Social work licensure in Alabama

Requirements last verified August 16, 2026 against the Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners.

License levels

• LBSWLicensed Bachelor Social Worker

  The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.

  Supervision is specified as a rate rather than a total: 24 months at a minimum of four hours per month.

• LMSWLicensed Master Social Worker

  The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.

• LICSWLicensed Independent Clinical Social Worker

  The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.

  The Board’s wording: “If you are an LMSW working towards the qualifications for the LICSW, you will need four (4) hours per month for 24 months. The supervision must come from an LICSW.”

Worth knowing about Alabama

Two things to note. Alabama’s clinical license is the LICSW — Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker — not the LCSW that most states use, so check the letters on any job advertisement carefully. And Alabama counts supervision as a rate over time rather than as a total: four hours a month for 24 months, rather than a lump sum of hours you can front-load. You cannot compress it by doing more supervision in fewer months, which makes the two years a floor on the calendar as well as on the work.

Common questions about Alabama

Which ASWB exam do I need for Alabama?

Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners lists its license levels without naming which ASWB exam each requires, on the pages we were able to read. Confirm the exam category with the board directly before registering.

What social work licenses does Alabama issue?

LBSW (Licensed Bachelor Social Worker); LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker); LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker).

Is this information current?

These requirements were last checked against Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.