LCSW Supervised Hours by State

Clinical licensure is where most of a social worker's licensing time goes, and the supervised-experience rule is the reason. The headline number varies less than people expect. The details underneath it, such as what counts as clinical, how much must be direct client contact, how many supervision hours, from whom, and inside what window of months, vary a great deal.

Everything below comes from state statutes, administrative codes and board publications we read in October 2026. Rules change, and boards interpret them. Before you count on a number, confirm it in your state's license guide or with the board.

What is the norm?

About 3,000 hours of post-MSW supervised clinical experience over at least two years, with roughly 100 hours of supervision. The Social Work Licensure Compact's clinical category uses the same baseline: 3,000 hours or two years of full-time postgraduate supervised clinical practice. States in that band include Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.

"About 100" covers a spread. Alabama, Indiana and Louisiana land on 96; Iowa wants 110; Georgia 120; Kentucky and Ohio 150; Minnesota 200.

What do the largest states require?

A quick reference for the states people most often ask about. Hours are post-MSW unless noted.

• California (LCSW): 3,000 hours including at least 104 supervised weeks; at least 1,700 hours under an LCSW. ASW registration first.
• New York (LCSW): three years full-time or the part-time equivalent within six; at least 2,000 client contact hours in diagnosis, psychotherapy and assessment-based treatment planning; 100 hours of in-person supervision.
• Texas (LCSW): 3,000 hours over at least 24 full months under an LCSW-S, with at least 100 hours of supervision and no more than 10 counted in any month.
• Florida (LCSW): 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy over at least 100 weeks, 100 hours of supervision, at least half of it in person.
• Pennsylvania (LCSW): 3,000 hours in no less than two and no more than six years, two hours of supervision per 40 hours of experience, at least one of them individual and in person.
• Illinois (LCSW): 3,000 hours (2,000 for a doctoral graduate) supervised by an LCSW, plus 3,000 more on the exam-alternative route.
• Ohio (LISW): supervised experience as an LSW at one hour of supervision per 20 hours worked, at least 150 supervision hours in total, under an LISW with supervision designation (Ohio Admin. Code 4757-23-01). Confirm the experience-hour total with the board.
• North Carolina (LCSW): 3,000 hours over two to six consecutive years, at least one hour of supervision per 30 hours and at least every two weeks, 100 hours minimum, no more than 25 in groups.
• Virginia (LCSW): 3,000 hours over two to four consecutive years, one to four hours of supervision per 40 hours worked for at least 100 total (no more than 50 in groups), and 1,380 hours of face-to-face client contact. Supervision must be registered with the board before it starts.
• Washington (LICSW): 3,000 hours over at least two years with 1,000 hours of direct client contact and at least 100 hours of supervision, including at least 70 with an LICSW and 60 one-to-one. Older guides showing 4,000 hours over three years are out of date.
• Maryland (LCSW-C): 3,000 hours over at least two years as an LMSW, 1,500 of them face-to-face client contact, with 100 hours of supervision from a board-approved supervisor.

Which states require more?

• Michigan: 4,000 hours over at least two years for the LMSW with a clinical designation, earned while holding a limited license, with no more than 2,080 hours counted in any 12 months. Supervision is set at at least four hours a month, two of them individual, rather than a total.
• Minnesota: 4,000 to 8,000 hours of supervised postgraduate clinical practice for the LICSW, including 1,800 hours of direct client contact, with 200 hours of supervision (at least 100 one-on-one), plus 360 clock hours of clinical coursework.
• Arkansas: 4,000 hours over 24 months, with no more than two supervision hours counted in any one week.
• Oregon: 3,500 practice hours, at least 2,000 of them direct client contact, with 100 hours of supervision over 24 to 60 consecutive months (Or. Admin. R. 877-020-0009).
• Massachusetts: 3,500 hours over at least two years after LCSW licensure, with at least 100 hours of individual face-to-face supervision from an LICSW (258 CMR 9.03).
• Colorado: 3,360 hours, at least 1,680 of them in treatment, diagnosis, assessment or counseling, counted only after you register as a candidate.
• Arizona, Delaware and Maine: 3,200 hours. Arizona wants 1,600 hours of direct client contact and at least 50 of the 100 supervision hours from an Arizona-licensed LCSW. Delaware wants 1,600 clinical hours under direct supervision over two to five years. Maine counts 96 hours of "consultation" during 3,200 hours of clinical employment, and doubles both for an MSW without a clinical concentration.
• Illinois's exam-alternative route adds 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience to the usual 3,000 clinical hours, for applicants using it instead of the Clinical exam.

