What are the Licensed Social Worker (LSW) Requirements in Ohio?

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You’re probably here for one of two reasons: either your license renewal deadline’s creeping up, or you’re just trying to stay ahead of it without turning CE into another headache. Either way, we’ve built this page to help you sort through it - quickly and clearly.

We’ve pulled together what Ohio requires, how our platform fits into that, and the options available.

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CE That Meets Ohio Requirements

If you’re a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) in Ohio, the requirements are:

A minimum of thirty (30) contact hours of continuing education (CE) is required every two years from the date of issuance. Up to 12 excess hours earned may be banked for the next licensure period.

At least three (3) contact hours of the thirty (30) must be devoted to ethics.

For LISWs with a supervision designation, at least three (3) additional contact hours must be in supervision training; all CE must be from providers approved by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage & Family Therapist Board (or equivalents like ASWB-ACE), with all hours allowable via distance learning.

Our CE certificates meet Ohio's Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (Ohio CSWMFT Board) licensing renewal requirements and are widely accepted based on our status as an NBCC and ASWB approved CE provider.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Yes, our courses are accepted by the Ohio Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (Ohio CSWMFT Board) for a Licensed Social Worker (LSW).

Once you complete a course (and associated quiz and evaluation), your certificate is instantly available for download. It includes everything your board needs.

You can take as few or as many courses as you need—it's flexible!

Ohio LSW applicants must have a qualifying bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in social work and pass the examination required by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board. A CSWE-accredited social work degree is recognized as meeting Ohio’s education requirement.

Ohio requires applicants to pass the social work examination approved for the LSW level. Applicants must first apply to the Board and receive authorization before sitting for the examination, and the passing exam generally must have been completed within seven years of the license application unless an exception applies.

No postgraduate supervised experience is required for the standard Ohio Licensed Social Worker (LSW) credential. Supervised post-master’s experience becomes relevant when an LSW with a master’s degree works toward the higher Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) credential.

An LSW may qualify with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral social work degree and the required examination. An LISW requires a master’s degree in social work, at least two years and 3,000 hours of supervised post-master’s social work experience, and the examination required for independent social work practice.

No. Effective July 1, 2026, Ohio no longer allows licensees to apply excess CE hours from the previous renewal period toward the current renewal. LSWs must complete the full required CE hours within each applicable renewal period.

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Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)

Mind Works Professional Education, Inc. DBA Online CE Credits, #1974, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: July 23, 2025 - July 23, 2028.

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

Online CE Credits has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6795. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Online CE Credits is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

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