Social work licensure in Connecticut

Requirements last verified August 16, 2026 against the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing.

License levels

• LMSWMaster’s Level Social Worker

  Requires the ASWB Masters exam.

  The Department’s wording: “the ASWB master’s level examination is required of applicants who earned the MSW degree on and after January 1, 2026.” It is a new requirement, not a long-standing one.

• LCSWLicensed Clinical Social Worker

  Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.

  An MSW or doctorate from a CSWE-accredited program, 3,000 hours of post-master’s social work experience including at least 100 hours under professional supervision by a licensed clinical or certified independent social worker, and the ASWB Clinical Level Examination.

Worth knowing about Connecticut

Connecticut’s master’s-level exam requirement is new and it is dated: it applies to applicants “who earned the MSW degree on and after January 1, 2026”. If your MSW predates that, check with the Department before assuming you need to sit it — and if it does not, you do. This is the kind of cutoff that older guidance and second-hand summaries get wrong for years afterwards. Connecticut also runs a transitional accreditation window: a Connecticut school in candidate status with CSWE between spring 2024 and spring 2028 counts, which it would not in most states.

Common questions about Connecticut

Which ASWB exam do I need for Connecticut?

LMSW requires the ASWB Masters exam; 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 Connecticut issue?

LMSW (Master’s Level Social Worker); LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).

How many supervised hours does Connecticut 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 Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.