Delaware licenses independent clinical social workers as the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), through the Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation). Delaware has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but no multistate licenses are being issued yet. Below: what Delaware asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Delaware Social Work License Requirements
Delaware licenses social workers at 3 levels: the LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker), the LMSW (Licensed Master's Social Worker) and the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
LCSW: ASWB Clinical.
Independent clinical practice requires the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
3,200 hours of post-master's supervised experience for the clinical license, including 100 hours of direct supervision.
Licensed elsewhere: Reciprocity (24 Del. C. 3909) goes to social workers with a current, discipline-free license from a state whose standards the board finds substantially similar, plus a passed board-designated exam; you supply your state's statute and rules to prove it. If your state's requirements are less stringent, you qualify after working in the field at least 5 of the 7 years before you apply.
How Much Does a Delaware Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a Delaware figure yet
We have not verified Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation)
We handle the Delaware application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingWhere Delaware Applications Get Delayed
The endorsement route expects 5 years of licensure elsewhere, counted at the level you are applying for.
At 3,200 hours, Delaware asks for more supervised clinical experience than most states. Check whether your hours elsewhere will be credited before you plan a start date.
The LCSW needs 3,200 hours of post-degree supervised experience over 2 to 5 years; 1,600 of them must be clinical hours under direct supervision, including at least 100 hours of one-to-one supervision (live video is allowed, phone and email are not).
Since September 26, 2024 (SB 314), a master's social worker can no longer supervise LCSW candidates; supervision must come from an LCSW, or a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist when the board agrees no LCSW was available.
Licensure is voluntary for agency social workers employed on June 11, 2019, but anyone newly hired into a social worker position on or after June 11, 2024 must be licensed.
Supervisor attestations and verifications from other boards take the longest. Request them the week you decide to apply, not the week you file.
Renewing Your Delaware Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and Delaware
Delaware has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (August 25, 2025). When the Compact opens, a social worker whose home state is Delaware will be able to apply for one multistate license that covers every member state, and members' multistate licensees will be able to practice here. That has not happened yet: as of October 2026 the Commission was still building its data system and had issued no multistate licenses. Until it does, practicing here takes a Delaware license.
Keeping it current
Delaware renews social work licenses every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. Licenses expire January 31 of odd-numbered years. CE per two-year period is 40 hours for the LCSW, 30 for the LMSW and 20 for the LBSW, with at least 6 hours of professional ethics and 1 hour of mandatory reporting; first-period hours are prorated by issue date. Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Delaware Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does Delaware issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for Delaware?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Delaware?
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How many supervised hours does Delaware require for the clinical license?
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Where these facts come from
Checked against primary sources. Boards change rules between sessions, so we confirm the current process again before anything is filed.
- license tiers, exam designation, reciprocity, biennial renewal and January 31 expiration, supervision change, no further state exam (24 Del. C. 3906-3911) — checked 2026-10-08
- 3,200 hours, 1,600 clinical, 100 hours one-to-one supervision — checked 2026-10-08
- reciprocity documentation — checked 2026-10-08
- CE hours, ethics and mandatory reporting, proration — checked 2026-10-08
- board name, license types, SB 314 notice (curl from this server was rejected; page loaded through the fetch tool) — checked 2026-10-08
- LCSW requires the ASWB clinical exam — checked 2026-10-08
- ASWB levels listed without mapping to license types — checked 2026-10-08
- LBSW/LMSW page refers to the clinical exam; 5-of-7-years reciprocity — checked 2026-10-08
What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. Board, exam and fingerprinting fees are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
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