New Hampshire licenses independent clinical social workers as the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker), through the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). New Hampshire has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but no multistate licenses are being issued yet. Below: what New Hampshire asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
New Hampshire Social Work License Requirements
New Hampshire licenses social workers at 3 levels: the Social Work Associate (Licensed Social Work Associate), the LSW (Licensed Social Worker) and the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker).
Social Work Associate: ASWB Bachelors. For an associate's or bachelor's degree in social work or a related field; requires 4,000 supervised hours (6,000 with an associate's degree) and practice only under clinical supervision (RSA 330-A:18-c; Mhp 308.01).
LSW: ASWB Bachelors. BSW plus 4,000 supervised work hours; practices under clinical supervision for the first 2 years of licensure (RSA 330-A:18-b; Mhp 307.03).
LICSW: ASWB Clinical. MSW graduates gaining hours hold a conditional license under a board-approved supervision agreement (RSA 330-A:18-d). There is no separate master's-level license.
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: The board licenses applicants from states with substantially equivalent requirements (RSA 330-A:26, I). With 5 or more years of active licensed practice in good standing, supervised-experience requirements are waived (RSA 330-A:26, III; Mhp 302.07); with less, the applicant must meet New Hampshire education, supervision and ASWB Clinical exam rules (Mhp 302.06).
How Much Does a New Hampshire Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a New Hampshire figure yet
We have not verified New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire Applications Get Delayed
LICSW experience is 3,000 hours over at least 2 years (1,500 hours per year), with at least 100 hours of individual face-to-face supervision, finished within 2 to 4 years of starting (Mhp 304.02).
An MLADC license can substitute for up to 1,500 of the 3,000 hours (RSA 330-A:18, III).
New Hampshire licenses below the master's level: the LSW and the social work associate can screen, assess and counsel, under supervision.
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 New Hampshire Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and New Hampshire
New Hampshire has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact. When the Compact opens, a social worker whose home state is New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire license.
Keeping it current
New Hampshire renews social work licenses every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. LICSW: 40 hours every 2 years, at least 30 Category A, 6 ethics and 3 suicide prevention; board-approved supervisors need 6 hours in clinical supervision (Mhp 402.01). LSW: 30 hours with 3 ethics and 3 suicide prevention (Mhp 402.02, eff. 8/19/2025). Social work associate: 10 hours (Mhp 402.03). Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
New Hampshire Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does New Hampshire issue?
+
Can I use the Social Work Compact for New Hampshire?
+
I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in New Hampshire?
+
How many supervised hours does New Hampshire 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.
- RSA 330-A (LICSW 330-A:18, LSW 18-b, associate 18-c, conditional 18-d, compact 18-e from 2024, 121:1, eff. 7/1/2024; out-of-state 330-A:26; 2-year renewal 330-A:31), read via web.archive.org capture of 2025-07-14 because gc.nh.gov refused this server; later amendments by 2025 ch. 161 (eff. 9/13/2025) were not reviewed — checked 2026-10-08
- Mhp 300 (web.archive.org capture of 2026-03-10): LICSW 3,000 hours and 100 supervision hours, ASWB Clinical; LSW and associate ASWB Bachelors; out-of-state routes Mhp 302.06/302.07 — checked 2026-10-08
- Mhp 402.01-402.03 CE (web.archive.org capture of 2025-10-27) — checked 2026-10-08
- OPLC site returned 403 to this server, so board.url is not recorded — checked 2026-10-08
- Compact Commission dataset: New Hampshire enacted, HB 1190 / SB 318 — 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.