Every New Jersey social work license expires August 31.
New Jersey renews CSW, LSW and LCSW licenses on a single biennial cycle in even-numbered years — not on your personal anniversary. The current cycle ends August 31, 2026. Here's what you need to have done before then.
Don't let it lapse
Free email reminders at 90, 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 day out. Enter your NJ license number and we'll pull your renewal date from state board records.
What New Jersey requires
Continuing education requirements differ by license type. All three renew on the same date.
- 5 hours ethics
- 3 hours cultural competence
- Biennial, even years
- 5 hours ethics
- 3 hours cultural competence
- Biennial, even years
- Ethics hours required
- Cultural competence required
- Biennial, even years
Before August 31
-
Count your CE hours
Ethics and cultural competence are separate mandatory categories — general hours don't substitute for them. If you're short, that's the thing to fix first, because courses take time to complete and post.
-
Check your license status
Confirm the board has you listed as active and that your record shows the license type you expect. Discrepancies take longer to resolve than renewals do.
-
Renew through the state portal
New Jersey processes renewals through the Division of Consumer Affairs. Renewing late generally means reinstatement rather than renewal — a different, slower, more expensive process.
-
Keep your documentation
New Jersey audits a share of renewals. Hold your CE certificates — don't rely on the provider still having them when you're asked.
Why everyone shares one date
Most states renew licenses on the licensee's own anniversary, which spreads deadlines across the year. New Jersey doesn't. Every CSW, LSW and LCSW in the state renews together on August 31 of even-numbered years.
The practical consequence: the board's processing queue, CE provider availability and the renewal portal all get busy at the same time. Finishing your hours in August, alongside 30,000 colleagues, is a worse plan than finishing them now.
Licensee counts and the shared expiration date above come from the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners public licensee file, as imported May 6, 2026. Your individual record is authoritative — verify it with the board.