Social work licensure in California

Requirements last verified August 16, 2026 against the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

License levels

ASWAssociate Clinical Social Worker
The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.
A pre-license registration, not a license to practice independently. It is the route through which supervised hours toward the LCSW are accrued.
LCSWLicensed Clinical Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.
3,000 supervised hours over a minimum of 104 weeks.

Worth knowing about California

California is unusual: the Board of Behavioral Sciences issues only four credentials — LCSW, LMFT, LPCC and LEP — and the LCSW is the only social work one among them. There is no LBSW and no LMSW here. The route runs through ASW registration to the LCSW, so for most Californian candidates the ASWB Clinical exam is the only one that matters.

Common questions about California

Which ASWB exam do I need for California?: LCSW requires the ASWB Clinical exam. Your board tells ASWB which category you are approved to take, so confirm with them before you register — registration fees are nonrefundable.
What social work licenses does California issue?: ASW (Associate Clinical Social Worker); LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
How many supervised hours does California require?: LCSW: 3,000 hours. The board sets the conditions on those hours — who may supervise, over what period — so read its own rules before you begin accruing them.
Is this information current?: These requirements were last checked against California Board of Behavioral Sciences on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.

Which exam will you sit?

Whatever California calls its license levels, the exam behind them is one of five.

License levels

ASWAssociate Clinical Social Worker

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

A pre-license registration, not a license to practice independently. It is the route through which supervised hours toward the LCSW are accrued.

LCSWLicensed Clinical Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.

3,000 supervised hours over a minimum of 104 weeks.

Worth knowing about California

Common questions about California

Which ASWB exam do I need for California?

LCSW requires the ASWB Clinical exam. Your board tells ASWB which category you are approved to take, so confirm with them before you register — registration fees are nonrefundable.

What social work licenses does California issue?

ASW (Associate Clinical Social Worker); LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).

How many supervised hours does California require?

LCSW: 3,000 hours. The board sets the conditions on those hours — who may supervise, over what period — so read its own rules before you begin accruing them.

Is this information current?

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