Getting licensed as a social worker in Maryland

Compact member

Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners, read .

Your first license

Licensed Master Social Worker (accrues LCSW-C hours under a Board-approved supervisor)

LMSW

Exam required before the license

The ASWB Masters exam is required before the license.

Known fees

Fees the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners publishes for the LMSW
Application processing$100
Initial license$75
ASWB Masters examination$230
Known total$405

What else it takes

Supervised hours
3,000 hours, 1,500 client contact
ASWB exam level
Masters
Licensure compact
Member jurisdiction
Last checked
1

Next step

Meet Maryland LMSW education requirements. Submit application and required documents.

The ladder

Maryland has 3 rungs. 3 of them need an ASWB exam.

  1. bachelors

    LBSW

    ASWB Bachelors

    Licensed Bachelor Social Worker.

  2. masters

    LMSW

    ASWB Masters

    Licensed Master Social Worker (accrues LCSW-C hours under a Board-approved supervisor). Practice is supervised at this rung.

  3. clinical

    LCSW-C

    ASWB Clinical

    Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical.

Requirements change

Nothing on our law calendar changes Maryland's exam requirement today. The change that does touch you is national: ASWB launched the 2026 exams on August 3, 2026 with three content areas and 122 items, and held fees at $230 Masters and $260 Clinical. ASWB's announcement.

Law calendar read . If Maryland moves, this page moves with it.

Sources

We read the board's own pages. Nothing here is a guess.

See your path inside the app

Pick your state once. We keep the fees, the hours and the next step in front of you while you study.