South Carolina licenses independent clinical social workers as the LISW-CP (Licensed Independent Social Worker - Clinical Practice), through the South Carolina Board of Social Work Examiners (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation). South Carolina has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but no multistate licenses are being issued yet. Below: what South Carolina asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
South Carolina Social Work License Requirements
South Carolina licenses social workers at 4 levels: the LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker), the LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker), the LISW-AP (Licensed Independent Social Worker - Advanced Practice) and the LISW-CP (Licensed Independent Social Worker - Clinical Practice).
LBSW: ASWB Bachelors.
LMSW: ASWB Masters.
LISW-AP: ASWB Advanced Generalist. Independent macro-practice license: 90 academic contact hours in advanced practice with communities and organizations plus 3,000 hours under an approved advanced practice supervisor.
LISW-CP: ASWB Clinical. Requires 45 academic contact hours each in psychopathology and psychodiagnostics.
Independent clinical practice requires the LISW-CP (Licensed Independent Social Worker - Clinical Practice).
3,000 hours of post-master's supervised experience for the clinical license, including 100 hours of direct supervision.
Licensed elsewhere: S.C. Code 40-63-260 licenses a social worker currently licensed elsewhere who holds an accredited social work degree, has passed a board-prescribed exam and holds only clean licenses, but only at the equivalent level held in the other state.
How Much Does a South Carolina Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a South Carolina figure yet
We have not verified South Carolina Board of Social Work Examiners (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the South Carolina 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 South Carolina Applications Get Delayed
South Carolina enacted the "Social Work Interstate Compact Act" (2025 Act No. 66, H.3752) with language that departs from the model compact; the Compact Commission says it may need amendment before South Carolina can join. A conforming bill, H 4649, was referred to committee in January 2026.
LISW-CP supervised practice must come after LMSW licensure, take 2 to 4 years, include 100 hours of face-to-face supervision with a board-approved supervisor under a plan filed in advance, and include 15 academic or 20 CE hours of ethics (S.C. Code 40-63-240).
An out-of-state applicant can be licensed only at the level they hold elsewhere (S.C. Code 40-63-260(B)).
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 South Carolina Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and South Carolina
South Carolina has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (May 22, 2025). When the Compact opens, a social worker whose home state is South Carolina 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 South Carolina license.
Keeping it current
South Carolina renews social work licenses every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. 40 contact hours per biennial renewal, at least 1 in suicide assessment, treatment and management (S.C. Code Regs. 110-1; S.C. Code 40-63-250(E), for cycles ending after 2025). Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
South Carolina Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does South Carolina issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for South Carolina?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in South Carolina?
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How many supervised hours does South Carolina 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.
- S.C. Code ch. 40-63: license levels and requirements (40-63-220 to -240), 3,000 hours and 100 supervision hours, renewal and suicide CE (40-63-250), out-of-state applicants (40-63-260), Article 3 compact added by 2025 Act No. 66 — checked 2026-10-08
- H.3752 ratified 05/20/25, signed by the governor 05/22/25, effective 05/22/25, Act No. 66 — checked 2026-10-08
- H 4649 (conform the compact to the model) prefiled 12/16/25, referred to committee 01/13/26 — checked 2026-10-08
- S.C. Code Regs. 110-1: 40 CE hours per biennium with 1 hour suicide assessment — checked 2026-10-08
- Archived board exam page: appropriate ASWB exam by level (Bachelors, Masters, Clinical, Advanced). llr.sc.gov did not connect from this server, so board.url is null. — checked 2026-10-08
- Archived board document: LISW applicants take the Clinical or Advanced Generalist ASWB exam — checked 2026-10-08
- Commission FAQ (as given in the brief): South Carolina passed the compact with material language changes — 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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