How to get a social work license in Virginia

Virginia licenses social workers at three levels through the Department of Health Professions: the Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW), the Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). The LMSW is not a step you must take on the way to 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.

Virginia at a glance

LicenseASWB examWhat it takes
LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker)BachelorsA CSWE-accredited BSW; practices under a master social worker's supervision. $100.
LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker)MastersA CSWE-accredited MSW; non-clinical generalist practice. $115.
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)ClinicalRegistered supervision: 3,000 hours over 2 to 4 years, 1,380 face to face, 100 hours of supervision. $165.

Virginia, step by step

Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions)

  1. LBSW or LMSW: apply for licensure by examination with a BSW or MSW from a CSWE-accredited program and take the ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam; exam fees go to ASWB. Application processing is $100 (LBSW) or $115 (LMSW); renewal is yearly ($55 / $65). An incomplete application stays open one year.
  2. Register your supervision: to count hours toward the LCSW, file the Application for Initial Registration of Supervision ($50; $25 to add or change a supervisor). The LMSW license is not required first.
  3. Supervised experience (18VAC140-20-50): at least 3,000 hours of supervised post-MSW clinical social work and supporting services, earned in no less than two and no more than four consecutive years (a 12-month extension is possible for extenuating circumstances), with at least 1,380 hours of face-to-face client contact. Supervision runs one to four hours per 40 hours of work, at least 100 hours in all, from an LCSW with at least two years of post-licensure clinical experience.
  4. LCSW exam and license: once the hours are done, apply for licensure by examination ($165) and take the ASWB Clinical exam. LCSW renewal is $90 a year.

Sources: Virginia Board of Social Work: LCSW, LMSW, LBSW, Fees, 18VAC140-20-50 (LCSW experience). Checked October 18, 2026.

Practice for the Bachelors exam, freeThe Bachelors level: generalist practice, benefits programs and task-centered work, on the 2026 Bachelors outline. Practice for the Masters exam, freeVignette questions on the 2026 Masters outline, every answer sourced. Practice for the Clinical exam, freeDSM-5-TR diagnosis, psychotherapy models, clinical ethics and supervision, on the 2026 Clinical outline.

The national steps, briefly

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.

Official pages