Updated for 2026

Pennsylvania LCSW, LBSW & LSW Continuing Education Requirements

Pennsylvania clinical social workers must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LCSW / LBSW / LSW license, including 3 hours of ethics, 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting, and 1 hour of suicide prevention.

30hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 30
3ethics
2child abuse recognition and reporting
1suicide prevention

Next deadline: February 28, 2027The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by February 28 of odd years.

What the board saysPennsylvania board rule
The Board requires, as a condition of biennial renewal of a bachelor social worker’s license, a social worker’s license or a clinical social worker’s license, the completion during the preceding biennium of 30 clock hours1 of continuing education … At least 3 of the required 30 clock hours must be related to ethical issues2 and at least 2 clock hours must be in child abuse recognition and reporting3 … A licensee may accrue up to 20 of the required clock hours in home study courses4 offered by approved providers …
What it means
  1. 30 hours every two years
  2. 3 hours of ethics
  3. 2 hours on child abuse recognition and reporting
  4. No more than 20 hours of home study
49 Pa. Code §§ 47.32, 47.33Last verified August 2026Ruleset 2026.6How we verify
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Requirements

Pennsylvania LCSW, LBSW & LSW requirements

Total

30 hoursYou need 30 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by February 28 of odd years.

Topic minimums, counted within the 30

The remaining 24 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Ethics
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.
Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting
2
You need 2 hours each cycle.
Suicide Prevention
1
You need 1 hour each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Home study / self-study
max 20 hrs

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

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by February 28 of odd years.
Renewal fee
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$95. Biennial fee under 49 Pa. Code 47.4.
Board fee schedule
Late charge per month or partial month$5. Additional monthly charge under Fee Act section 225; not a flat penalty.
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 biennial renewal after initial Pennsylvania licensure is exempt from ordinary CE, but still requires 2 hours of approved child-abuse recognition and reporting training.
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 February 28, 2027.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LCSW CE hours calculator

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

Full board policy details
  • Thirty approved hours are required each biennium, including 3 ethics hours, 2 child-abuse recognition and reporting hours, and 1 suicide-prevention hour. Each topic counts within the total.
  • Up to 20 hours may be approved home-study/self-paced courses. Pennsylvania permits all 30 hours online because synchronous online education is not home study; there is no live or in-person minimum.
  • Only Board-approved providers and activities qualify. A licensee may not claim the same course more than once in one renewal period, and teacher credit is limited to a first-time occurrence.
  • The first renewal after initial licensure is exempt from the 30-hour total, ethics, and suicide-prevention requirements, while the 2-hour child-abuse training remains due.
  • Reactivation of an inactive or lapsed license requires the most recent biennium's 30 hours, including ethics, child-abuse, and suicide-prevention topics.
  • The Board may grant hardship waivers or extensions case by case; Pennsylvania does not create a conditional active registration for CE deficiency.
  • Act 53 of 2020 is reflected on the Board site as a best-practices guide, not a universal 3-hour implicit-bias renewal mandate. Human-trafficking statutes likewise do not impose a general social-worker renewal course, so neither is encoded.

Pennsylvania LCSW, LBSW & LSW CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Pennsylvania LCSW / LBSW / LSW licensees need?

Pennsylvania requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LCSW / LBSW / LSW license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by February 28 of odd years.

How many ethics hours are required for Pennsylvania LCSW / LBSW / LSW licensees?

Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.

How often do Pennsylvania LCSW / LBSW / LSW licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by February 28 of odd years.

How much does Pennsylvania LCSW / LBSW / LSW license renewal cost?
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$95. Biennial fee under 49 Pa. Code 47.4.
Board fee schedule
Late charge per month or partial month$5. Additional monthly charge under Fee Act section 225; not a flat penalty.
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 Pennsylvania LCSW / LBSW / LSW licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, Pennsylvania requires 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting, 1 hour of suicide prevention.

Can Pennsylvania LCSW / LBSW / LSW 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 Pennsylvania LCSW / LBSW / LSW licensees?

The first biennial renewal after initial Pennsylvania licensure is exempt from ordinary CE, but still requires 2 hours of approved child-abuse recognition and reporting training.

Sources and verification

State source
Pennsylvania board rule
Fee schedule
Pennsylvania board fee schedule
Profession source
ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
Last verified
August 2026
Ruleset version
2026.6

We reviewed this page against the Pennsylvania 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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Pennsylvania 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.Pennsylvania mental health workforce data →50,517 active providers, or 386.8 per 100,000 residents, ranked 33 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Pennsylvania CE requirement pages

Pennsylvania LPCPennsylvania LMFTPennsylvania PsychologistPennsylvania PMHNP

LCSW CE requirements in other states