The 100-Hour Total
LCSW supervision in New York is governed by 8 NYCRR 74.6(c), under the same Education Law Article 154 pathway that sets the New York LCSW requirements for client contact hours. The supervision rule is a single total: at least 100 hours of in-person individual or group clinical supervision, distributed appropriately over the supervised experience period (8 NYCRR 74.6(c)(1)(v)). Part 74 sets no weekly or monthly minimum and no fixed pace. The word the regulation uses is "appropriately," not a number tied to a calendar unit.
What General Supervision Involves
8 NYCRR 74.6(c) describes general supervision as contact during which the supervisee apprises the supervisor of the diagnosis and treatment of each client, cases are discussed, the supervisor provides oversight and guidance, and the supervisor regularly reviews and evaluates the supervisee's work. The 100-hour total sits inside that same description (8 NYCRR 74.6(c)(1)(v)). Part 74 does not number a required frequency for the review beyond requiring that it be regular. The number in the rule is the 100-hour total, not a session count.
Video Conferencing Is Allowed
Face-to-face supervision may use technology acceptable to the Department, including secure video conferencing to protect confidentiality (8 NYCRR 74.6(c)(1)(v)). The rule names secure video conferencing specifically; it does not name or endorse a particular platform.
Who Can Supervise LCSW Hours in New York
Three kinds of license qualify to supervise LCSW-track experience: an LCSW licensed in New York, or an equivalent license from another jurisdiction as the Department determines; a psychologist the Department finds qualified in psychotherapy; or a physician who is a diplomate in psychiatry of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, or has equivalent training (8 NYCRR 74.6(c)(2)).
The Supervisor Keeps the Records
The recordkeeping obligation sits with the supervisor, not the applicant. The supervisor maintains records of client contact hours and supervision hours, and produces those records to the Department on request (8 NYCRR 74.6(e)). The Form 4B instructions add a working record: a psychotherapy log of your hours of practice and supervision, completed by you and your supervisor, which NYSED says should be completed weekly. The supervisor retains every page in case the State Board requests clarification.
The Optional Supervision Plan Under 74.6(b)
A qualified individual, meaning an LMSW, a limited permit holder, or another authorized person, may submit a plan for supervised experience to NYSED for review and approval (8 NYCRR 74.6(b)). The plan includes proof that the setting is one of the seven acceptable categories, a copy of the supervisor's license, the supervision plan itself, and, if a third party is doing the supervising, an affirmation that the setting is authorized.
The Seven Acceptable Settings
Supervised experience only counts in one of seven settings defined in 8 NYCRR 74.6(a)(1): a professional service corporation, registered LLP, or PLLC authorized for the scope of services; a sole proprietorship owned by a licensee; a professional partnership owned by such licensees; a program operated, regulated, funded, or approved by the Office of Mental Health, the Office of Children and Family Services, the Department of Health, or another named state agency; an entity holding a waiver under Education Law 6503-a or 6503-b; a program authorized under federal law; or an entity otherwise exempt or authorized under New York or another jurisdiction's law. A private practice you own or operate is not on that list, and a limited permit cannot be issued against it (8 NYCRR 74.4(a)(2), (b)(2); 74.6(a)(1)).
Form 4B Is Filed by Each Supervisor
Form 4B, Certification of Experience for Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Rev. 10/24), documents both your client contact hours and your supervision hours. The Office of the Professions accepts it only from the supervisor, submitted directly: "The Office of the Professions will not accept this form if submitted by the applicant." One Form 4B is filed per supervisor, not one for the entire period; an applicant who worked under two supervisors needs two separate forms. If a supervisor has died, a licensed professional colleague can complete it instead. Our Form 4B guide covers what the form asks.
The Separate 2-Hours-a-Month Rule for LMSWs
A different, lighter rule exists for an LMSW who provides clinical services but is not counting that work toward LCSW licensure. That LMSW needs at least two hours per month of in-person individual or group clinical supervision (8 NYCRR 74.6(d)). It is an ongoing-practice rule, separate from the 100-hour total that applies once an LMSW is accruing supervised experience toward the LCSW, and the two should never be added together or substituted for each other.
Spreading 100 Hours Evenly
Take an LMSW on a 36-month supervised experience timeline, the minimum duration the LCSW pathway allows (8 NYCRR 74.3(a)). Divide the 100-hour supervision total evenly across those 36 months and the result is about 2.8 hours a month. That figure is arithmetic that follows from spreading the total evenly; 8 NYCRR 74.6(c)(1)(v) never states a monthly number, only the 100-hour total and the instruction to distribute it "appropriately." A supervisor is free to front-load supervision early and taper it later, as long as the total clears 100 hours by the end of the period.
Do not treat an evenly spread average as a requirement. The 100-hour total is the only number in the rule. A supervisor who logs 40 hours in year one and 60 across years two and three has met the requirement just as fully as one who holds a flat pace throughout.
What Part 74 Does Not Define
Three things a candidate might expect to find in the supervision rule are not there:
- Part 74 sets no numeric definition distinguishing individual supervision from group supervision by headcount.
- Part 74 sets no cap on the number of supervisees an eligible supervisor may take on at one time.
- Part 74 sets no fixed deadline by which a supervisor must file Form 4B after a supervision arrangement ends.
