What the Illinois LSW License Is
The Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act defines a licensed social worker as "a person who holds a license authorizing the practice of social work," and adds that "social casework and social group work may also include clinical social work, as long as it is not conducted in an independent practice" (225 ILCS 20/3(9)). The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, IDFPR, calls it plainly: the LSW is the "SUPERVISED PRACTICE level license" in social work (150 qualification sheet). The profession code is 150, and the Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board reviews applications and discipline under IDFPR's Division of Professional Regulation.
One tier up sits the Licensed Clinical Social Worker, defined instead as "a person who holds a license authorizing the independent practice of clinical social work in Illinois" (225 ILCS 20/3(4)), IDFPR's "INDEPENDENT PRACTICE level license," profession code 149. As of September 1, 2026, 12,802 LSWs were active statewide alongside 22,106 LCSWs, per IDFPR's Active License Report.
That two-tier shape, a supervised-practice license followed by an independent-practice license, is the same pattern Illinois uses for counselors: see the Illinois LPC license for its own entry-level credential.
Illinois LSW Requirements at a Glance
There are two routes into the LSW, and they land very differently on the experience question.
| Category | Requirement | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Master's route: degree | CSWE-accredited master's degree in social work | 1470.30; 150 sheet |
| Master's route: experience | None | 150 sheet |
| Bachelor's route: degree and experience | CSWE-accredited bachelor's degree in social work, plus 3 years of supervised professional experience today; from January 1, 2027, 3,000 hours completed within 4 years, with a good-cause waiver | 1470.20(b); 20/9A(3)(b); 20/9A as amended by P.A. 104-702 |
| Exam | None, since January 1, 2022 | 1470.70(a); P.A. 102-0326 |
| Application fee | $50, not refundable | 1470.55(a)(1) |
The degree itself is a hard line, not a formality. IDFPR states on both the LSW and LCSW qualification sheets that "degrees that are NOT Social Work degrees are not acceptable" (149 and 150 sheets). A closely related counseling or psychology degree does not substitute here the way it can on some other tracks.
No Exam Since 2022
"Beginning January 1, 2022, an applicant for licensure as a licensed social worker is not required to take an examination" (68 IAC 1470.70(a); P.A. 102-0326). That change is why the social work application packet, DPR-SW (8/24), lists a "NON-EXAMINATION" licensure method for the LSW at $50, separate from the exam-based methods reserved for the LCSW.
The exam only enters the picture at the clinical tier. An LCSW applicant sits the ASWB Clinical examination, or qualifies through the exam alternative under 225 ILCS 20/8.2 after at least one ASWB Clinical attempt on or after January 1, 2019 (68 IAC 1470.70(b),(c)). None of that applies to the LSW itself.
The Illinois LSW Application, Step by Step
Applications run through IDFPR's CORE portal, or by mail to the address printed on the packet (P.O. Box 7007, Springfield, IL 62791) with the fee paid online through ePay. The social work packet, DPR-SW (revised 8/24), lists four licensure methods and their fees: Non-Examination for the LSW at $50, Endorsement at $200, and two methods, Acceptance of Examination and Examination, reserved for the LCSW at $50 each. Most first-time LSW applicants file under Non-Examination.
The file needs an ED form or an official final transcript sent directly from your CSWE-accredited program, or a CSWE foreign-equivalency letter if your degree was earned outside the United States; a completed Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ); and, only if you're applying on the bachelor's route, a VE-SW verification form from your supervisor documenting the 3-year experience requirement. Master's-level applicants file no VE-SW at all, since there is no experience for it to verify.
IDFPR's standard line on timing: "Please allow 6 weeks from mailing your application before making an inquiry concerning its status." Your application stays active for three years from the date IDFPR receives it (225 ILCS 20/7).
Since January 1, 2026, once IDFPR acknowledges receipt of your application, you're authorized to temporarily practice under supervision while it's pending, proven with a copy of the Department's license application screen showing pending status (225 ILCS 20/9B). Practice pending licensure closes the gap that used to sit between filing and the license arriving in the mail.