Which states count differently, or require less?

• Florida counts face-to-face psychotherapy rather than total hours: 1,500 hours over two years, with at least 100 hours of supervision spread across at least 100 weeks and an hour every two weeks.
• New York counts client contact: at least 2,000 client contact hours in diagnosis, psychotherapy and assessment-based treatment planning over 36 to 72 months, with 100 hours of supervision spread over at least 36 months. Case management, discharge planning and advocacy do not count.
• California counts weeks as well as hours: 3,000 hours including at least 104 supervised weeks, 52 of them with individual or triadic supervision (13 of those by an LCSW).
• Mississippi measures time, not hours: 24 to 36 months of board-approved supervision as an LMSW, with at least an hour a week of face-to-face supervision totaling at least 100 hours, inside an agency, institution or group practice.
• Missouri sets supervision as at least four hours of individual face-to-face supervision every four weeks, with up to half of each month's supervision in a group.
• Rhode Island's LICSW is built around 1,500 direct-service hours over 24 months.
• Kentucky requires two years of post-master's supervised clinical experience with at least 150 supervision hours, including two hours of individual supervision every two weeks. A 2026 proposed amendment would set the experience at 3,000 hours.

What about minimum and maximum time?

Almost every state sets a two-year floor, so you cannot compress 3,000 hours into 18 months of overtime. Many also set a ceiling, after which hours start to expire or the board wants an explanation:

• Two to four years: the District of Columbia and South Carolina.
• 24 to 60 consecutive months: Oregon.
• Two to five years: Delaware, Hawaii and Idaho. Idaho adds that a candidate who hits the five-year limit while still waiting to pass the Clinical exam must stop practicing under supervision at that level.
• Two to six years: Kansas and Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania credits between 500 and 1,800 hours per 12-month period.
• 24 to 48 consecutive months: Missouri.
• 36 to 108 months: Georgia, where the first 2,000 of the 3,000 hours must be under supervision and direction.
• Within 10 years of applying: Alaska.
• Within 36 months: Alabama's 24 months of LMSW supervision, or the credit is lost.

What does "direct client contact" mean, and how much do I need?

Several states require a share of the hours to be face-to-face clinical work rather than any time spent in a clinical job. Arizona requires 1,600 of 3,200; Iowa 1,500 of 3,000; Kansas 1,500 of 3,000; Maryland 1,500 of 3,000; Minnesota 1,800; Washington 1,000 of 3,000; Hawaii 2,000 hours of assessment, diagnosis and psychotherapy. Idaho splits its 3,000 into 1,750 hours of direct clinical treatment and 1,250 of other clinical work, and does not count case management.

Who can supervise?

Usually a clinical social worker licensed for some minimum time, often with board approval or a supervisor designation. Some states allow other professions for part of it:

• New York accepts supervision from LCSWs, licensed psychologists and psychiatrists only.
• The District of Columbia lets a psychiatrist or psychologist supervise up to 1,500 of the LICSW hours.
• Delaware stopped letting master's social workers supervise LCSW candidates on September 26, 2024; a psychologist or psychiatrist may supervise only when the board agrees no LCSW was available.
• Texas requires an LCSW Supervisor (LCSW-S), and Maryland a board-approved supervisor. See supervisor designations.
• Maine lets an LCSW, LCPC, LMFT, psychologist or psychiatrist serve as your clinical consultant, unlike most states, which want a social worker.

Do I need a license or registration while I earn hours?

Usually, and hours earned without one may not count. Michigan counts hours only while you hold a limited license. Connecticut requires an LMSW for hours earned in the state; Indiana an LSW or temporary permit; Colorado a candidate registration; California an Associate Clinical Social Worker registration; Florida a registered intern registration; Kansas a clinical supervision plan the board approves before you start. Register first, then start counting.

What if I move partway through?

That is a separate problem with its own rules; see moving mid-supervision. Keep your logs in a form any board can read; see documenting supervision.

When your hours are done, our LMSW-to-LCSW Clinical License Upgrade audits your log against your state's rule before anything is filed. See pricing.