Florida LCSW Continuing Education Requirements
Florida clinical social workers must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LCSW license, including 3 hours of ethics or telehealth and 2 hours of medical errors.
30
total hours / 2 years
2
medical errors hours
3
ethics or telehealth hours
Biennial renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline
Florida LCSW requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 30 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: CE due by March 31 of odd years. |
| Renewal fee | $115 board renewal fee every 2 years; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $105 fee. |
| Ethics or Telehealth | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Medical Errors | 2 hours required each cycle. |
| New licensees | First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically. |
| Approved providers | CE must be earned from a board-approved provider. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a $105 late fee. |
| One-time requirements | Initial-licensure HIV/AIDS course; an affidavit may defer completion until six months after licensure. (3 hours, one time). |
| One-time requirements | Initial-licensure domestic-violence course due within six months after licensure. (2 hours, one time). |
| One-time requirements | Initial-licensure eight-hour Florida laws and rules course. (8 hours, one time). |
| Other mandates | Three hours of Florida laws and rules every third biennium (every 6 years). |
| Other mandates | Two hours of domestic violence CE every third biennium (every 6 years). |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 30 hours can come from.
- nonclinicalmax 6 hrs
- board meeting attendancemax 3 hrs
- presenter or moderatormax 10 hrs
- graduate course instructionmax 5 hrs
Florida LCSWrequired trainings & mandates
Beyond the 30-hour CE total, Florida requires specific trainings — some once around initial licensure, some on their own recurring schedule.
One-time requirements
- Initial-licensure HIV/AIDS course; an affidavit may defer completion until six months after licensure. (3 hours, one time).
- Initial-licensure domestic-violence course due within six months after licensure. (2 hours, one time).
- Initial-licensure eight-hour Florida laws and rules course. (8 hours, one time).
Recurring mandates outside the 2 years cycle
- Three hours of Florida laws and rules every third biennium (every 6 years).
- Two hours of domestic violence CE every third biennium (every 6 years).
Full board policy details
- A maximum of 6 hours of nonclinical continuing education (practice management, office administration, and similar non-clinical subject matter) may be applied toward the 30-hour biennial CE requirement. This cap is on content type, not on format: there is no limit on home-study or distance-learning hours, and all 30 hours may be completed via home study.
- Each biennium, licensees must complete 3 hours in EITHER ethics and boundary issues OR telehealth/teletherapy, alternating between the two topics. The same ethics-and-boundary-issues course or telehealth/teletherapy course may not be taken in consecutive renewal cycles.
- The 3-hour Florida laws and rules requirement is required every third biennium (every 6 years), not every cycle.
- The 2-hour domestic violence requirement is required every third biennium / every third renewal (every 6 years / 72 months), not every cycle.
- LCSWs who serve as Qualified Supervisors must complete 4 hours of supervisory training continuing education every third renewal (every 6 years).
- LCSWs may earn up to 3 hours of general CE per biennium by attending a full day of a Board meeting at which disciplinary hearings are conducted.
- LCSWs may claim up to 10 hours per biennium for serving as a presenter or moderator of a CE program.
- LCSWs may claim up to 5 CE hours per biennium for teaching a graduate-level course.
- First renewal is exempt from the 30-hour CE requirement. The full CE requirements apply beginning with the second renewal.
- Inactive status: No automatic CE exemption was verified for licensees on inactive status. The inactive license renewal fee is $50 biennially. Practicing on an inactive, retired, or delinquent license can trigger discipline.
- Retired status: The fee to change a license to retired status is $50.
- Reactivation from inactive: Requires an application, completion of CE requirements, compliance with any required background investigation and other Board requirements, and payment of a $50 reactivation fee plus the current biennial renewal fee.
- Reactivation from retired (less than 10 years in retired status): Requires completion of CE for each biennium spent in retired status and payment of all past renewal fees, in addition to other Board requirements.
- Military active-duty exemption: LCSWs on active duty in the Armed Forces are exempt from all license renewal provisions, including CE, during active duty and for up to 6 months after discharge, provided they are not practicing in the private sector during that period.
- Delinquency: If a license is not renewed on time, it becomes delinquent in the cycle following expiration. If the delinquent license is not restored before the end of that cycle, it becomes null and future licensure requires a new application.
- Florida uses electronic CE tracking through CE Broker / DOH MQA review at renewal. First-time CE violation may be citable at $500; failure to document correction of a CE deficiency within 90 days after notice of noncompliance may be citable at $1,000.
- Rule 64B4-6.0013 confirms a military-spouse renewal exemption exists; operative details should be confirmed with the Board.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Florida LCSW record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Florida LCSW CE free →Florida LCSW CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Florida LCSW licensees need?
Florida requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LCSW license. Biennial cycle: CE due by March 31 of odd years.
How many ethics hours are required for Florida LCSW licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics or telehealth.
How often do Florida LCSW licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: CE due by March 31 of odd years.
How much does Florida LCSW license renewal cost?
The board's renewal fee is $115 every 2 years, per the Florida board fee schedule. Renewing late adds a $105 delinquency fee on top. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Florida LCSW licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Florida requires 2 hours of medical errors.
Is the first renewal different for new Florida LCSW licensees?
First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically.
Sources & verification
- State source
- Florida board rule
- Fee schedule
- Florida board fee schedule
- Profession source
- ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.5
Reviewed against the Florida board source and refreshed from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is for guidance only, not legal or board advice. Always confirm requirements with your licensing board before renewing. See something wrong? Report it →
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