District of Columbia licenses independent clinical social workers as the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker), through the DC Board of Social Work (DC Health). A Social Work Licensure Compact bill has been introduced in District of Columbia but not enacted. Below: what District of Columbia asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
District of Columbia Social Work License Requirements
District of Columbia licenses social workers at 4 levels: the LSWA (Licensed Social Work Associate), the LGSW (Licensed Graduate Social Worker), the LISW (Licensed Independent Social Worker) and the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker).
LISW: ASWB Advanced Generalist. Independent nonclinical license: autonomous practice that excludes diagnosis and psychotherapy. Requires 3,000 post-master's hours supervised by an LISW over 2 to 4 years.
LICSW: ASWB Clinical.
Independent clinical practice requires the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker).
3,000 hours of post-master's supervised experience for the clinical license, including 100 hours of direct supervision.
Licensed elsewhere: You qualify by endorsement (17 DCMR 7007) if you were first licensed by passing an exam at the same level and hold a current license in good standing from a state whose requirements were substantially equivalent when you were licensed. ASWB transfers your score, and your original state verifies your license directly.
How Much Does a District of Columbia Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a District of Columbia figure yet
We have not verified DC Board of Social Work (DC Health)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia Applications Get Delayed
D.C. dropped the exam for the initial LGSW license, effective 2025-06-10 (D.C. Law 26-7). LGSWs licensed through this education pathway must pass a national exam or log 1,500 supervised hours before their first renewal, or stop practicing when the license expires.
The LICSW requires 3,000 post-master's hours of supervised clinical experience over 2 to 4 years, including at least 100 hours of face-to-face supervision, completed within 5 years of applying.
Since July 19, 2024, MSW holders may do non-clinical work such as case management and resource referral without a license, but they may not call themselves social workers (D.C. Code 3-1208.04a).
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 District of Columbia Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and District of Columbia
District of Columbia is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member. A bill to join has been introduced, but nothing changes until it is enacted, and even then no state is issuing multistate licenses yet. Plan on a District of Columbia license.
Keeping it current
District of Columbia renews social work licenses every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. Credentials issued on or after 2024-06-16 expire on the last day of the holder's birth month. The 40 hours include 6 hours of live ethics, 2 hours of LGBTQ cultural competency and 10 percent (4 hours) on DC public health priorities; no more than 12 hours may be self-study. No CE is due at the first renewal. Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
District of Columbia Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does District of Columbia issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for District of Columbia?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in District of Columbia?
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How many supervised hours does District of Columbia 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.
- board, four license types, birth-month renewal, CE transition — checked 2026-10-08
- LSWA requirements — checked 2026-10-08
- LGSW exam exception and pre-renewal requirement (D.C. Law 26-7, 2025-06-10) — checked 2026-10-08
- LISW requirements and scope — checked 2026-10-08
- LICSW 3,000 hours over 2 to 4 years — checked 2026-10-08
- 17 DCMR 7004 exam levels, 7006.3 100 hours face-to-face, 7007 endorsement, 7008 CE (7004 last amended 2013 per dcregs.dc.gov) — checked 2026-10-08
- 3,000 general and 100 face-to-face supervision hours; no D.C. law exam among requirements — checked 2026-10-08
- endorsement documents, ASWB score transfer — 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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