Missouri licenses independent clinical social workers as the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), through the Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration). Missouri has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but no multistate licenses are being issued yet. Below: what Missouri asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Missouri Social Work License Requirements
Missouri licenses social workers at 5 levels: the LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker), the LBSW-IP (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker, Independent Practice), the LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker), the LAMSW (Licensed Advanced Macro Social Worker) and the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
LBSW: ASWB Bachelors.
LBSW-IP: ASWB Bachelors. A certificate to practice independently, issued to an LBSW after 3,000 hours of supervised experience over 24 to 48 months (RSMo 337.665).
LMSW: ASWB Masters.
LAMSW: ASWB Advanced Generalist. Nonclinical advanced license; 3,000 hours of supervised macro experience over 24 to 48 months (RSMo 337.645).
LCSW: ASWB Clinical. The exam can be taken after 2,250 supervised hours and 18 months.
Independent clinical practice requires the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
3,000 hours of post-master's supervised experience for the clinical license.
Licensed elsewhere: An LBSW, LMSW or LCSW licensed at least one year at the same level in another state can apply. The committee waives exam, education and experience requirements if the other state had minimum requirements the applicant met, and may require an exam on Missouri law. LAMSW reciprocity instead looks at five years of licensure without discipline or substantially equivalent requirements.
How Much Does a Missouri Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a Missouri figure yet
We have not verified Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration)
We handle the Missouri 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 Missouri Applications Get Delayed
The endorsement route expects 1 year of licensure elsewhere, counted at the level you are applying for.
The LCSW requires 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience in no less than 24 and no more than 48 consecutive months. Rules require at least 4 hours of individual face-to-face supervision every 4 weeks rather than a fixed total, and up to half of each month's supervision may be in a group.
Missouri has a separate nonclinical advanced license, the LAMSW (advanced macro), and lets LBSWs earn a certificate to practice independently after 3,000 supervised hours.
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 Missouri Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
30 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and Missouri
Missouri has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (July 6, 2023). When the Compact opens, a social worker whose home state is Missouri 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 Missouri license.
Keeping it current
Missouri renews social work licenses every 2 years, with 30 hours of continuing education per cycle. 30 clock hours every two years, including 3 in ethics, 2 in suicide assessment, referral, treatment and management, and 3 in bias, diversity, inclusion or cultural competency. From January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2031, renewals also include sex and human trafficking training (2 hours the first cycle, 1 hour after). Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Missouri Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does Missouri issue?
+
Can I use the Social Work Compact for Missouri?
+
I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Missouri?
+
How many supervised hours does Missouri require for the clinical license?
+
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 site and license types (the server sends an incomplete TLS certificate chain, so strict clients may refuse it) — checked 2026-10-08
- LCSW exam after 2,250 hours and 18 months — checked 2026-10-08
- LCSW: 3,000 hours in 24 to 48 months, exam, one-year licensed reciprocity, Missouri law exam — checked 2026-10-08
- 24-month term, 30 CE hours, suicide training, trafficking training from 2027 — checked 2026-10-08
- LMSW requirements — checked 2026-10-08
- LAMSW requirements — checked 2026-10-08
- LBSW requirements, independent practice certificate, reciprocity — checked 2026-10-08
- required ASWB exam for each license — 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.
View PricingBook Online
Share your details and preferred availability.