What an Illinois LSW May and May Not Do
An LSW may provide clinical social work, but not independently. In independent practice, a licensed social worker "shall practice at all times under the order, control, and full professional responsibility of a licensed clinical social worker, a licensed clinical psychologist, a licensed clinical professional counselor, a licensed marriage and family therapist, or a psychiatrist" (225 ILCS 20/10(c), as amended effective January 1, 2025). Rule 1470.97(b) still lists a shorter set of supervising professions from before that amendment; the statute is the one that controls.
While practicing in that independent setting, the LSW "shall always operate and represent themselves as an employee of the independent practice and may not work as an independent contractor as defined by Internal Revenue Service regulations" (68 IAC 1470.97(c)). That employment status is a fixed condition of the license, not a preference.
The titles are protected too: "social worker" and "licensed social worker" belong to LSW holders (225 ILCS 20/10(a)). An LSW may not use "clinical social worker" or "licensed clinical social worker," titles reserved for the LCSW tier (225 ILCS 20/10(b); 68 IAC 1470.97(d)).
Why the LSW Matters More From 2027
Today, LCSW clinical hours count from the date you receive your master's degree, whether or not you already hold an LSW. From January 1, 2027, Public Act 104-702 changes that. The amended statute counts LCSW hours only if they're completed "subsequent to securing a master's degree in social work from an approved program and obtaining a social worker license under Section 9A or temporarily practicing pending the issuance of a social worker license under Section 9B if the license was ultimately issued" (225 ILCS 20/9(3)(a), as amended by P.A. 104-702).
A grandfather clause protects hours already in progress: "any hours of supervised clinical professional experience completed before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly may be counted toward the required hours" as long as the hours were "completed subsequent to securing an applicable graduate degree and the completed hours would have qualified toward licensure under the law in effect at the time the hours were earned." Part 1470 and IDFPR's LCSW and LSW qualification sheets have not yet been amended to reflect the change.
Apply for the LSW before the first hour you intend to count toward the LCSW in 2027, or make sure you're practicing pending its issuance under Section 9B. Under the amended text, hours earned in 2027 before the LSW is issued, or before IDFPR has acknowledged the LSW application, are not the hours the statute counts.
Renewing the Illinois LSW License
LSW licenses expire November 30 of odd-numbered years (68 IAC 1470.90(a)). The first licensure period may run shorter than two years, depending on when in the cycle IDFPR issues yours. Renewal costs $30 a year, billed biennially (68 IAC 1470.55(b)(1)).
Your first renewal skips continuing education entirely (68 IAC 1470.95(a)(7)). Every renewal after that needs 30 hours of CE completed in the prior 24 months, including 3 hours of ethics and 3 hours of cultural competence, plus the smaller subject-hour items IDFPR lists in its CE fact sheet (68 IAC 1470.95(a)(1)).
The LSW renews indefinitely as a full license, not a time-limited registration. Nothing in Part 1470 or the Act sets a deadline by which you have to move up to the LCSW; you can hold the LSW as long as you want and keep renewing it.
Licensed in Another State? Illinois Endorsement
Illinois may issue an LSW or LCSW without the exam through endorsement, where the other jurisdiction's requirements were substantially equivalent to Illinois's on the date the applicant was licensed there (225 ILCS 20/12.5). The endorsement application fee is $200 (68 IAC 1470.55).
The 5-consecutive-years waiver is the route most relevant to the LCSW application, since it can waive proof of experience as well as education. From January 1, 2027, endorsement is exempted from the rule that otherwise requires LCSW hours to be earned under an Illinois LSW, so a clinician moving to Illinois with an out-of-state clinical license already in hand does not need to backfill an Illinois LSW first.
