Kentucky licenses independent clinical social workers as the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), through the Kentucky Board of Social Work. Kentucky has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but no multistate licenses are being issued yet. Below: what Kentucky asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Kentucky Social Work License Requirements
Kentucky licenses social workers at 3 levels: the LSW (Licensed Social Worker), the CSW (Certified Social Worker) and the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
LSW: ASWB Bachelors. Statute requires a board-approved exam; the board's proposed 201 KAR 23:072 (2026) names the ASWB Bachelors exam.
CSW: ASWB Masters. Statute requires a board-approved exam; the board's proposed 201 KAR 23:072 (2026) names the ASWB Masters exam. A CSW may practice clinical social work only under a board-approved supervision contract with an LCSW.
LCSW: ASWB Clinical. Statute requires a board-approved exam; the board's proposed 201 KAR 23:072 (2026) names the ASWB Clinical exam.
Independent clinical practice requires the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
Licensed elsewhere: Kentucky may license you without an exam only if it has a reciprocal agreement with your state and you meet current Kentucky requirements. An out-of-state LCSW licensed two years or more documents those years with a job description or employment records instead of supervision forms.
How Much Does a Kentucky Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a Kentucky figure yet
We have not verified Kentucky Board of Social Work's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the Kentucky 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 Kentucky Applications Get Delayed
The LCSW requires two years of post-master's supervised clinical experience with at least 150 hours of supervision: at least 100 individual, up to 50 in groups of six or fewer, and 2 hours of individual supervision every two weeks. A 2026 proposed amendment (201 KAR 23:070) would set the experience at 3,000 hours.
Kentucky's master's-level license is the CSW (certified social worker), not an LMSW.
Licenses renew every three years, a longer cycle than most states.
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 Kentucky Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every 3 years
CE Requirement
30 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and Kentucky
Kentucky has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (April 5, 2024). When the Compact opens, a social worker whose home state is Kentucky 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 Kentucky license.
Keeping it current
Kentucky renews social work licenses every 3 years, with 30 hours of continuing education per cycle. CSWs and LCSWs need 30 hours every three years; LSWs need 15. Each cycle includes a 3-hour course on the Kentucky Code of Ethical Conduct. Other required courses: 6 hours of suicide assessment, treatment and management every six years; 3 hours on domestic violence and elder abuse in the first cycle after licensure; 1.5 hours on pediatric abusive head trauma every six years; and LCSW supervisors take a 3-hour supervision course each cycle. Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Kentucky Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does Kentucky issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for Kentucky?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Kentucky?
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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.
- KRS 335.080: CSW requirements, clinical practice under contract — checked 2026-10-08
- KRS 335.090: LSW requirements — checked 2026-10-08
- KRS 335.100: LCSW requirements, two years of supervised experience — checked 2026-10-08
- KRS 335.120: licensure without exam by reciprocal agreement — checked 2026-10-08
- KRS 335.130: three-year renewal — checked 2026-10-08
- 201 KAR 23:060: LSW, CSW and LCSW scope and titles — checked 2026-10-08
- 201 KAR 23:070: 150 hours of supervision, individual and group limits — checked 2026-10-08
- proposed amendment setting 3,000 clinical practice hours — 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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