Updated for 2026

New Jersey LCSW Continuing Education Requirements

New Jersey clinical social workers must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LCSW license, including 5 hours of ethics, 20 hours of clinical practice, 3 hours of social and cultural competence, and 1 hour of prescription opioid abuse.

40hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
20clinical practice
5ethics
3social and cultural competence
1prescription opioid abuse

Next deadline: August 31, 2028The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of even years.

What the board saysNew Jersey board rule
An LCSW shall complete a minimum of 40 credits1 of continuing education, of which at least 20 of the 40 credits shall be in courses or programs directly related to clinical practice2; of the remaining 20 credits, five credits shall be related to ethics3, and three credits shall be in the subject area of social and cultural competence4. If the LCSW earns more than 40 credits during a biennial period1, the LCSW may carry a maximum of eight surplus credits5 into a succeeding biennial period … a licensee shall complete at least one of the prescribed contact hours6 of continuing education as required by (a) above in topics concerning prescription opioid drugs6, including the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion.
What it means
  1. 40 credits every two years
  2. 20 credits in clinical practice
  3. 5 credits of ethics
  4. 3 credits in social and cultural competence
  5. Up to 8 surplus credits carry into the next cycle
  6. 1 hour on prescription opioid drugs
N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.2Last verified August 2026Ruleset 2026.6How we verify
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Requirements

New Jersey LCSW requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of even years.

Topic minimums, counted within the 40

The remaining 11 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Clinical Practice
20
You need 20 hours each cycle.
Ethics
5
You need 5 hours each cycle.
Social and Cultural Competence
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.
Prescription Opioid Abuse
1
You need 1 hour each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Carryover
max 8 hrs
Non cswe academic coursework
max 20 hrs
Qualifying in service training
max 20 hrs
First time presentation
max 9 hrs

Up to 8 unused hours can carry into the next cycle.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of even years.
Renewal fee
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
LCSW active renewal$160. Biennial fee.
Board fee schedule
Late renewal surcharge$100. Additional charge, not the renewal total.
Board fee schedule

CE course costs are separate. Late renewal does not authorize practice on an expired license.

We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.

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.
Approved providers
CE must be earned from a board-approved provider.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 5 years after each renewal.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal adds a $100 late fee.

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 August 31, 2028.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LCSW CE hours calculator

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

New Jersey LCSW required trainings and mandates

Beyond the 40-hour CE total, New Jersey requires specific trainings. Some are due once around initial licensure, and others run on their own recurring schedule.

Recurring mandates outside the 2-year cycle

  • New Jersey statute N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-11.1 requires at least one hour of education on prescription opioid drugs, risks, signs of abuse, addiction, and diversion, for every social work license renewal beginning September 1, 2018. This statutory mandate is satisfied by the 1-hour prescription opioid abuse CE category requirement, which counts toward the 40-hour total.
Full board policy details
  • New Jersey does not award credit for free-form individual study as a stand-alone activity. It does allow courses and programs from the recognized sources in N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.4(c), including approved online offerings. The rule states no separate online or asynchronous cap.
  • No minimum number of in-person or live hours is specified. Delivery format does not replace the requirement that the program or course come from a recognized source and satisfy the content rules.
  • Approved CE sources include: ASWB or ASWB-approved providers; NASW (national or state chapter) or NASW-approved providers; NJ Department of Children and Families Child Welfare Training Academy programs; social work association conferences requiring social work membership; accredited academic institutions and CSWE-accredited degree programs; in-service training by state-licensed social service agencies (up to half of required CE); programs approved by other states' social work boards or related boards (Counselor, MFT, etc.); and limited self-credits for publishing scholarly articles or teaching new courses.
  • A single course that could fit two categories (e.g. ethics and clinical) is credited in only one category. No double-crediting of the same course toward multiple required topic areas (per N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.2(d)).
  • COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS, Instructor credit (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.4(c)(17)): An LCSW who teaches workshops or seminars receives 1.5 credits per hour of teaching, but only for a "new" course. "New" means a course or workshop the instructor has not previously taught in any educational setting. Instructors cannot claim CE credit for teaching the same course more than once. In-service training categories explicitly exclude routine staff meetings, administrative training, case reviews, and case management for CE credit.
  • LICENSE STATUS RULES, Inactive status: Licensees may elect inactive status at renewal (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-7.1). Inactive licensees may not practice and are effectively exempt from CE while inactive. New Jersey has no separate "retired" license category for social work.
  • LICENSE STATUS RULES, Reactivation (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-7.2): To reactivate from inactive status of less than 5 years, the licensee must (1) pay applicable fees, (2) complete the CE hours that would have been required for each biennial period spent inactive (e.g. 40 hours per missed biennium for an LCSW), and (3) submit an employment affidavit for the inactive period. Inactive 5 years or more is treated as new licensure and requires meeting initial licensure requirements.
  • LICENSE STATUS RULES, No conditional or provisional renewal: New Jersey does not provide conditional or provisional renewals pending CE completion. There is no grace period and no provisional license. All CE must be completed by the renewal date. A license unrenewed past 30 days is suspended.
  • Content limitations (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.3): CE content is limited to social work practice topics. Personal development courses and purely supervisory sessions are explicitly excluded from CE credit.

New Jersey LCSW CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do New Jersey LCSW licensees need?

New Jersey requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LCSW license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of even years.

How many ethics hours are required for New Jersey LCSW licensees?

Of the total, 5 hours must be in ethics.

How often do New Jersey LCSW licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of even years.

How much does New Jersey LCSW license renewal cost?
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
LCSW active renewal$160. Biennial fee.
Board fee schedule
Late renewal surcharge$100. Additional charge, not the renewal total.
Board fee schedule

CE course costs are separate. Late renewal does not authorize practice on an expired license.

We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for New Jersey LCSW licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, New Jersey requires 20 hours of clinical practice, 3 hours of social and cultural competence, 1 hour of prescription opioid abuse.

Is the first renewal different for new New Jersey LCSW 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
New Jersey board rule
Fee schedule
New Jersey board fee schedule
Profession source
ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
Last verified
August 2026
Ruleset version
2026.6

We reviewed this page against the New Jersey 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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New Jersey 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.New Jersey mental health workforce data →38,996 active providers, or 408.4 per 100,000 residents, ranked 28 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other New Jersey CE requirement pages

New Jersey LPCNew Jersey LMFTNew Jersey PsychologistNew Jersey Addiction CounselorNew Jersey PMHNP

LCSW CE requirements in other states