Social work licensure in Florida

Requirements last verified August 16, 2026 against the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling.

License levels

LCSWLicensed Clinical Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.
At least 100 hours of supervision over no fewer than 100 weeks, plus 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy with clients, documented on the board’s Verification of Clinical Experience form.

Worth knowing about Florida

Florida gates the exam differently from most states. Since 1 January 2023 you become eligible to sit the ASWB Clinical exam only after completing all graduate coursework AND 18 months of documented experience in a clinical setting — so you cannot sit it straight out of your degree the way you can in many jurisdictions. Plan the timeline around that.

Common questions about Florida

Which ASWB exam do I need for Florida?: 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 Florida issue?: LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
Is this information current?: These requirements were last checked against Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling 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 Florida calls its license levels, the exam behind them is one of five.

Worth knowing about Florida

Common questions about Florida

Which ASWB exam do I need for Florida?

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 Florida issue?

LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).

Is this information current?

These requirements were last checked against Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.