Kentucky licenses Licensed Social Workers (LSW), Certified Social Workers (CSW, the master's license) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW). It accepts the ASWB Bachelors, Masters and Clinical exams, but not the Advanced Generalist. 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.
Kentucky at a glance
License
ASWB exam
What it takes
LSW (Licensed Social Worker)
Bachelors
A bachelor's in social work. License fee $75.
CSW (Certified Social Worker)
Masters
An MSW or DSW from a board-approved school. $125.
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
Clinical
Two years of post-master's supervised clinical practice under a board-approved contract, 150 hours of supervision. $200.
Kentucky does not accept the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam.
Kentucky, step by step
Kentucky Board of Social Work
Apply online: the application fee is $25 (non-refundable); after review the board emails an invoice for the license fee: $75 LSW, $125 CSW, $200 LCSW. ASWB sends your scores directly (an Official Transfer Score Report if you tested in another state).
Temporary permits: once your LSW or CSW application and transcript are in, you can apply for a temporary permit (180 days, renewable once). Clinical permit holders work under a pre-approved LCSW supervisor, but those hours do not count toward the LCSW.
LCSW supervision: as a CSW, file a Clinical Social Work Supervision Contract for board approval before you start. You need two years of post-master's supervised clinical social work (full time at 30+ hours a week, or three years part time), with at least 150 hours of supervision including at least 2 hours of individual supervision every two weeks; at least 100 hours individual, up to 50 in groups of six or fewer. A pending amendment would raise the documented hours to 200, so check with the board.
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.