To start a DC social work license application, create an account on the DC Health online licensing portal, pick the license tier that matches your education and experience, and submit your degree transcripts, ASWB exam score (or exam registration), criminal background check, and the $230 combined application and license fee. DC issues four levels of licensure, so the first decision is which one fits you.
Pick the Right License Level
DC issues four social work licenses, each tied to a specific degree and, for the top two, a supervised-practice requirement.
- Licensed Social Work Associate (LSWA): Bachelor of Social Work from a CSWE-accredited program. Entry-level, non-clinical.
- Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW): MSW or doctorate from a CSWE-accredited program. Can perform all social work functions except independent psychotherapy, which requires supervision by a licensed independent clinical social worker.1D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 3-1208.02 – Licensed Graduate Social Worker
- Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW): MSW plus 3,000 hours of supervised post-graduate experience. Autonomous non-clinical practice.
- Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW): MSW plus 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience. The only tier that authorizes independent diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions.
Your program must be on the Council on Social Work Education’s accredited list for the year your degree was conferred.2D.C. Municipal Regulations. 17 DCMR 17-7002 – Educational and Training Requirements Foreign-educated applicants need a credential evaluation from CSWE’s Foreign Equivalency Determination Service, and that requirement applies whether you’re applying by examination or by endorsement.
Pass the ASWB Exam at Your License Level
Every applicant must pass the Association of Social Work Boards national exam at the level matching the license sought: Bachelors for LSWA, Masters for LGSW, Advanced Generalist for LISW, and Clinical for LICSW. DC’s minimum passing score is 75 across all four.3D.C. Municipal Regulations. 17 DCMR 17-7004 – National Examination Exam registration is $230 for Bachelors and Masters and $260 for Advanced Generalist and Clinical, paid directly to ASWB.4Association of Social Work Boards. Exam
You can sit for the exam once you’ve completed a CSWE-accredited program, or during the final semester if you expect to graduate at its end.5D.C. Municipal Regulations. 17 DCMR 17-7005 – Eligibility to Take National Examination
LGSW applicants have one alternative: you can receive an initial license without passing the exam first, provided that before your first renewal you either pass the Masters-level exam or complete 1,500 hours of supervised practice.1D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 3-1208.02 – Licensed Graduate Social Worker Most people just take the exam up front.
Document Your Supervised Hours (LISW and LICSW)
If you’re applying for the LISW or LICSW, you’ll submit a work experience form showing 3,000 hours of post-master’s or post-doctoral supervised practice completed over at least two years. At least 100 of those hours must be immediate, face-to-face supervision, which works out to roughly one hour of direct supervision per 30 hours of practice.6DC Health. District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Chapter 70 Social Work Most applicants finish in two to four years.
Your supervisor’s credentials matter. For LISW, the supervisor must be a licensed independent social worker or licensed independent clinical social worker in good standing. For LICSW, the supervisor must hold an active LICSW.7District of Columbia Municipal Regulations. District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Chapter 70 Social Work Hours earned outside DC can count if your supervisor held the equivalent credentials in the jurisdiction where the supervision occurred. When you fill out the online application, you’ll enter your supervisor’s name and license number so the Board can verify them.
Complete the Background Check
Every applicant must complete a criminal background check through DC’s authorized vendor, Fieldprint.7District of Columbia Municipal Regulations. District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Chapter 70 Social Work Schedule a fingerprinting appointment, pay the vendor’s fee through the DC Health criminal background check payment portal, and let Fieldprint send the results directly to DC Health.8DC Health. International Fingerprints A criminal record isn’t an automatic bar; the Board reviews each case individually.
Submit Through the DC Health Portal
All applications go through the DC Health online licensing portal.9DC Health. Social Work Licensing Create an account, choose your license type, and pick the pathway that fits: examination, endorsement, or re-examination. The system walks you through educational history, employment, and supervision details, and prompts you to upload documents before final submission.
Your package needs to include official transcripts sent directly from your CSWE-accredited program, a valid government-issued photo ID, and, for LISW and LICSW, the completed work experience form.10District of Columbia Department of Health. Board of Social Work Application Instructions and Forms for a License to Social Work in the District of Columbia Every document must match the legal name on your application; if your name has changed, attach a marriage certificate or court order.
DC Health publishes a separate checklist for each pathway on the social work licensing page. Pull the right one before you start. The Board meets periodically to review applications rather than working from a fixed timeline, and the most common cause of delay is an incomplete file: missing transcripts, unfinished background check, unsigned forms.
What You’ll Pay
The DC-side fee is $230, made up of an $85 application fee and a $145 license fee paid together at submission.11Department of Health. Board of Social Work Application Instructions and Forms for a License to Social Work in the District of Columbia The rate is the same across all four license levels.
On top of that, you pay ASWB directly for the exam: $230 for the Bachelors or Masters exam, $260 for Advanced Generalist or Clinical.4Association of Social Work Boards. Exam The background check fee is set by the vendor and paid through DC Health’s separate payment portal. Budget roughly $500 to $550 total for an LSWA or LGSW, and somewhat more for an LISW or LICSW.
Applying With a License From Another State
If you already hold a social work license elsewhere, apply through the endorsement pathway instead of re-taking the exam. The fee is the same $230, and the endorsement checklist is separate from the examination checklist.12District of Columbia Department of Health. Social Work Application Check List by Endorsement
You’ll need an official verification letter from each state where you hold or have held a license (sent in a sealed envelope), a copy of your current license, an ASWB Score Transfer Report requested from ASWB at 1-888-579-3926, three character references, two recent 2″ × 2″ passport-size photos, and — for LISW and LICSW — the work experience form.12District of Columbia Department of Health. Social Work Application Check List by Endorsement Foreign-educated applicants applying by endorsement still need the CSWE credential evaluation.
After You’re Licensed: Renewal and CE
DC licenses renew every two years. Starting after July 31, 2025, your renewal deadline is the last day of your birth month, with the year (even or odd) tied to your birth year. The renewal fee is $145.13DC Health. Board of Social Work Renewal Requirements
Each two-year cycle requires 40 hours of continuing education, including 6 hours of ethics completed face-to-face (online ethics does not count), 2 hours on LGBTQ+ topics, and at least 4 hours on cultural competency and public health priorities such as implicit bias and culturally appropriate services.14DC Health. SW Renewal 2025 Continuing Education Requirements The remaining hours can be any approved CE relevant to social work practice. Missing the deadline drops you into reinstatement, which is longer and costlier than a straight renewal.