New York licenses social workers at two levels, the Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), through the State Education Department's Office of the Professions. Only the Masters exam counts for the LMSW, and only the Clinical exam for the LCSW. 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 York at a glance
License
ASWB exam
What it takes
LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker)
Masters
An MSW (degree conferred before you test), age 21, New York child abuse identification and reporting training, the Masters exam. $294.
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
Clinical
An MSW with 12 semester hours of clinical coursework, 36 months of supervised post-MSW clinical experience with at least 100 hours of in-person supervision, the Clinical exam. $294.
New York has no Bachelors or Advanced Generalist license. No other ASWB exam is accepted for the LMSW.
New York, step by step
New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Social Work)
Degree: a master's in social work from a CSWE-accredited program or one the Department registers as licensure-qualifying (two years of full-time study, at least 60 semester hours). New York will not approve you for the exam until the MSW has been received.
Child abuse training: every applicant must complete coursework or training in identifying and reporting child abuse from a New York State approved provider. You must also be at least 21.
Apply, then test: file the Application for Licensure (Form 1) with the $294 fee for licensure and first registration. When the Department approves your education and application, it notifies ASWB, and you register with ASWB directly for the Masters exam. A score from another state must come straight from ASWB. A limited permit costs $70 (non-refundable).
LCSW experience: at least 36 months of supervised post-MSW experience in diagnosis, psychotherapy and assessment-based treatment planning, full time or the part-time equivalent over a continuous period of no more than six years. It cannot be shortened, even with more than 2,000 client contact hours. Your supervisor must give at least 100 hours of in-person individual or group clinical supervision spread over the period. In New York you usually earn it as a licensed, registered LMSW, in a setting legally allowed to provide psychotherapy. You may send the board a Plan for Supervised Experience (Form 6) before you start.
LCSW application: the MSW must include at least 12 semester hours of clinical coursework. File Form 1 with the $294 fee, and have each supervisor verify your experience on Form 4B; the experience must be approved before you are admitted to the ASWB Clinical exam.
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.