Nebraska licenses independent clinical social workers as the LIMHP (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner), through the Nebraska Board of Mental Health Practice, Department of Health and Human Services Licensure Unit. Nebraska has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but no multistate licenses are being issued yet. Below: what Nebraska asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Nebraska Social Work License Requirements
Nebraska licenses social workers at 6 levels: the CSW (Certified Social Worker), the Provisional CMSW (Provisional Certified Master Social Worker), the CMSW (Certified Master Social Worker), the PLMHP (Provisional Mental Health Practitioner), the LMHP (Licensed Mental Health Practitioner) and the LIMHP (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner).
CMSW: ASWB Masters. Requires 3,000 post-degree hours supervised by a CMSW. The board also accepts the ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam (172 NAC 94-010.02(C)).
LMHP: ASWB Clinical. Shared license for social workers, counselors and marriage and family therapists. Requires 3,000 post-degree supervised hours, 1,500 in direct client contact (38-2122). Social work graduates take the ASWB Clinical exam (172 NAC 94-010.02(D)).
LIMHP: ASWB Clinical. The independent tier. Requires LMHP status (or PLMHP plus a passed exam) and 3,000 supervised hours, half with clients who have a major mental illness or disorder (38-2124).
Independent clinical practice requires the LIMHP (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner).
3,000 hours of post-master's supervised experience for the clinical license.
Licensed elsewhere: Nebraska licenses someone credentialed in another state who meets substantially equivalent requirements, or who has at least 5 years of active practice after initial licensure elsewhere and passes the Nebraska jurisprudence exam (Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2125; 172 NAC 94-006). CSW and CMSW certificates use the equivalency route (38-2130).
How Much Does a Nebraska Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a Nebraska figure yet
We have not verified Nebraska Board of Mental Health Practice, Department of Health and Human Services Licensure Unit's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the Nebraska 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 Nebraska Applications Get Delayed
Nebraska has no LCSW. Social workers do clinical work under the shared LMHP and LIMHP licenses; CSW and CMSW are title certifications for non-clinical work (38-2126).
LIMHP supervision has no fixed hour total: it runs at 2 hours face-to-face per 15 hours with major-disorder clients, never more than 45 hours unsupervised; LMHP supervision is at least 1 hour per week (172 NAC 94-009).
The only jurisprudence exam is for the 5-years-of-practice endorsement route.
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 Nebraska Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
32 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and Nebraska
Nebraska has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (April 15, 2024). When the Compact opens, a social worker whose home state is Nebraska 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 Nebraska license.
Keeping it current
Nebraska renews social work licenses every 2 years, with 32 hours of continuing education per cycle. All licenses and certificates expire September 1 of even-numbered years. 32 hours in the prior 24 months, including 4 hours of ethics; LIMHPs also need 6 hours on diagnosis and treatment of major mental disorders (172 NAC 94-011, 94-012). Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Nebraska Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does Nebraska issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for Nebraska?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Nebraska?
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How many supervised hours does Nebraska 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.
- CMSW and CSW qualifications; CSW has no exam (read via web.archive.org capture of 2026-05-20; site refused this server) — checked 2026-10-08
- provisional CMSW (web.archive.org capture) — checked 2026-10-08
- LMHP: 3,000 hours, 1,500 direct, weekly supervision (web.archive.org capture) — checked 2026-10-08
- LIMHP: 3,000 hours, half with major mental illness (web.archive.org capture) — checked 2026-10-08
- reciprocity: substantial equivalence or 5 years plus jurisprudence exam (web.archive.org capture) — checked 2026-10-08
- ASWB exam levels for CMSW, LMHP and LIMHP — checked 2026-10-08
- supervision ratios — checked 2026-10-08
- 32 CE hours, 4 ethics, 6 major mental disorders for LIMHP — 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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