Updated for 2026

Mississippi LCSW, LMSW & LSW Continuing Education Requirements

Mississippi clinical social workers must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LCSW / LMSW / LSW license, including 4 hours of professional ethics, 2 hours of cultural diversity, and 1 hour of mandated reporting.

40hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
4professional ethics
2cultural diversity
1mandated reporting

The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

What the board saysMississippi board rule
FOR SOCIAL WORKERS: No more than twenty (20) hours can be obtained from online/distant learning1. The remaining twenty (20) hours must be obtained through face-to-face learning2. 40 Continuing Education hours3 must include 4 Ethics hours4, 2 Cultural Diversity hours5, and 1 Mandated Reporting hour6. … Continuing Education (CE) hours that were completed within the 3 years prior to the current expiration date of your license that have not been submitted for previous license renewal may be carried over from one renewal to the next7. Ethics, cultural diversity, and mandated reporting hours may not be carried over.
What it means
  1. No more than 20 hours online or self-study
  2. At least 20 hours face-to-face (live)
  3. 40 hours each renewal period
  4. 4 hours of ethics
  5. 2 hours of cultural diversity
  6. 1 hour of mandated reporting
  7. Unused hours earned within 3 years of expiration can carry over, except ethics, cultural diversity, and mandated reporting
Special Instructions for All Renewals 2024 and BeyondLast verified October 2026Ruleset 2026.5How we verify
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Requirements

Mississippi LCSW, LMSW & LSW requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

Topic minimums, counted within the 40

The remaining 33 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Professional Ethics
4
You need 4 hours each cycle.
Cultural Diversity
2
You need 2 hours each cycle.
Mandated Reporting
1
You need 1 hour each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Home study / self-study
max 20 hrs
Live
min 20 hrs

Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

At least 20 hours must be earned live.

Unused hours can carry into the next cycle.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
New licensees
Mississippi does not ask a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) to submit continuing education at the first renewal. No CE is due at that first renewal; the 40-hour requirement applies to each renewal period after it.
Approved providers
CE must be earned from a board-approved provider.
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 Mississippi LPC or LMFT license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the Mississippi LPC and Mississippi LMFT requirements.

Full board policy details
  • A maximum of 20 hours (50%) of the 40-hour biennial CE requirement may be earned through remote/self-study/distance/online courses. At least 20 hours must be earned through live, in-person training. Live, interactive webinars or videoconferences (e.g., Zoom, WebEx) count as in-person credit. Prerecorded or non-interactive online courses count toward the remote/self-study limit.
  • The 4-hour professional ethics and 2-hour cultural diversity requirements are required each renewal period and may not be carried over to the next cycle. Other unused CE hours may be carried forward by the licensee.
  • Required CE topics (4 hours ethics, 2 hours cultural diversity, 1 hour mandated reporting) recur every renewal cycle and count toward the 40-hour total. There is no waiver for having completed these topics at initial licensure.
  • First renewal (Part 1902, Rule 4.1(C)(1)-(3)): LSWs do not submit CE at the first renewal. An LMSW holding no previous license also does not submit at the first renewal, but an LMSW who upgraded from LSW must submit the full 40 hours. Because the license form does not record whether an LMSW held a prior license, the tracker asks every LMSW for the full 40 hours at first renewal; a first-time LMSW can disregard that first-renewal total. LCSWs are not exempt: they submit the full 40 hours (including ethics, diversity, and mandated reporting) at first renewal, as they are upgrading from LMSW status.
  • Course repeat restrictions: Instructors of graduate social work courses may claim CE credit (10 hours per credit-hour taught) only the FIRST time they teach a particular class; repeated teaching of the same course does not earn additional credit. Field internship supervisors may earn up to 5 hours per intern, with a maximum of 20 hours per renewal cycle. Board-Approved LCSW Supervisors may also claim CE credit for supervising interns.
  • Provider approval: All CE must come from Board-approved offerings. The Board's Designated Providers (DPs) have standing approval. Automatically approved organizations include NASW and NASW state chapters, AAMFT, CSWE-accredited schools, ASWB, and IASSW/IFSW. All other courses must be prior-approved by the Board's CE Committee.
  • Inactive status: A licensee may go inactive only after meeting all licensure requirements including CE. While inactive, no CE accrues and CE is effectively waived. Upon return to active status, the licensee must document the hours they would have been required to earn while inactive; the Board may waive up to half of those hours.
  • Retired status: To obtain retired designation, a licensee must be in good standing and have completed all CE up to that point. While retired, no further CE is required so long as no practice occurs. A retiree returning to active practice (within 4 years) must apply for reinstatement and complete a full 40-hour CE requirement for the licensure period in question.
  • Conditional/extension status: A licensee short on CE hours may request a one-time extension of time to complete required hours. The license remains active during the extension period. The Board will not grant a second consecutive extension in the next renewal period. If required CE is not completed by the end of the extension, the license is automatically placed on inactive status.

Mississippi LCSW, LMSW & LSW CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Mississippi LCSW / LMSW / LSW licensees need?

Mississippi requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LCSW / LMSW / LSW license. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

How many ethics hours are required for Mississippi LCSW / LMSW / LSW licensees?

Of the total, 4 hours must be in professional ethics.

How often do Mississippi LCSW / LMSW / LSW licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Mississippi LCSW / LMSW / LSW licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, Mississippi requires 2 hours of cultural diversity, 1 hour of mandated reporting.

Can Mississippi LCSW / LMSW / LSW licensees complete CE online or by home study?

Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. At least 20 hours must be earned live.

Is the first renewal different for new Mississippi LCSW / LMSW / LSW licensees?

Mississippi does not ask a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) to submit continuing education at the first renewal. No CE is due at that first renewal; the 40-hour requirement applies to each renewal period after it.

Sources and verification

State source
Mississippi board rule
Profession source
ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
Last verified
October 2026
Ruleset version
2026.5

We reviewed this page against the Mississippi 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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Mississippi 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.Mississippi mental health workforce data →8,728 active providers, or 295.4 per 100,000 residents, ranked 42 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Mississippi CE requirement pages

Mississippi LPCMississippi LMFTMississippi PsychologistMississippi Addiction CounselorMississippi PMHNP

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