New York

New York LCSW CEU Requirements: A Working Guide for 2026–2029

April 19, 2026 · ~7 min read

The short version: 36 hours every three years, no category minimums, and no more than 12 of those hours from self-study. New York is the only state that runs LCSW renewal on a triennial instead of a biennial cycle, which changes how you pace. Here's the longer version, with the context that makes it usable.

Who this applies to

This guide is for active LCSWs (Licensed Clinical Social Workers) in New York. LMSWs are on the same 36-hour triennial cycle under 8 NYCRR §74.10. Permit holders and pre-licensure CSWs don't have renewal CE — their supervised-experience requirements are tracked separately.

The numbers

• 36 total CE hours every 3-year registration period
• No more than 12 hours from self-study (recorded webinars, journals, asynchronous online)
• No category minimums — no mandatory ethics, cultural competency, or suicide hours
• First registration period is exempt from CE

That last point is the quietest. The 36-hour clock only starts at your second registration.

The triennial cycle, in practice

Every other state in this guide renews every two years. New York renews every three. The simplest way to pace is 12 hours per year, but nothing forces that distribution — you can batch year three if you want. What trips people up is self-study: 12 hours across three years is tight, and it's easy to blow past it in year one without realizing the ceiling is cumulative.

What counts as self-study

NYSED defines self-study as independent learning without real-time interaction. The practical list:

• Recorded webinars and on-demand video
• Journal articles with post-tests
• Asynchronous online courses (no live instructor)
• Self-paced e-learning modules

Live in-person, live-virtual, and synchronous online courses are unlimited. If a course has a real-time instructor you can ask questions to — even by chat — it counts as live, not self-study. Most CE vendors label this explicitly on the certificate.

No category minimums, but still

Unlike Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona, or Texas, New York doesn't require specific hours of ethics, cultural competency, suicide assessment, or anything else. The 36 hours can come from any NYSED-approved CE in social work.

Most practicing LCSWs still take ethics every cycle. It's not mandated, but it's the kind of content that shows up when the board asks questions about anything — boundaries, record-keeping, supervision, scope. Treating it as a self-imposed minimum is cheap insurance.

First registration

Newly licensed LCSWs are exempt from CE for the first registration period. The 36-hour requirement starts with your second registration. This is the inverse of Oregon's structure — in Oregon, courses you take before your first renewal don't count toward later cycles; in New York, there's nothing to count toward yet.

If you took CE while the exemption was in effect, keep the certificates anyway. They don't count for the next cycle, but they're useful if you ever relocate to a state that recognizes prior hours.

The 2-hour child abuse course

Under NY Education Law §6507, a 2-hour course on the identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment is required at initial licensure. It's a one-time course — once you've completed it, it's done. It is not a recurring CE category and does not repeat at registration.

Per Chapter 25 of the Laws of 2024, applicants applying for licensure after November 17, 2026 must complete an updated curriculum. If you were licensed earlier, the version you took remains valid.

New York does not use CE Broker

Unlike Florida and Texas, New York does not mandate CE Broker reporting. You self-attest to CE compliance when you pay the registration fee, and documentation stays with you unless the board audits. That means there is no central state database of your CE — if you lose a certificate, you lose the record.

Documentation and audits

Keep certificates of completion for at least six years after each registration period. That's the NYSED retention window — it covers both the current cycle and the one before, in case the board audits retrospectively. Random audits happen. If you get one, they'll ask for certificates, provider names, course dates, hours, and confirmation that any self-study hours are within the 12-hour cap.

Storing certificates as you complete courses takes 30 seconds. Reconstructing six years of them under an audit deadline is a different kind of day.

Approved providers

NYSED maintains its own approved-sponsor list. A provider has to be specifically approved by the New York State Education Department — not just ASWB-accredited or NASW-recognized. Most major CE vendors who target New York licensees hold NYSED sponsor status. Check the certificate: it should say "NYSED-approved provider" or list a specific NYSED sponsor number.

CE that's accredited by ASWB or NASW but not NYSED doesn't count toward New York renewal, even if the content is identical. This is the single most common audit failure.

How Still Licensed helps

Still Licensed tracks your 36-hour triennial total, separates self-study from live hours so the 12-hour cap is visible at a glance, and counts down to your registration date. If you practice in multiple states — a common New York pattern with New Jersey, Connecticut, or Massachusetts telehealth licenses — one course can count toward all applicable state cycles without double entry.

Board links

CE info: op.nysed.gov LCSW page
Registration portal: NYSED Online Services

Keep it that way.