Illinois Social Work License Requirements: LSW and LCSW Steps

To get a social work license in Illinois you apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) with a degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and a $50 application fee. The state issues two licenses: the Licensed Social Worker (LSW), which requires a bachelor’s degree and no exam, and the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), which requires a master’s or doctorate, passage of the ASWB Clinical exam, and thousands of hours of supervised post-degree clinical work.

Licensed Social Worker (LSW)

The LSW is the entry-level credential. You need a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from a CSWE-accredited program. LSW holders generally work in case management, community outreach, and similar roles under supervision.

Illinois does not require LSW applicants to take any ASWB exam. The exam requirement was eliminated effective January 1, 2022.1Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Qualifications for Licensure – Licensed Social Worker So for an LSW, the path is degree, application, fee.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

The LCSW permits independent clinical practice: psychotherapy, mental health assessment, counseling, and billing insurance in your own name. It has three requirements beyond the application itself.

Graduate Degree

A Master of Social Work (MSW) or a doctorate in social work, from a CSWE-accredited program. If your degree was earned outside the United States, CSWE’s International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Service can evaluate it, and that evaluation substitutes for a CSWE-accredited diploma on the IDFPR application.2Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Illinois Social Work Licensing Requirements and Process

ASWB Clinical Exam

You must pass the ASWB Clinical exam. The registration fee is $260, paid directly to the ASWB and separate from the Illinois application fee.3Association of Social Work Boards. Exam

Supervised Clinical Experience

You accrue supervised clinical hours after your graduate degree is awarded. Hours from your MSW program itself do not count. The required total depends on your degree:

Your supervisor must be a licensed social worker (LSW or LCSW) or another qualified social work supervisor.1Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Qualifications for Licensure – Licensed Social Worker Hours are documented on IDFPR’s Verification of Supervision and Experience form (VE-SW), which the supervisor signs and you submit with your application.6Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Social Work Verification of Supervision and Experience

Applying Through IDFPR

Applications go through the IDFPR online portal. You will need official transcripts from your social work program, and, for LCSW applicants, the completed VE-SW form from your supervisor. All fees are non-refundable.

If You Are Already Licensed in Another State

Out-of-state social workers can apply by endorsement rather than filing a full initial application. The endorsement fee is $200.

There is a meaningful shortcut for experienced clinicians. If you have been licensed at the independent clinical level in another state for at least five consecutive years with no disciplinary history, you do not have to submit proof of education or supervised clinical experience. A certified verification of licensure from the other state’s licensing board is enough. Everyone else applying by endorsement submits the same transcripts and supervision documentation as a first-time applicant.

Keeping Your License: Renewal and CE

Both LSW and LCSW licenses expire on November 30 of each odd-numbered year, so renewal runs on a two-year cycle.8Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Section 1470.95 – Continuing Education The renewal fee is $30 per year, which comes to $60 for the standard two-year period, and it is the same for LSWs and LCSWs.7Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Section 1470.55 – Fees

You must complete 30 hours of approved continuing education each two-year cycle. At least 3 hours must cover social work ethics and at least 3 must cover cultural competence; the remaining 24 can be in any topic relevant to social work practice.9Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Continuing Education Fact Sheet – Licensed Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Social Worker The first renewal cycle after initial licensure has no CE requirement.

Restoring a Lapsed License

Missing a renewal does not permanently bar you from practice, but the longer the license has been inactive or expired, the more it takes to bring it back.10Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Section 1470.80 – Restoration

  • Inactive for five years or less: pay the current renewal fee ($60) and show 30 hours of CE completed within the two years before you apply to restore.
  • Expired for five years or less: pay a $50 reinstatement fee plus all lapsed renewal fees, with the same 30 CE hours.
  • Expired or inactive for more than five years: pay a $200 restoration fee, complete 30 CE hours, and provide either proof of active practice in another state or, for LCSW holders, proof of passing the Clinical exam within the preceding 12 months.

A license revoked or suspended through a disciplinary action follows a different track: you must complete all terms of the disciplinary order and petition through a formal hearing.10Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Section 1470.80 – Restoration

A Note on the Multistate Compact

A Social Work Licensure Compact that would let social workers practice across member states without separate licenses has been adopted by roughly 30 states as of 2026.11Social Work Licensure Compact. Social Work Licensure Compact Illinois introduced legislation to join (HB 2473 in the 104th General Assembly), but the bill was still pending at the time of this writing, and the compact itself is not yet issuing multistate licenses. For now, practicing in Illinois still requires an Illinois license, whether initial or by endorsement.