Nevada License Renewal and CE Requirements

Every Nevada credential at a glance

Nevada runs two boards, and they renew on different clocks. The Nevada Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists and Clinical Professional Counselors (the MFT/CPC Board) licenses MFT-Interns, CPC-Interns, Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) and Clinical Professional Counselors (CPC). The Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers (BESW) licenses the Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), who holds the license while doing the post-graduate internship, and the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).

MFT-Intern and CPC-Intern renewal

An MFT-Intern or CPC-Intern license is valid for 3 years and may be renewed not more than once (NRS 641A.2872(2) for MFT-Interns; NRS 641A.2882 for CPC-Interns). The board's rule puts it the same way: if the internship is not complete within 3 years, the intern must request a renewal, the board "will only grant one 3-year renewal," and an intern still short after that must give reasons and reapply for a new license (NAC 641A.146(4)). Read together, that is 3 years plus one 3-year renewal.

Renewal costs $150 (NAC 641A.105(1)(a)). The request is made on the Internship Renewal Request, which the intern and the primary supervisor sign. The form calls it a "ONETIME Three-Year Renewal" and says that if the internship expiration date has passed, the intern "must cease and desist the practice" until the board has considered the request (Internship Renewal Request, updated 04/30).

An intern license can also end before its date. It expires on termination of the supervision agreement with an approved supervisor or on issuance of the MFT or CPC license (NRS 641A.2872(2)). Each party to a supervision agreement must notify the board in writing not more than 5 days after termination (NRS 641A.2878; NRS 641A.2888 for CPC-Interns). The rules for the agreements themselves are in Nevada MFT and CPC intern supervision.

No intern CE rule is published. NAC 641A.131 is written for "a marriage and family therapist or clinical professional counselor," that is, full licensees. Interns do have a recurring duty of a different kind: reports on or before March 15 and September 15 each year, and the board may revoke the license of an intern who fails to file a written report (NAC 641A.146(2),(3)). The Nevada six-month internship report page covers that report. For the hours and the term from the intern side, see Nevada MFT intern requirements and Nevada CPC intern requirements.

Full licenses: January 1, 10 business days, then revocation

Full MFT and CPC licenses expire on January 1 of each even-numbered year (NRS 641A.235(2)). Renewal means applying, paying the fee, and submitting continuing education evidence and information "on or before 10 business days after the date of expiration" (NRS 641A.260(1)). The biennial fee is $450 and the fee for late payment is $125 (NAC 641A.105(1)(a)).

Reinstatement after that requires a written application, evidence of CE for the period (unless waived under NRS 641A.265), and payment of the biennial renewal fee and the late fee (NRS 641A.270). A license lapsed for 5 continuous years means the person "must reapply under the laws and regulations in effect at the time of application" (NRS 641A.280), and the board may add requirements, including an interview (NAC 641A.116).

Renewal also includes reporting trauma-training (NRS 641A.262). A renewal may not be denied solely because a licensee did not respond to that question.

CE hours, proration and records

Each licensing period requires at least 40 hours of continuing education (NAC 641A.131(1)). The 40 must include at least 6 hours on ethics issues specific to the practice of marriage and family therapy or clinical professional counseling, as applicable, and at least 4 hours on evidence-based suicide prevention and awareness (NAC 641A.131(1)(a),(b)). Cultural competency and diversity, equity and inclusion is 6 hours under NRS 641A.260(2).

A licensee "shall not use more than 20 hours of distance education that is not interactive" (NAC 641A.131(4)). Arithmetic: of a 40-hour period, at least 20 hours cannot be non-interactive distance education.

The first period is prorated by how long the licensee has held the license when it ends (NAC 641A.131(2)):

Arithmetic, not a rule: a licensee who has held the license for 14 months when the first period ends falls in the first row and owes 30 hours; one who has held it for 9 months owes 20. The board may waive or prorate on request of a licensee licensed less than a full period (NAC 641A.131(6)), and NRS 641A.265 covers a waiver for circumstances beyond the licensee's control.

Licensees sign an affidavit with the renewal and keep documentation for at least 3 years after the date the affidavit is executed (NAC 641A.133). An approved supervisor must include at least 2 hours of supervision-specific CE (NAC 641A.131(3)). Approved supervisor status has no fixed term published; the board may periodically review it and may revoke it (NAC 641A.182(5),(6)). Supervisor approval costs $75 (NAC 641A.105(1)(b)). The CPC title is explained in CPC vs LPC in Nevada.

MFT and CPC inactive status

Placing a license on inactive status costs $200, and biennial renewal of an inactive license costs $200 (NAC 641A.105(1)(a)). How long inactive status lasts is stated differently in NRS 641A.285 and on the board's page, so see the board for the current figure. Reactivation requires an application, the biennial renewal fee and, if the board deems it necessary, a showing of competence (NRS 641A.285). The CE required to reactivate is also stated differently by the rule and the board's page: see the board.

LMSW renewal and the internship

BESW licenses renew annually (NRS 641B.280(1)). After initial licensure, a license becomes delinquent on the last day of the licensee's birth month and expires 60 days thereafter (NAC 641B.110(1)(b)). An initial license does not become delinquent less than 1 year after issuance (NAC 641B.110(1)(a)). The board notifies licensees 45 days before the end of the birth month and states that "Nevada DOES NOT have a grace period on renewals" (BESW license renewal page).

The LMSW renewal fee is $125 and the late fee is $100 (BESW Fee Schedule; BESW renewal page). Restoring an expired license within 2 years is covered by NAC 641B.110(5); after that, a new application is needed.

CE is 30 hours every 2 years: 2 in suicide prevention, 6 in cultural diversity, equality and inclusion, 4 in ethics, 10 in the field of practice, and the remaining 8 in any subject (BESW continuing education page).

The internship certification itself does not renew. The BESW Post-Graduate Internship Infosheet calls it "a non-renewable certification and is not a license," linked to the LMSW license, which must always remain "current." If the LMSW goes delinquent, the Infosheet says the intern will "immediately lose your authority to practice," and that hours worked in delinquent status cannot be billed for and cannot be counted. The internship rules are in Nevada LCSW internship.

Arithmetic, not a rule: for an LMSW with a March birthday, the license becomes delinquent on March 31 and expires 60 days later, on May 30. For an intern, the authority to practise as an intern ends at delinquency, which is the earlier date.

LCSW renewal and CE

The LCSW renews annually at $187.50 (NRS 641B.280; BESW Fee Schedule), on the same birth-month, delinquency and 60-day rules as the LMSW. CE is 36 hours every 2 years: 2 in suicide prevention, 6 in cultural diversity, equality and inclusion, 4 in ethics, 12 in the field of practice, and the remaining 12 in any subject (BESW continuing education page). Restoration of an expired LCSW license is $200 (NAC 641B.115(3)(e)).

Automatic CE approvals were expanded 06/18/2024 under R103-23 (Summary of Approved NAC Changes). They cover ASWB ACE providers, any NASW chapter, other Nevada behavioral boards, any other state's behavioral board, and listed national associations (BESW continuing education page). Other approval requests go to the board in hard copy.

Inactive status is valid for 5 years (NRS 641B.295). R103-23 lowered the retirement age for retired status from 65 to 60 (NAC 641B.187 as amended). Someone already licensed in another state should start with Nevada license by endorsement; the full LCSW path is in Nevada LCSW requirements.

Common mistakes on Nevada renewals

Related Nevada Guides

FAQ: Nevada License Renewal and CE