New Hampshire licenses Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers (LICSW), Licensed Social Workers (LSW) and Social Work Associates through the Board of Mental Health Practice. Clinical candidates register as a Candidate for Licensure while they collect supervised hours. 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.
New Hampshire at a glance
License
ASWB exam
What it takes
Candidate for Licensure
None
A board-approved supervision agreement. $50.
LSW (Licensed Social Worker)
Bachelors
A bachelor's and supervised work experience per Mhp 307. $325 application.
LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker)
Clinical
A clinical MSW, two years and 3,000 hours of supervised clinical work, 100 hours of individual supervision. $325 application.
New Hampshire does not license at the master's level with the ASWB Masters exam; MSW graduates aiming for clinical practice register as candidates.
New Hampshire, step by step
New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification)
Degree (Mhp 304.01): a two-year clinical graduate degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited school, with coursework in at least five of the listed clinical areas.
Candidate for Licensure: file a supervision agreement with the board (candidate fee $50) before your hours count.
LICSW experience (Mhp 304.02): at least two years of post-master's supervised clinical work: each year at least 1,500 hours in 12 to 24 months, 3,000 hours in all, with at least one hour a week of individual face-to-face supervision for a total of 100 hours, completed within 2 to 4 years of when approved supervision began. Hours must be on a W-2 job, not your own private practice.
LICSW exam: after at least 18 months of board-approved supervision, submit the Request to Sit for the ASWB Clinical Exam form and pass the ASWB Clinical exam.
Fees: application $325 (includes the $28 Professional Health Program fee); renewal $325.
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.