Common Mistakes With LCSW Supervision Hours
Errors that show up in LCSW-track supervision records, all preventable by tracking from day one.
Treating the 100 hours as a weekly or monthly rate
8 NYCRR 74.6(c)(1)(v) states only a 100-hour total, distributed appropriately. There is no fixed weekly or monthly number to hit, and an even-pace average is arithmetic, not a rule.
Confusing the 2-hour-a-month rule with the licensure pathway
8 NYCRR 74.6(d) applies only to an LMSW providing clinical services outside the LCSW pipeline. It is not an alternate or reduced version of the 100-hour requirement.
Treating the supervision plan as mandatory paperwork
8 NYCRR 74.6(b) says a qualified individual may submit a plan for review and approval. It is an option the rule offers, not a required first step.
Logging supervision in a private practice you own
That setting is not one of the seven acceptable categories, and a limited permit cannot be issued against it (8 NYCRR 74.4(a)(2), (b)(2); 74.6(a)(1)).
Assuming you can submit your own Form 4B
The Office of the Professions will not accept this form if submitted by the applicant. Only the supervisor can file it, directly to the Department.
Keeping no personal record because the supervisor holds the file
The supervisor keeps the records the Department can request (8 NYCRR 74.6(e)), but that record is theirs alone until Form 4B is filed.
Keep Your Own Numbers While a Supervisor Keeps Theirs
Nobody but your supervisor can file Form 4B, and they will do it from their own records. Keeping your own totals from day one is how you check what they attest to.
- ✓Log hours by week
- ✓Running totals kept per supervisor
- ✓Running totals by category
- ✓An export history
Built for pre-licensed clinicians.
Related New York LCSW Guides
New York LCSW Requirements
The 2,000-hour client contact requirement and the 36-to-72-month window.
How to Become an LCSW in New York
The full path from MSW to license, including the LMSW step and the exam.
LMSW to LCSW in New York
The clinical supervision plan pathway, hour by hour, for LMSWs already licensed.
NYSED Form 4B: Supervised Experience
What Form 4B verifies, and why only your supervisor can file it.
What LCSW-R Means in New York
The discontinued psychotherapy privilege, and what it still means for LCSWs who hold it.
All New York Guides
Every New York licensure guide across the LCSW, LMHC, and LMFT tracks.
FAQ: New York LCSW Supervision Requirements
What are the LCSW supervision requirements in New York?▾
An LMSW on the clinical path needs at least 100 hours of in-person individual or group clinical supervision, distributed appropriately over the experience period, not a weekly or monthly rate (8 NYCRR 74.6(c)(1)(v)). General supervision means cases are discussed and the supervisor regularly reviews the work (8 NYCRR 74.6(c)). The supervisor must be an LCSW, a qualified psychologist, or an ABPN-certified psychiatrist (8 NYCRR 74.6(c)(2)).
Who can supervise LCSW hours in New York?▾
Three kinds of license qualify: an LCSW licensed in New York or an equivalent license as the Department determines, a psychologist the Department finds qualified in psychotherapy, or a physician who is a diplomate in psychiatry of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology or has equivalent training (8 NYCRR 74.6(c)(2)).
How many hours of supervision do you need for LCSW in New York?▾
At least 100 hours total, distributed appropriately over the supervised experience period (8 NYCRR 74.6(c)(1)(v)). There is no weekly or monthly rate in the rule. Spread evenly across the 36-month minimum, 100 hours works out to a little under three hours a month, but that is arithmetic following from an even pace, not a number the rule itself states.
Can LCSW supervision happen over video in New York?▾
Yes. Face-to-face supervision may use technology acceptable to the Department, including secure video conferencing to protect confidentiality (8 NYCRR 74.6(c)(1)(v)). The rule names no specific platform, only that it be secure.
What is the 2-hour-a-month supervision rule for LMSWs in New York?▾
A separate, lighter rule for an LMSW providing clinical services but not counting that work toward LCSW licensure: at least two hours a month of in-person individual or group clinical supervision (8 NYCRR 74.6(d)). It is not the licensure pathway's 100-hour requirement, and the two should never be confused.
Do you need a supervision plan approved before LCSW hours start?▾
A qualified individual, meaning an LMSW, a limited permit holder, or another authorized person, may submit a plan for supervised experience to NYSED for review and approval (8 NYCRR 74.6(b)), including proof the setting is acceptable, a copy of the supervisor's license, and the plan itself.
Who submits Form 4B for LCSW supervision hours in New York?▾
The supervisor, directly to the Office of the Professions, never the applicant. Form 4B, Certification of Experience for Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Rev. 10/24), documents both client contact hours and supervision hours for one supervisor relationship. Someone with more than one supervisor needs a separate Form 4B from each.
More on the New York LCSW track
For client contact hours, see New York LCSW requirements. For the full pathway, see how to become an LCSW in New York and LMSW to LCSW in New York. For the supervisor's form, see Form 4B, or browse all New York guides.
Requirements verified against Education Law Article 154 and 8 NYCRR Part 74 as published by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Office of the Professions, checked September 2026. Statutes and regulations can change. Always confirm current requirements at op.nysed.gov before making decisions about your licensure path. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice.