Most states ask for 3,000 hours of supervised experience after the MSW, spread over at least two years, with about 100 hours of supervision before they grant the clinical license. That is the usual pattern, not a national rule. Minnesota asks for at least 4,000 hours, New York counts months instead of hours, and Tennessee adds its 100 supervision hours on top of the 3,000.
The table below covers every state and DC: the hours, the time they must take, and the supervision inside them, each from the board's own rules, the state's statute or the board's forms. Where a rule does not set a figure, the table says so rather than guessing.
The short answer
Of the 39 jurisdictions whose rules set an hours total, 31 ask for 3,000, and none asks for fewer. Eight ask for more:
- Minnesota: at least 4,000 hours, and no more than 8,000, of postgraduate clinical practice for the LICSW
- Arkansas and Michigan: 4,000
- New Mexico: 3,600
- Massachusetts and Oregon: 3,500
- Colorado: 3,360
- Delaware: 3,200
For the other 12, the sources we read set time, or a single kind of hour, rather than a total. New York counts 36 months; Alabama, 24 months of monthly supervision; Arizona, 24 months that include 1,600 hours of direct client contact; Florida, at least 100 weeks with 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy; Mississippi, 24 to 36 months with 1,000 hours of client contact. Alaska asks for two years full-time or 3,000 hours part-time, and Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, South Dakota and West Virginia state years. Nebraska licenses clinical practice through its mental health practitioner licenses, so read its rules directly.
Supervision is usually 100 hours. Minnesota asks for 200, Kentucky and Ohio 150, Georgia 120 and Iowa 110; Colorado and Louisiana ask for 96, and Washington 90.
LCSW hours by state
"Hours" is the total, with the share that must be direct client work in brackets where the rule sets one. "Time" is the shortest and longest period the hours may take. "Ask the board" means the sources we read do not give that figure; "No total" means the rule sets time instead of an hours total.
| State | License | Hours | Time | Supervision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | LICSW | No total | 24 months | 4 hours a month, from an LICSW |
| Alaska | LCSW | 3,000 if part-time | Two years if full-time | 100 face-to-face |
| Arizona | LCSW | No total (1,600 direct) | At least 24 months | 100 |
| Arkansas | LCSW (Licensed Certified Social Worker) | 4,000 | 24 full months | 100 direct |
| California | LCSW | 3,000 | At least 104 weeks | Ask the board |
| Colorado | LCSW | 3,360 (1,680 clinical) | At least 24 months | 96 (48 individual) |
| Connecticut | LCSW | 3,000 | Ask the board | 100 |
| Delaware | LCSW | 3,200 | 2 to 5 years | Ask the board |
| District of Columbia | LICSW | 3,000 | 2 to 4 years | 100 face-to-face |
| Florida | LCSW | No total (1,500 face-to-face psychotherapy) | At least 100 weeks | 100 |
| Georgia | LCSW | 3,000 | 36 to 108 months | 120 |
| Hawaii | LCSW | 3,000 (2,000 assessment, diagnosis and psychotherapy) | 2 to 5 years | 100 face-to-face (60 one-to-one) |
| Idaho | LCSW | 3,000 (1,750 direct) | 2 to 5 years | 100 face-to-face |
| Illinois | LCSW | 3,000 | Ask the board | Ask the board |
| Indiana | LCSW | Ask the board | Two years after the degree | Ask the board |
| Iowa | LISW | 3,000 (1,500 direct) | At least two years, after the LMSW | 110 (24 observed) |
| Kansas | LSCSW | 3,000 (1,500 direct) | At least two years | 100 face-to-face (50 individual) |
| Kentucky | LCSW | No total | Two years | 150 (100 individual) |
| Louisiana | LCSW | 3,000 | Ask the board | 96 face-to-face |
| Maine | LCSW | No total | Two years (four without a clinical concentration) | 96 hours of consultation (192) |
| Maryland | LCSW-C | 3,000 (1,500 face-to-face) | Two years as a licensee | 100 face-to-face |
| Massachusetts | LICSW | 3,500, after the LCSW | Two years | 100 individual |
| Michigan | LMSW, clinical designation | 4,000 | At least two years | Ask the board |
| Minnesota | LICSW | 4,000 to 8,000 (1,800 direct) | Ask the board | 200 |
| Mississippi | LCSW (Licensed Certified Social Worker) | No total (1,000 client contact) | 24 to 36 months | 100 |
| Missouri | LCSW | 3,000 | 24 to 48 months | Ask the board |
| Montana | LCSW | 3,000 | Ask the board | Ask the board |
