Vermont Social Work License Requirements: LMSW, LICSW, and Compact

Vermont issues social work licenses at two levels through the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR): the Licensed Master’s Social Worker (LMSW) and the Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW). To meet Vermont social work license requirements at either level, you need a graduate degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, passage of the matching national ASWB exam within the last five years, and a Vermont jurisprudence exam. The LICSW adds 3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice. Vermont does not offer a bachelor’s-level social work license.¹

Choosing Between the LMSW and the LICSW

The LMSW is the entry-level graduate license. It authorizes master’s-level social work practice but does not permit psychotherapy or independent clinical work. Many social workers hold an LMSW while they build toward clinical licensure.

The LICSW is the advanced clinical license. It authorizes independent practice of clinical social work, including the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders. You need the LICSW to practice psychotherapy, bill insurance directly, or work without ongoing clinical supervision.²

What You Need for the LMSW

You need a master’s or doctoral degree from a CSWE-accredited social work program, and you must pass the required exams within five years before applying.³ The five-year window matters. If you earned your degree a decade ago but never sat for the exam, you will need to take and pass it before Vermont will accept your application.

The required national exam is the ASWB Master’s examination, which costs $230.⁴ Vermont also requires a jurisprudence exam covering state-specific laws and ethics. You must be preapproved by the state before you can register for the ASWB exam, so start the application before scheduling a test date.⁵

What You Need for the LICSW

The LICSW requires the same CSWE-accredited graduate degree, plus passage of the ASWB Clinical examination ($260) and the Vermont jurisprudence exam.⁴ The same five-year exam window applies.⁶ On top of the exam, you need 3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice.

The 3,000 Hours

You must complete 3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work practice over no fewer than two years.⁷ Within that total, at least 2,000 hours must involve direct psychotherapy services. The remaining 1,000 hours can come from either direct or indirect social work services.

You cannot compress the timeline. No more than 1,500 hours per year count toward the requirement, and part-time work under 16 hours per week does not count at all. At least half of your supervised hours must fall within the five years before you finish all other licensure requirements.⁷

Who Can Supervise You

Vermont requires one hour of face-to-face supervision for every 30 hours of practice, which works out to roughly 100 supervision hours across the full 3,000. Supervision conducted via HIPAA-compliant video counts as face-to-face.⁷

Your supervisor must be a licensed independent clinical social worker, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed physician or osteopath who completed a psychiatry residency. A professional licensed in any of these fields in another state or Canada also qualifies.⁶

The Psychotherapist Roster Step That Trips People Up

Before you begin accumulating any supervised clinical hours toward your LICSW in Vermont, you must register on the state’s Roster of Non-Licensed, Non-Certified Psychotherapists. Hours logged while you are not on the roster will not count toward licensure.⁸

This applies even if you already hold an LMSW. The LMSW does not authorize psychotherapy practice in Vermont and does not exempt you from the roster requirement. If you hold an LMSW and want to accrue supervised clinical hours, you must register separately with OPR before you start.⁹ Registration happens through OPR’s online services platform.

How to Apply

All applications go through OPR’s online licensing portal. Paper applications are no longer accepted.¹⁰ You create an account, select your license type, upload supporting documents, and pay a non-refundable application fee.

The core documents:

Official transcripts, sent directly from your school to OPR by mail or email. If the school hands the transcript to you, OPR will only accept it in the sealed envelope from the institution.¹¹
ASWB exam scores. If you took the exam in another state, request a score transfer through ASWB.
Supervision reports, for LICSW applicants only. Your supervisor completes the official Supervision Report form from OPR’s website and submits it by email or mail.¹¹

Current fees are posted on OPR’s Social Worker Forms and Instructions page, so check there for exact amounts before you apply.¹² You can track your application status and respond to deficiency notices through the same account. Once approved, your digital license is issued through the portal.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Vermont social work licenses renew on a biennial cycle through the same online platform. The most recent renewal cycle runs through January 2026.¹² LMSWs are generally expected to complete 20 hours of continuing education per renewal period, and LICSWs typically need 30 hours, with a portion covering professional ethics. These numbers are set by rule and can change between cycles, so confirm them against your renewal notice or the current administrative rules.

Starting with the January 2026 renewal, all licensed mental health professionals in Vermont must also complete at least one hour of continuing education focused on systematic oppression and anti-oppressive practice. This requirement was created by Act 117, which took effect in July 2023.¹² A missed renewal deadline can result in fines and the loss of your authority to practice.

Using the Title Without a License

Vermont law prohibits anyone from practicing, or claiming to practice, as an LICSW or LMSW without the appropriate license. Using either title, its abbreviation, or any letters implying you hold either credential is also illegal if you are not actually licensed.¹³ Separately, Vermont restricts use of the general title “social worker” within state agencies and their contractors to employees who hold at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited social work program.

The Social Work Licensure Compact

Vermont has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, which sits in Title 26, Chapter 61 alongside the existing licensing framework.¹⁴ The compact is designed to let social workers hold a multistate license recognized across member states, based on an active, unencumbered home-state license and a background check.¹⁵

The compact reached its activation threshold, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued. Implementation is expected to take 12 to 24 months from activation. Once operational, the compact will recognize three categories: bachelor’s, master’s, and clinical. Clinical applicants will need either 3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice or two years of full-time postgraduate clinical experience, a qualifying national exam, and a master’s or higher from an accredited program.¹⁵ If you plan to practice in states that have not joined the compact, you will still need to apply for a license in each of those states individually.

1
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code Title 26 Chapter 61 – Social Workers
2
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 26 VSA 3201 – Definitions
3
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code Title 26 Chapter 61 – Social Workers – Section 3205
4
Association of Social Work Boards. Exam
5
Association of Social Work Boards. Getting Ready for the Exam
6
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code Title 26 Chapter 61 – Social Workers – Section 3205a
7
Legal Information Institute. 04-070 Code Vt R 04-030-070-X – Administrative Rules for Licensed Clinical Social Workers
8
National Association of Social Workers Vermont Chapter. Licensure
9
Vermont Office of Professional Regulation. Master Social Worker Application Instructions
10
Vermont Secretary of State. Vermont Office of Professional Regulation Online Services
11
Vermont Office of Professional Regulation. Clinical Social Worker Application Instructions
12
Vermont Secretary of State. Social Worker Forms and Instructions
13
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code Title 26 Chapter 61 – Social Workers – Section 3202
14
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code Title 26 Chapter 61 – Social Workers – Section 3217
15
Social Work Licensure Compact. Social Work Licensure Compact