From LSW to LCSW
Moving from LSW to LCSW means banking 3,000 hours of satisfactory, supervised clinical professional experience after your master's degree (2,000 for a doctorate), with no direct-service sub-minimum and no category split, under a supervisor who has to be an Illinois LCSW (68 IAC 1470.20(a),(a)(4)(C)). Supervision runs on a monthly average rather than a weekly floor: your supervisor has to meet with you an average of at least 4 hours each month (68 IAC 1470.20(a)(4)(A)). The exam is the ASWB Clinical examination, or the exam alternative under 225 ILCS 20/8.2. Each supervisor completes a VE-SW verification form for the experience and returns it to you in a sealed envelope to file with the application, and the LCSW application fee is the same $50 as the LSW (68 IAC 1470.55(a)(1)). For the full hour and category breakdown, see Illinois LCSW requirements; for supervisor eligibility and the group-size cap, see Illinois LCSW supervision requirements; and for the whole path between the two licenses, see LSW to LCSW in Illinois.
Common Mistakes on the Illinois LSW Track
Common errors in Illinois LSW and LCSW records.
Assuming LCSW hours will keep counting from the MSW after January 1, 2027
Under the amended statute, hours count only once you hold the LSW, or are practicing pending its issuance under Section 9B. File the LSW application before that date changes how your hours are treated.
Confusing who supervises LCSW hours with who may direct an LSW's clinical work
The LCSW hours themselves must be supervised by an Illinois LCSW, full stop. A separate, broader rule governs who may oversee an LSW's independent-setting clinical work: LCSW, licensed clinical psychologist, LCPC, LMFT, or a psychiatrist. Do not mix the two lists.
Working as an independent contractor in an independent practice setting
An LSW practicing in an independent setting has to operate as an employee of that practice, never as an independent contractor. That status is fixed by rule, not by how the workplace prefers to classify you.
Expecting to sit an exam for the LSW itself
There hasn't been one since January 1, 2022. The exam requirement, ASWB Clinical or the exam alternative, belongs to the LCSW application, not the LSW.
Mixing up the bachelor's-route experience rule before and after 2027
Today the BSW route asks for 3 years of supervised professional experience. From January 1, 2027, that becomes 3,000 hours within 4 years. Check the date before quoting either figure.
Track Your Hours From Day One
Log your hours once, by week, by supervisor, and by site. The running totals stay ready for whenever you need them.
- ✓Log every week's hours once, by supervisor and by site
- ✓Running totals, so your clinical-hours count is always visible
- ✓A per-supervisor record you can hand to whoever signs your verification form
- ✓Export history so nothing is reconstructed from memory
Built for pre-licensed clinicians.
Related Illinois Social Work Guides
Illinois LCSW Requirements
The 3,000-hour path from LSW-level work to the independent-practice license.
Illinois LCSW Supervision Requirements
Who can supervise, the monthly average, and the five-supervisee group cap.
LSW to LCSW in Illinois
The full path between the two social work licenses, start to finish.
The Illinois LPC License
The same entry-license shape on the counselor track.
All Illinois Guides
Every Illinois counseling, marriage and family therapy, and social work guide in one place.
FAQ: Illinois LSW License
What is an LSW in Illinois?▾
A Licensed Social Worker (LSW) is what Illinois law defines as "a person who holds a license authorizing the practice of social work," adding that "social casework and social group work may also include clinical social work, as long as it is not conducted in an independent practice" (225 ILCS 20/3(9)). The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) calls it the "SUPERVISED PRACTICE level license" in social work, profession code 150. As of September 1, 2026, 12,802 LSWs were active statewide, alongside 22,106 Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW).
How many hours do I need for an LSW license in Illinois?▾
None, if you hold a CSWE-accredited master's degree in social work: the LSW asks for no post-degree experience (225 ILCS 20/9A) and no exam (68 IAC 1470.70(a)). A bachelor's-level applicant instead needs 3 years of supervised professional experience under today's rule (68 IAC 1470.20(b); 225 ILCS 20/9A(3)(b)); from January 1, 2027, that becomes 3,000 hours completed within 4 years, with a good-cause waiver available (225 ILCS 20/9A, as amended by P.A. 104-702). The 3,000-hour clinical requirement belongs to the next license up, the LCSW.
