New York LCSW & LMSW Continuing Education Requirements
New York clinical social workers must complete 36 continuing education hours every 3 years to renew their LCSW / LMSW license, including 3 hours of professional boundaries.
The renewal cycle is triennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
During each triennial registration period1, meaning a registration period of three years' duration, an applicant for registration shall complete at least 36 hours of continuing education1, acceptable to the department … Self-study2 may comprise no more than twelve hours2 of continuing education in any three-year registration period
- 36 hours every three years
- No more than 12 hours of self-study
It's free for 30 days, and you don't need a card.
New York LCSW & LMSW requirements
Total
Topic minimums, counted within the 36
- Professional Boundaries
- 3
- You need 3 hours each cycle.
Limits on how the hours are earned
- Home study / self-study
- max 12 hrs
Up to 12 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Cycle and record rules
- Renewal
- The renewal cycle is triennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
- Renewal fee
Renewal fees by license status Status / fee Amount and conditions Active registration renewal $224. Triennial total: $179 registration plus $45 mandatory CE fee. Late filing charge per month $10. Monthly charge, not a flat penalty; applies to delayed registration while practicing. CE courses cost extra. Nonpractice/exempt-practice registration and conditional registration have separate rules; contact NYSED before resuming practice.
We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.
- New licensees
- The registration period in which a social worker is first licensed in New York is exempt from CE.
- Approved providers
- CE must be earned from a board-approved provider.
- Recordkeeping
- Keep CE documentation for 6 years after each course's completion date.
- Board audit
- The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
- Provisional renewal
- The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 12 months before full compliance is required. NYSED may issue a nonrenewable conditional registration for up to one year while the licensee remedies a CE deficiency and completes the additional monthly requirement.
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.
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 calculatorAlso hold a New York LPC or LMFT license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the New York LPC and New York LMFT requirements.
New York LCSW & LMSW required trainings and mandates
Beyond the 36-hour CE total, New York requires specific trainings. Some are due once around initial licensure, and others run on their own recurring schedule.
Recurring mandates outside the 3-year cycle
- Mandated reporters, including LMSWs and LCSWs who completed earlier training, must complete the updated child-abuse curriculum addressing children with intellectual or developmental disabilities by November 17, 2026.
Full board policy details
- No more than one-third of a registration period's required hours may be self-study; that is 12 hours in a standard 36-month period.
- Three hours of professional-boundaries coursework from an approved provider are required for every registration period beginning on or after April 1, 2023.
- Teaching credit is available only for the first presentation of a course. A first peer-reviewed article or book chapter earns two hours, and a first book earns five.
- CE does not carry forward. A shorter nonexempt registration period is generally calculated at one hour per month.
- A return after lapsed registration can require the last registered period's CE plus one hour per lapsed month, up to 36, as well as the new period's ordinary requirement.
New York LCSW & LMSW CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do New York LCSW / LMSW licensees need?
New York requires 36 continuing education hours every 3 years to renew a LCSW / LMSW license. The renewal cycle is triennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
How often do New York LCSW / LMSW licensees renew?
The renewal cycle is triennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
How much does New York LCSW / LMSW license renewal cost?
| Status / fee | Amount and conditions |
|---|---|
| Active registration renewal | $224. Triennial total: $179 registration plus $45 mandatory CE fee. |
| Late filing charge per month | $10. Monthly charge, not a flat penalty; applies to delayed registration while practicing. |
CE courses cost extra. Nonpractice/exempt-practice registration and conditional registration have separate rules; contact NYSED before resuming practice.
We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for New York LCSW / LMSW licensees?
Yes. New York requires 3 hours of professional boundaries.
Can New York LCSW / LMSW licensees complete CE online or by home study?
Up to 12 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Is the first renewal different for new New York LCSW / LMSW licensees?
The registration period in which a social worker is first licensed in New York is exempt from CE.
Sources and verification
- State source
- New York board rule
- Fee schedule
- New York board fee schedule
- Profession source
- ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.3
We reviewed this page against the New York 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 York guides & data
Other New York CE requirement pages
LCSW CE requirements in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
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- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
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- Minnesota
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