Rhode Island licenses independent clinical social workers as the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker), through the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Department of Health). Rhode Island has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but no multistate licenses are being issued yet. Below: what Rhode Island asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Rhode Island Social Work License Requirements
Rhode Island licenses social workers at 2 levels: the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) and the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker).
LCSW: ASWB Masters. Rhode Island's entry master's-level license despite the name; it does not allow independent practice. The exam requirement was suspended from June 30, 2022 until August 15, 2025 and applies again to applicants after that date (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-39.1-8).
LICSW: ASWB Clinical.
Independent clinical practice requires the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker).
3,000 hours of post-master's supervised experience for the clinical license.
Licensed elsewhere: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-39.1-8 and 216-RICR-40-05-7.4.4(C) allow licensure by endorsement for a comparable license from a state with substantially similar requirements; the applicant may not practice in Rhode Island until the license issues.
How Much Does a Rhode Island Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a Rhode Island figure yet
We have not verified Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Department of Health)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Applications Get Delayed
Rhode Island has no bachelor's-level license. Its two licenses are the LCSW (master's level) and the LICSW (independent clinical).
LICSW experience is 3,000 post-master's hours over 24 to 72 months, 1,500 of them direct client service, earned while licensed as an LCSW. Supervision by an LICSW must be at least 2 hours every two weeks and 1 hour per 20 direct-client hours, at least 75 percent one-to-one. The rules set no fixed total of supervision hours.
MSW graduates may practice for 18 months after graduation without a license as a "social-work intern" or "trainee" under LICSW supervision, provided they are authorized to sit for the exam and have not failed it more than once (216-RICR-40-05-7.4.1(C)).
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 Rhode Island Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
30 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and Rhode Island
Rhode Island has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (June 25, 2024). When the Compact opens, a social worker whose home state is Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island license.
Keeping it current
Rhode Island renews social work licenses every 2 years, with 30 hours of continuing education per cycle. Licenses expire May 1 of odd years. The 30 contact hours must include 3 in cross-cultural practice and 3 in professional ethics (216-RICR-40-05-7.4.5). Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Rhode Island Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does Rhode Island issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for Rhode Island?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Rhode Island?
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How many supervised hours does Rhode Island 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.
- 216-RICR-40-05-7: definitions of experience and supervision, exam levels (intermediate/Masters for LCSW, Clinical for LICSW), exam suspension until 8/15/2025, endorsement, renewal and 30 CE hours with 3 cross-cultural and 3 ethics, 18-month graduate exemption — checked 2026-10-08
- R.I. Gen. Laws 5-39.1-8: license prerequisites; no LCSW exam before August 15, 2025 (P.L. 2022, ch. 395 and 398, effective June 30, 2022); endorsement for comparable licenses (archived; live site did not connect) — checked 2026-10-08
- R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-39.2, Social Work Licensure Compact: P.L. 2024, ch. 268 and 269, effective June 25, 2024 (archived; the bill status site refused connections, so the signing date is taken from the session-law effective date) — checked 2026-10-08
- Department of Health licensing page returned HTTP 403 to this server and to WebFetch, so board.url is null — 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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