Do I need to take an exam for the Illinois LSW?▾
No. "Beginning January 1, 2022, an applicant for licensure as a licensed social worker is not required to take an examination" (68 IAC 1470.70(a); P.A. 102-0326). The exam applies only to the LCSW, which requires the ASWB Clinical examination or the exam alternative under 225 ILCS 20/8.2 (68 IAC 1470.70(b)).
How much does it cost to apply for an Illinois LSW license?▾
$50, and it is not refundable (68 IAC 1470.55(a)(1)). The same fee applies to the LCSW application. Endorsement from another state costs $200 (68 IAC 1470.55), and renewal runs $30 a year, billed every two years (68 IAC 1470.55(b)(1)).
How do I apply for an LSW in Illinois?▾
Applications go through IDFPR's CORE portal or by mail to P.O. Box 7007, Springfield, IL 62791, under one of four licensure methods on the social work packet (DPR-SW 8/24): Non-Examination for the LSW at $50, Endorsement at $200, and two exam-based methods reserved for the LCSW. You need an ED form or an official final transcript from a CSWE-accredited program (or a CSWE foreign-equivalency letter), a completed Personal History Questionnaire, and, on the bachelor's route, a VE-SW verification form from your supervisor. IDFPR says to "allow 6 weeks from mailing your application before making an inquiry concerning its status," and the application stays active for 3 years from the date it's received (225 ILCS 20/7).
When does an Illinois LSW license expire and how do I renew it?▾
Illinois LSW licenses expire November 30 of odd-numbered years, and the first licensure period may run shorter than two years depending on when you're issued (68 IAC 1470.90(a)). Renewal costs $30 a year, billed biennially (68 IAC 1470.55(b)(1)). Your first renewal skips continuing education entirely (68 IAC 1470.95(a)(7)); every renewal after that needs 30 hours of CE completed in the prior 24 months, including 3 hours of ethics and 3 hours of cultural competence (68 IAC 1470.95(a)(1)). The LSW renews indefinitely as a full license, so there's no deadline to move up to the LCSW.
Can I transfer my social work license from another state to Illinois?▾
Yes, through endorsement: IDFPR may issue an LSW or LCSW without the exam where the other jurisdiction's requirements were substantially equivalent to Illinois's on the date you were licensed there (225 ILCS 20/12.5). The endorsement application fee is $200 (68 IAC 1470.55). Separately, an LCSW applicant licensed at the independent level elsewhere for 5 consecutive years without discipline does not have to submit proof of education or supervised experience (20/12.5); from January 1, 2027, endorsement is exempt from the rule that otherwise requires LCSW hours to be earned under an Illinois LSW.
Why does the LSW matter more starting in 2027?▾
Today, LCSW hours count from the date you receive your master's degree, whether or not you hold an LSW. From January 1, 2027, Illinois law counts LCSW hours only if they're completed "subsequent to securing a master's degree in social work from an approved program and obtaining a social worker license under Section 9A or temporarily practicing pending the issuance of a social worker license under Section 9B if the license was ultimately issued" (225 ILCS 20/9(3)(a), as amended by P.A. 104-702). Hours completed before that date are grandfathered in if they would have qualified under the law in effect when they were earned. Part 1470 and IDFPR's qualification sheets have not yet been updated to reflect the change.
More on the Illinois social work track
Once your Illinois LSW license is in hand, the next questions are usually about the tier above it: Illinois LCSW requirements, Illinois LCSW supervision requirements, and LSW to LCSW in Illinois.
Illinois's third supervised track is marriage and family therapy: see Illinois ALMFT to LMFT hours requirements.
Requirements verified against 68 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1470 (last amended effective August 4, 2025) and 225 ILCS 20, together with the IDFPR Social Worker page and the LSW and LCSW Qualifications for Licensure sheets (effective 05/2025). Statutes and regulations can change. Confirm current requirements at idfpr.illinois.gov and the ILGA rule text before making decisions about your licensure path. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice.