Updated for 2026

Minnesota LICSW, LISW, LGSW & LSW Continuing Education Requirements

Minnesota clinical social workers must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LICSW / LISW / LGSW / LSW license, including 2 hours of social work ethics, 12 hours of clinical content, and 4 hours of cultural responsiveness.

40hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
12clinical content
4cultural responsiveness
2social work ethics

The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

What the board saysMinnesota board rule
A licensee must complete 40 hours1 of continuing education for each two-year renewal term1 … Of the total clock hours required: (1) all licensees must complete: (i) two hours in social work ethics2 as defined in section 148E.010; and (ii) four hours in cultural responsiveness3; (2) licensed independent clinical social workers must complete 12 clock hours4 in one or more of the clinical content areas4 … (4) no more than half5 of the required clock hours may be completed via continuing education independent learning5 as defined in section 148E.010.
What it means
  1. 40 hours every two years
  2. 2 hours of social work ethics
  3. 4 hours of cultural responsiveness
  4. 12 hours of clinical content for LICSWs
  5. No more than half the hours through independent learning
Minn. Stat. 148E.130Last verified October 2026Ruleset 2026.4How we verify
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Requirements

Minnesota LICSW, LISW, LGSW & LSW requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

Topic minimums, counted within the 40

The remaining 22 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Clinical Content
12
You need 12 hours each cycle.
Cultural Responsiveness
4
You need 4 hours each cycle.
Social Work Ethics
2
You need 2 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Home study / self-study
max 50%

At most 50% of hours may be home study / self-study.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
New licensees
The first renewal is different. New licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements, such as prorated hours or first-cycle-only rules, and we apply them automatically.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 1 year after the end of each cycle.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.

To keep your proof in order, see what to keep for a CE audit, which covers every state’s retention period and what the audit notice asks for.

Your hours

Check where you stand

Enter the hours you have completed this cycle to see what is left before your renewal.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LCSW CE hours calculator

Also hold a Minnesota LPC or LMFT license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the Minnesota LPC and Minnesota LMFT requirements.

Full board policy details
  • Independent learning (self-study) is capped at 50% of the required CE hours per cycle (i.e., no more than 20 of the 40 hours). Independent learning includes online courses without live interaction, research, publications, presentations, and professional development activities done without live instruction.
  • Live, interactive online courses (e.g., live webinars with real-time instruction and Q&A) count as interactive/live CE and do NOT count toward the 50% independent-learning cap. The statute expressly allows live webinars as CE activities and the Board distinguishes them from "online without live interaction" (which is independent learning).
  • Provider approval: Minnesota does not require pre-approval of CE activities. CE activities given by a Board-approved provider, ASWB- approved program, or NASW-approved program are automatically accepted. Other CE may be claimed if it meets the content and activity criteria defined in Minn. Stat. §148E.130. There is no minimum percentage of hours that must come from approved providers.
  • Course repeat restrictions: Minnesota law and Board guidance do not explicitly prohibit repeating the same CE course or claiming credit multiple times for the same activity. Acceptable activities include courses, workshops, webinars, staff training, academic credit, and independent learning. Instructors may claim credit for teaching educational workshops or staff trainings, and there is no stated limit on how often a course may be taken or taught for credit. Any repeated activity must still meet the content requirements for the category being claimed.
  • Inactive status: While on inactive status, licensees are not required to complete the 40-hour CE requirement. CE only applies when renewing an active license.
  • Emeritus (retired) status: Emeritus/retired licensees are not required to complete CE while in that status. The 40-hour CE requirement only applies to active license renewal.
  • Reactivation from inactive or emeritus status: Per Minn. Stat. §148E.080 Subd.4, a licensee returning to active status must complete 2 hours of social work ethics CE and pass the Board's jurisprudence exam. No other clock hours are required for reactivation; the remaining renewal CE requirements are effectively waived at the time of reactivation.
  • First renewal / prorated CE: New licensees whose first renewal term is shorter or longer than 24 months have all required CE hours (including ethics, cultural responsiveness, clinical content, and supervision where applicable) prorated proportionately based on the length of the first term, per Minn. Stat. §148E.130 Subd.1(b).
  • The Board may grant a one-time extension to complete missing CE at renewal, but Minn. Stat. §148E.130 does not state a fixed extension duration. No 24-month conditional-registration period is encoded.
  • Chapter 260E imposes a mandatory-reporting duty; it does not impose a recurring training requirement on every social worker. Employer- or program-specific human-trafficking training is likewise not a universal license-renewal mandate.

Minnesota LICSW, LISW, LGSW & LSW CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Minnesota LICSW / LISW / LGSW / LSW licensees need?

Minnesota requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LICSW / LISW / LGSW / LSW license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

How many ethics hours are required for Minnesota LICSW / LISW / LGSW / LSW licensees?

Of the total, 2 hours must be in social work ethics.

How often do Minnesota LICSW / LISW / LGSW / LSW licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Minnesota LICSW / LISW / LGSW / LSW licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, Minnesota requires 12 hours of clinical content, 4 hours of cultural responsiveness.

Can Minnesota LICSW / LISW / LGSW / LSW licensees complete CE online or by home study?

At most 50% of hours may be home study / self-study.

Is the first renewal different for new Minnesota LICSW / LISW / LGSW / LSW licensees?

The first renewal is different. New licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements, such as prorated hours or first-cycle-only rules, and we apply them automatically.

Sources and verification

State source
Minnesota board rule
Profession source
ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
Last verified
October 2026
Ruleset version
2026.4

We reviewed this page against the Minnesota board source, and we refresh it 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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Minnesota guides & data

What to keep for a CE audit →Learn what boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, and what the notice looks like, then use the printable checklist.Minnesota mental health workforce data →25,965 active providers, or 445.3 per 100,000 residents, ranked 24 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Minnesota CE requirement pages

Minnesota LPCMinnesota LMFTMinnesota PsychologistMinnesota Addiction CounselorMinnesota PMHNP

LCSW CE requirements in other states