| Nebraska | LMHP or LIMHP | Ask the board | Ask the board | Ask the board |
| Nevada | LCSW | 3,000 | At least 24 months | Ask the board |
| New Hampshire | LICSW | 3,000 (1,500 a year) | 2 to 4 years | 100 individual |
| New Jersey | LCSW | 3,000 (1,920 face-to-face) | 2 to 4 years (see below) | Ask the board |
| New Mexico | LISW | 3,600, after the LMSW | Within 60 months | 90 in the rule (the board's FAQ says 100) |
| New York | LCSW | Counted in months | 36 months, within six years | 100 in person |
| North Carolina | LCSW | 3,000 paid | 2 to 6 consecutive years | Ask the board |
| North Dakota | LCSW | 3,000 | Within four years | Ask the board |
| Ohio | LISW | 3,000 | 24 full months, after the LSW | 150, from an LISW-S |
| Oklahoma | LCSW | 3,000 of direct client contact | Ask the board | 100 educational |
| Oregon | LCSW | 3,500 (2,000 direct) | At least 24 months | 100 (50 individual) |
| Pennsylvania | LCSW | 3,000 | At least two years | Ask the board |
| Rhode Island | LICSW | 3,000 (1,500 direct) | Within the 72 months before you apply, over at least 24 | 2 hours every two weeks |
| South Carolina | LISW-CP | 3,000, after the LMSW | 2 to 4 years | 100 direct |
| South Dakota | CSW-PIP | Ask the board | Two years | 1 hour a week |
| Tennessee | LCSW | 3,000, after the LMSW | 2 to 8 years | 100 on top (60 individual) |
| Texas | LCSW | 3,000 | At least 24 months | 100 |
| Utah | LCSW | 3,000 (1,000 direct therapy) | At least 18 months, as a CSW | Ask the board |
| Vermont | LICSW | 3,000 (2,000 psychotherapy) | Ask the board | Ask the board |
| Virginia | LCSW | 3,000 | Ask the board | Ask the board |
| Washington | LICSW | 3,000 (800 direct) | At least two years | 90 |
| West Virginia | LICSW | Ask the board | Two years | 100 |
| Wisconsin | LCSW | 3,000, after the APSW or ISW (1,000 face-to-face) | Ask the board | Ask the board |
| Wyoming | LCSW | 3,000 (1,200 direct) | 18 to 36 months | 100 |
Two rows need a note. New Jersey's board page defines the two years as 3,000 hours completed "in no less than two years and no more than four years", but its application checklist still asks for two years within "not less than two, and not more than three, consecutive years"; ask the board which window it will apply to you. New Mexico's rule sets 90 hours of supervision, one for every 40 worked, while the board's FAQ says 100, so plan for 100.
What counts as an hour
Not every hour you work counts the same. Most rules split the total into direct client contact and everything else, and set a floor for the first. Oklahoma's rule goes furthest: it reads "which includes 3000 hours of direct client contact" and excludes administrative work, case management and travel. Oregon wants 2,000 direct hours of its 3,500, New Jersey 1,920 face-to-face (half of them psychotherapeutic counseling), Minnesota 1,800, Idaho 1,750, Arizona 1,600 (no more than 400 in psychoeducation), and Iowa, Kansas, Maryland and Rhode Island 1,500.
Some states narrow the work itself. New York accepts only experience in diagnosis, psychotherapy and assessment-based treatment planning, in a setting legally authorized to provide them. Hawaii wants 2,000 hours of assessment, diagnosis and psychotherapy and caps advocacy, consultation and evaluation at 900. Wisconsin wants 1,000 hours face-to-face, at least 600 of them involving DSM diagnosis and treatment. Colorado wants half of its hours, 1,680, in treatment, diagnosis, testing, assessment or counseling, and does not count teaching hours toward them.
And some hours never count. North Carolina and Utah exclude hours from your degree's practicum or internship, and Utah counts only W-2 employment with a qualifying employer, so contract work does not count there.
Register before you count
Many states tie the hours to a credential you must hold while you earn them: Colorado's clinical social worker candidate registration, California's ASW registration, Michigan's limited LMSW, Montana's candidate license, Utah's CSW, or the LMSW in Iowa, New Mexico, South Carolina and Tennessee. New York wants the experience gained as an LMSW or a limited permit holder. Vermont asks you to be an LMSW registered for supervised practice, or listed on its roster of non-licensed psychotherapists, for the whole period. New Hampshire counts its window from the date approved supervision began. Check the start date your board will accept before you start counting.
