Updated for 2026

Rhode Island LCSW & LICSW Continuing Education Requirements

Rhode Island clinical social workers must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LCSW / LICSW license, including 3 hours of ethics and 3 hours of cross cultural practice.

30hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 30
3ethics
3cross cultural practice

Next deadline: May 1, 2027The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by May 1 of odd years.

What the board saysRhode Island board rule
Every person desiring to renew his or her license shall present such evidence as may be required by the Board attesting to the completion of thirty (30) contact hours1 of continuing social work education during the preceding twenty-four (24) months1 in accordance with the following requirements: a. A minimum of three (3) contact hours shall be in the area of cross-cultural practice2 to include the alleviation of oppression. b. A minimum of three (3) contact hours shall be in the area of social work professional ethics3. … A maximum of six (6) hours credit4 may be claimed during a renewal period for either the supervision of a master's level social work student4 or for the supervision of a bachelor's level social work student for a full academic year. … Twenty-two (22) hours of the required thirty (30) hours of continuing education in a two- year period shall be contact hours5. The remaining eight (8) hours of continuing education may be non-contact hours6.
What it means
  1. 30 hours in the two years before renewal
  2. At least 3 hours of cross-cultural practice
  3. At least 3 hours of professional ethics
  4. No more than 6 hours for supervising a social work student
  5. At least 22 hours live (contact hours)
  6. No more than 8 hours of home study / self-study
216-RICR-40-05-7.4.5(E)–(G)Last verified August 2026Ruleset 2026.4How we verify
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Requirements

Rhode Island LCSW & LICSW requirements

Total

30 hoursYou need 30 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by May 1 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.
Cross Cultural Practice
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Home study / self-study
max 8 hrs
Live
min 22 hrs
Social work student supervision
max 6 hrs

Up to 8 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

At least 22 hours must be earned live.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by May 1 of odd years.
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.
Provisional renewal
The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 24 months before full compliance is required. The Board may grant a discretionary extension of time to complete CE requirements for hardship or other extenuating circumstances. No formal conditional/provisional license exists; extensions are case-by-case.
Your hours

Check where you stand

Enter the hours you have completed this cycle to see what is left before May 1, 2027.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LCSW CE hours calculator

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

Full board policy details
  • At least 22 of the 30 required CE hours must be contact hours (programs with direct interaction such as live lectures, workshops, or live teleconferences). Up to 8 hours may be earned through non-contact (self-study) formats such as recorded online courses or correspondence.
  • Approved providers include NASW and its local chapters, other state social-work boards, the ASWB, other recognized social-work organizations (e.g., clinical social work societies), and CSWE-accredited MSW programs. CE will only be accepted from these approved/recognized sources.
  • Supervision of social work students may be claimed for CE credit, but a maximum of 6 hours of supervision credit may be claimed during a single renewal period.
  • Course repeat restrictions: The Rhode Island regulations do not contain a blanket prohibition on repeating the same course within a renewal cycle, and there are no specific instructor-repeat restrictions. The only explicit cap relates to student supervision credit (6 hours per cycle).
  • License status rules: The Rhode Island regulations do not address CE exemptions for inactive or retired licensees, nor do they specify CE requirements for reactivation. Licensees in non-active statuses should contact the Board of Social Work Examiners for guidance, as no regulatory exemption is provided.
  • First renewal exemption: Social workers initially licensed after the May 1 renewal date are exempt from CE requirements until the next renewal cycle (April 30 of the next odd-numbered year). The full 30-hour requirement applies beginning with the second renewal.
  • Hardship extension: An extension of time to complete CE requirements may be granted at the discretion of the Board for reasons of hardship or other extenuating circumstances. No maximum duration is specified in regulation.

Rhode Island LCSW & LICSW CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Rhode Island LCSW / LICSW licensees need?

Rhode Island requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LCSW / LICSW license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by May 1 of odd years.

How many ethics hours are required for Rhode Island LCSW / LICSW licensees?

Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.

How often do Rhode Island LCSW / LICSW licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by May 1 of odd years.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Rhode Island LCSW / LICSW licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, Rhode Island requires 3 hours of cross cultural practice.

Can Rhode Island LCSW / LICSW licensees complete CE online or by home study?

Up to 8 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. At least 22 hours must be earned live.

Is the first renewal different for new Rhode Island LCSW / LICSW 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
Rhode Island board rule
Profession source
ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
Last verified
August 2026
Ruleset version
2026.4

We reviewed this page against the Rhode Island 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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Rhode Island 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.Rhode Island mental health workforce data →7,061 active providers, or 633.5 per 100,000 residents, ranked 10 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Rhode Island CE requirement pages

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