Minnesota LICSW Continuing Education Requirements
Minnesota clinical social workers must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LICSW license, including 2 hours of social work ethics, 12 hours of clinical content, and 4 hours of cultural responsiveness.
40
total hours / 2 years
2
social work ethics hours
4
cultural responsiveness hours
12
clinical content hours
50%
home study / self-study cap
Biennial · renewal date depends on the licensee's birth month.
Minnesota LICSW requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: renews at the end of your birth month. |
| Social Work Ethics | 2 hours required each cycle. |
| Clinical Content | 12 hours required each cycle. |
| Cultural Responsiveness | 4 hours required each cycle. |
| Format limits | At most 50% of hours may be home study / self-study. |
| New licensees | First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically. |
| Other mandates | Minnesota law (Ch. 260E) identifies licensed social workers as mandatory reporters of child maltreatment and vulnerable adult maltreatment. The Department of Human Services provides a Mandated Reporter Training module. This training is required by law but does NOT count toward the Board's 40-hour CE requirement. |
| Other mandates | Minnesota law requires certain health and human services providers (e.g., entities credentialed by DHS) to receive human trafficking prevention training. Where applicable to a social worker (e.g., through an employer's credentialing requirements), these hours are a distinct statutory requirement and do NOT count toward the Board's 40-hour CE total. |
| Provisional renewal | The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 24 months before full compliance is required. Minn. Stat. §148E.130 Subd.10 authorizes a one-time extension for a licensee who is short on required CE hours at renewal. The license remains active during the extension while the licensee completes the missing CE, typically up until the next expiration date. Only one such extension is allowed per licensee; no further extensions are granted. Failure to complete the missing CE by the extended deadline may result in license expiration. |
Total hours
40 hours every 2 years.
Renewal
Biennial cycle: renews at the end of your birth month.
Social Work Ethics
2 hours required each cycle.
Clinical Content
12 hours required each cycle.
Cultural Responsiveness
4 hours required each cycle.
Format limits
At most 50% of hours may be home study / self-study.
New licensees
First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically.
Other mandates
Minnesota law (Ch. 260E) identifies licensed social workers as mandatory reporters of child maltreatment and vulnerable adult maltreatment. The Department of Human Services provides a Mandated Reporter Training module. This training is required by law but does NOT count toward the Board's 40-hour CE requirement.
Minnesota law requires certain health and human services providers (e.g., entities credentialed by DHS) to receive human trafficking prevention training. Where applicable to a social worker (e.g., through an employer's credentialing requirements), these hours are a distinct statutory requirement and do NOT count toward the Board's 40-hour CE total.
Provisional renewal
The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 24 months before full compliance is required. Minn. Stat. §148E.130 Subd.10 authorizes a one-time extension for a licensee who is short on required CE hours at renewal. The license remains active during the extension while the licensee completes the missing CE, typically up until the next expiration date. Only one such extension is allowed per licensee; no further extensions are granted. Failure to complete the missing CE by the extended deadline may result in license expiration.
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).
We turn all of this (every category, format limit, and one-time rule) into a live checklist on your Minnesota LICSW record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Minnesota LICSW CE free →Minnesota LICSW CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Minnesota LICSW licensees need?
Minnesota requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LICSW license. Biennial cycle: renews at the end of your birth month.
How many ethics hours are required for Minnesota LICSW licensees?
Of the total, 2 hours must be in social work ethics.
How often do Minnesota LICSW licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: renews at the end of your birth month.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Minnesota LICSW licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Minnesota requires 12 hours of clinical content, 4 hours of cultural responsiveness.
Can Minnesota LICSW 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 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
- Minnesota board rule
- Profession source
- ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- May 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.1
Reviewed against the Minnesota board source and refreshed from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is informational only and not legal or board advice. Always verify requirements with your licensing board before you renew. See something wrong? Report it →
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LCSW CE requirements in other states
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