Georgia licenses Licensed Master Social Workers (LMSW) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) through the Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists, part of the Secretary of State's licensing division. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. Social Work Ticket is a study aid. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) or any state social work board; ASWB is their mark, used here only to name the exam. Laws on confidentiality, reporting and licensing differ by state; follow your state's law, your agency and your supervisor.
Georgia at a glance
License
ASWB exam
What it takes
LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker)
Masters
A CSWE-accredited MSW and the Masters exam; the first two years of practice are under direction and supervision. $100 + $10.
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
Clinical
3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice after the MSW over 36 to 108 months, with 120 hours of supervision. $100 + $10.
Georgia has no Bachelors or Advanced Generalist license.
Georgia, step by step
Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists
Degree: a master's in social work from a CSWE-accredited program (candidacy or accreditation in effect when the degree was awarded).
LMSW and the Masters exam: an MSW graduate may practice under direction and supervision for up to one year while preparing for the exam, and must apply to take it within one year of graduating. Apply through the Secretary of State's GOALS portal with a signed, notarized application, official transcripts and a national background check; the board must approve you before you sit for the exam. Georgia allows three attempts in all, and after a first failure you take the next scheduled exam.
LCSW experience: at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work after the MSW, earned over no less than 36 months and no more than 108. The first 2,000 hours must be under both supervision and direction. You need 120 hours of supervision, no more than half in groups and at least half from a qualified LCSW. (With a qualifying doctorate: 2,000 hours over 24 to 72 months and 80 hours of supervision.) Supervisors and supervisees keep contemporaneous logs.
LCSW exam: after the board approves your application (Form B for directed experience, Form C for supervision), take the first ASWB Clinical exam you qualify for; you have three attempts, and your work stays supervised until you pass. An LMSW in private practice who does counseling must apply for the LCSW within 60 days of meeting the experience requirement.
Fees (GOALS fee schedule): LMSW or LCSW application $100, plus a $10 processing fee on every application; renewal $100. All licenses expire September 30 of even-numbered years. The board reviews applications in about 20 business days and does not offer the LCSW by endorsement or reciprocity.
The steps that hold nearly everywhere: a CSWE-accredited degree, your board's approval (or ASWB's, in a few states), the ASWB exam at the level your license needs, then the license. Every ASWB level has 122 questions (110 scored) in 4 hours; Bachelors and Masters cost $230, Advanced Generalist and Clinical $260, and you wait at least 90 days to retake (ASWB Examination Guidebook, August 2026). A passing score counts in every state for the same exam level. The full walk-through: How to get your social work license.