Idaho licenses independent clinical social workers as the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), through the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses). Idaho is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member. Below: what Idaho asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Idaho Social Work License Requirements
Idaho licenses social workers at 3 levels: the LSW (Licensed Social Worker), the LMSW (Licensed Masters Social Worker) and the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
LSW: ASWB Bachelors. Board rules require the ASWB exam "for the license type," passed within the previous seven years.
LCSW: ASWB Clinical.
Independent clinical practice requires the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
3,000 hours of post-master's supervised experience for the clinical license, including 100 hours of direct supervision.
Licensed elsewhere: Idaho licenses by endorsement under Idaho Code 54-3208. You must also have passed the ASWB exam for the license type or an equivalent, unless no exam was required when you were first licensed.
How Much Does an Idaho Social Work License Cost?
We have not published an Idaho figure yet
We have not verified Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the Idaho 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 Idaho Applications Get Delayed
The LCSW's 3,000 hours take 2 to 5 years and split into 1,750 hours of direct clinical treatment and 1,250 hours of assessment, diagnosis and other clinical work. At least 100 hours are face-to-face supervision (no more than 50 in groups), at least half from an LCSW. Case management hours do not count.
Your ASWB exam must have been passed within the seven years before you apply.
A candidate who reaches the five-year limit while still waiting to pass the clinical exam must stop practicing under supervision and work only at the license level already held.
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 Idaho Social Work License
CE Requirement
30 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and Idaho
Idaho is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member, so a multistate license will not cover practice here even once the Compact opens. Seeing clients located in Idaho takes an Idaho license, by endorsement where the state offers it or a full application where it does not.
Keeping it current
Idaho renews social work licenses on its own cycle, with 30 hours of continuing education per cycle. To renew or return to active status you need 30 hours completed in the preceding 24 months, 2 of them in professional ethics. Keep proof for four years. Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Idaho Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does Idaho issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for Idaho?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Idaho?
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How many supervised hours does Idaho 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.
- exam rule, 3,000 hours and supervision, endorsement, CE — checked 2026-10-08
- license titles LSW, LMSW, LCSW — checked 2026-10-08
- scope of bachelor's, master's and clinical practice — checked 2026-10-08
- board name (Rules of the State Board of Social Work Examiners) — checked 2026-10-08
- board site refused connections from this server and the fetch tool, as did legislature.idaho.gov; facts taken from the administrative rules — checked 2026-10-08
- compact status: No Active Legislation — checked 2026-10-08
- Idaho not a compact jurisdiction — 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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