an updated version rather than assuming the earlier answer still holds.
Related questions this page doesn't answer
Already licensed in another state and moving? That is the receiving jurisdiction’s endorsement or other out-of-state licensure route, not the same question as starting supervised practice. It may still require evidence of your earlier experience. Follow the receiving board’s application requirements rather than assuming that an existing license or a table total guarantees acceptance.
Wondering when you can sit for the ASWB Clinical exam? Follow the licensing authority’s examination-approval process, including any steps it delegates to ASWB. Permission to take an exam and completion of supervised experience are different milestones. ASWB’s first-license guide explains the application and examination sequence; your jurisdiction sets the applicable route.
Looking for your state's full licensure process, including fees, applications and coursework? Use the relevant licensing authority’s application instructions alongside the specific rule or guidance linked in your state’s row. This comparison is about supervised experience, not every application requirement.
How we built this
We compared the cited statutes, administrative rules, board application packets and board guidance. The table keeps overall experience, client-contact categories and supervisor meetings separate, and identifies a rate when the cited rule uses a rate instead of a flat total.
Links identify the source actually used. Legal text reproduced by LII, Justia or FindLaw is labeled as such rather than presented as an issuing-authority website. Older or version-specific documents are dated where that distinction affects interpretation. The date of a source check is not a new effective date for the law, and this page does not determine whether an individual supervision arrangement qualifies.
We did not contact any board. Nothing here is legal advice, and none of it substitutes for your board's answer about your situation.
Last verified: 15 September 2026 — the cited source text and calculations. The table is a comparison of those identified documents, not a certification that every jurisdiction’s current consolidated rule or every legacy-license exception has been verified.
Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Association of Social Work Boards or any state licensing board. Exam, credential and organization names are used for identification, and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Supervision and licensure requirements are set by your state board — confirm your own requirements with that board before relying on anything here.
By the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team.