Updated for 2026

North Carolina LCSW, CMSW, CSWM, CSW & LCSWA Continuing Education Requirements

North Carolina clinical social workers must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LCSW / CMSW / CSWM / CSW / LCSWA license, including 4 hours of ethics.

40hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
4ethics

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

What the board saysNorth Carolina board rule
The North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) requires that continuing education requirements must be satisfied for maintaining all levels of credentialing … 2-year licensure period/renewal cycle requires documentation of 40 contact hours1 of continuing education with at least 4 hours of ethics focused training2 … A maximum of twenty hours (one-half) of the required 40 contact hours3 of continuing education per two-year renewal cycle may be obtained through distance learning activities3.
What it means
  1. 40 hours every two years
  2. 4 hours of ethics
  3. No more than 20 hours of distance learning or home study
NCSWCLB continuing education requirementsLast verified August 2026Ruleset 2026.4How we verify
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Requirements

North Carolina LCSW, CMSW, CSWM, CSW & LCSWA 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 36 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Ethics
4
You need 4 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Home study / self-study
max 20 hrs
Practitioner self care
max 6 hrs
Presentation
max 5 hrs

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

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
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.
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 North Carolina LPC or LMFT license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the North Carolina LPC and North Carolina LMFT requirements.

Full board policy details
  • Distance learning (home study / self-study) is capped at 20 hours per two-year renewal cycle. All distance-learning courses must be pre-approved by ASWB ACE or NASW-NC. Real-time interactive webinars are treated as face-to-face offerings (not distance learning) under 21 NCAC 63 .0401.
  • The Board does not pre-approve courses or providers for general (non distance) CE. Self-directed learning projects are not accepted for CE credit.
  • PRESENTATION AND ACTIVITY LIMITS: Presenters may earn up to 5 contact hours per renewal cycle with the required sponsor documentation. Practitioner self-care and well-being content is capped at 6 hours and must be an organized learning event. CE is not granted for procedural or orientation training or for supervision/case consultation.
  • LICENSE STATUS RULES: Licensees on inactive (non-practicing) status are exempt from CE while inactive, no fees or CE are due during that period. North Carolina does not separately define a "retired" status; inactive/non-practicing covers similar scenarios.
  • Reactivation: If the license has not yet expired, reactivation only requires submission of a reactivation request (no additional CE at that time). If the license expired while inactive, reactivation requires submitting a renewal affidavit including the CE that was required for the most recent licensing period (40 hours, or 30 hours if that period was less than two years, with 4 ethics hours).
  • Short initial term: If the initial certification or licensure term is less than a full two years, the requirement is 30 contact hours, including 4 ethics hours. A full two-year term requires 40 hours. Separate month-based proration when an LCSW-A transitions to LCSW between renewal dates remains manual because the engine lacks a transition-date context field.
  • No conditional or provisional renewal is available to make up CE after the renewal deadline. The renewal affidavit requires attesting that the full required CE has been completed by the renewal date.
  • LCSW-Associate note: The 6-year cap on LCSW-A licensure continues to run during inactive status (per Board policy, separate from the CE rule itself).

North Carolina LCSW, CMSW, CSWM, CSW & LCSWA CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do North Carolina LCSW / CMSW / CSWM / CSW / LCSWA licensees need?

North Carolina requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LCSW / CMSW / CSWM / CSW / LCSWA license. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

How many ethics hours are required for North Carolina LCSW / CMSW / CSWM / CSW / LCSWA licensees?

Of the total, 4 hours must be in ethics.

How often do North Carolina LCSW / CMSW / CSWM / CSW / LCSWA licensees renew?

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

Can North Carolina LCSW / CMSW / CSWM / CSW / LCSWA licensees complete CE online or by home study?

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

Is the first renewal different for new North Carolina LCSW / CMSW / CSWM / CSW / LCSWA 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
North Carolina board rule
Profession source
ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
Last verified
August 2026
Ruleset version
2026.4

We reviewed this page against the North Carolina 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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North Carolina 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.North Carolina mental health workforce data →44,456 active providers, or 397 per 100,000 residents, ranked 32 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other North Carolina CE requirement pages

North Carolina LPCNorth Carolina LMFTNorth Carolina PsychologistNorth Carolina Addiction CounselorNorth Carolina PMHNP

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