Supervision: how much, and from whom
Most boards ask for about 100 hours of supervision, spread through the experience rather than packed in at the end. Tennessee asks for roughly one hour of supervision for every 30 hours of clinical work, New Mexico's rule one for every 40, and Minnesota four to eight hours for every 160 hours worked.
Individual time is protected. Tennessee needs at least 60 of its 100 hours one-to-one and Hawaii 60, Colorado needs 48 of its 96, Kansas and Oregon 50, and Idaho, Iowa and Maryland cap group supervision at 50 hours.
Who supervises varies too. Most states want a licensed clinical social worker. Alaska also accepts a PsyD or a psychiatrist, South Dakota a psychiatrist or psychologist, and DC lets a psychiatrist or psychologist cover up to 1,500 of the hours in special circumstances the board approves. North Dakota's first 1,500 hours must be supervised by an LCSW, at least half of Georgia's and Idaho's supervision must come from one, and Ohio's training supervision comes from an LISW-S. Video has limits in some states: Tennessee allows up to 75 percent of individual supervision by video, and Mississippi no more than 25 hours.
Supervision is also an exam topic. ASWB's exam guidebook lists the NASW and ASWB Best Practice Standards in Social Work Supervision (2013) among its references.
Time limits, and why they matter
Where a state sets a minimum period, it is usually two years; California counts 104 weeks. Wyoming and Utah set 18 months, and Georgia and New York 36.
Many also set a ceiling, and hours that fall outside it stop counting: three years in Wyoming (unless the board extends it) and Mississippi, four in DC, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota and South Carolina, five in Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho and New Mexico, six in New York and North Carolina, eight in Tennessee and nine in Georgia. Rhode Island counts only hours from the 72 months before you apply.
Spreading 3,000 hours over 104 weeks means about 29 hours a week. Full-time work gets there; part-time work takes longer, which is where the ceilings bite.
When you can take the Clinical exam
Boards differ on whether the exam comes before, during or after the hours.
- Hours first: Michigan makes you eligible only after the 4,000 hours; North Carolina after two years of clinical experience are documented with the board; Virginia after you complete your supervision; Wyoming after the hours are done; Mississippi and South Dakota after supervision and the board's approval.
- Partway through: Missouri opens the exam at 2,250 hours and 18 months, and Florida after all your graduate coursework and 18 months of clinical experience.
- Hours after: Oregon lets you register as a clinical social work associate and earn your hours before you take the exam.
The hours and the exam stay separate requirements. Passing early does not shorten the hours, and in some states an old pass expires: Vermont wants the exam within five years of completing the other requirements, and Idaho counts only a pass from the previous seven years.
Keep your own log
Boards ask your supervisor to verify the hours, often on their own form: Form 4B in New York, the Verification of Clinical Experience form in Florida, the VESE in Wyoming. Supervisors change jobs and retire, so keep your own record from the first week: dates, hours, direct and indirect, supervision split into individual and group, and your supervisor's signature each month.
If you move, hours from another state can count, under conditions. New York accepts experience gained elsewhere if it came after the MSW, in a setting authorized there, under a supervisor it accepts. Tennessee asks that an out-of-state supervisor meet or exceed its own standard. The Social Work Licensure Compact explains where multistate practice stands.
The exam at the end
The license these hours lead to takes the ASWB Clinical exam in almost every state. Michigan accepts the Advanced Generalist or the Clinical exam for its LMSW, and New Mexico's rule leaves the level to the board.
How to pass the LCSW exam covers the exam itself, with ten practice questions to try, and a free study plan works back from your exam date. LMSW vs LCSW covers the step before these hours, and LICSW and LISW the states that call the clinical license something else.
Hours, time limits and supervision are from our state licensure pages, each read at the board's own source and verified August 16, 2026. Checked at source on October 15, 2026: Arizona Revised Statutes section 32-3293; Colorado's rules, 4 CCR 726-1, effective August 30, 2025; DC Code section 3-1208.04 and the DC Board of Social Work's examination checklist; Maryland Health Occupations section 19-302 and the board's June 2026 supervision contract; Minnesota Statutes section 148E.115; New Hampshire rule Mhp 304.02, amended February 17, 2026; the New Jersey board's eligibility page; New York's Office of the Professions LCSW requirements; Tennessee rules 1365-01-.04 and .08 (September 2024); Wyoming's Chapter 9 rule and its board's examination page; Kentucky's 201 KAR 23:070; the Missouri committee's LCSW application; and West Virginia's license table. Licensing rules change: confirm with your board before relying on any figure. ASWB Master is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or approved by the Association of Social Work Boards.