Illinois Social Worker CEU Requirements for 2025–2027 Licensure Renewal
- NASW-IL Staff
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
The new social work licensure cycle began on December 1, 2025, and runs through November 30, 2027. At the time of this writing on December 1, 2025, IDFPR and the state have not announced any new or revised continuing education requirements. However, we have heavily revamped our language and the NASW-IL CEU Requirements webpage in an effort to simplify the renewal requirements.
The following are all continuing education (CE) requirements for Illinois licensed social workers who hold a licensed social worker (LSW) or licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) license and are renewing their license for the second or subsequent time. (First-time renewals do not need to accumulate CEs for licensure but still need to apply for renewal.)
While the below requirements are accurate at time of printing, they are subject to change. As always, IDFPR remains the final arbiters for all licenses in Illinois. Be sure check their website for any updates. We will also note those changes here and on the NASW-IL CEU Requirements webpage. NASW-IL members get real-time notices about these changes as announced by IDFPR and the state. To get these alerts which save YOU time and money, join/rejoin NASW today!
2025–2027 Illinois Social Worker CEU Requirements
For the social work licensure cycle starting on December 1, 2025, and expiring on November 30, 2027, all Illinois LSWs and LCSWs who are renewing their license for a second or subsequent time must fulfill the following continuing education requirements. All requirements must be obtained by the November 30, 2027, deadline to maintain your license.
CEU Requirements:
The state requires that any remote program (e.g., self-study, book-study, or computer/online based course) must include an examination as of July 2023 with removal of the in-person CEU requirement.
All renewing applicants must obtain a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education (CE) relevant to the practice of social work or clinical social work.
Of these 30 CE hours, the following are required of ALL licensed social workers:
Ethics: At least 3 hours must include content related to the ethical practice of social work.
Cultural Competency: At least 3 hours must include content related to cultural competence in the practice of social work.
Implicit Bias Awareness: At least one hour on implicit bias awareness that covers all IDFPR course content requirements.
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training: At least one hour on sexual harassment prevention that covers all IDFPR course content requirements.
Additionally, the following may be required of SOME licensed social workers:
Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias: At least one hour on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is required of all licensed social workers who provide health care services to, and have direct patient interactions with, adult populations age 26 or older in the practice of their profession. If applicable, it must be obtained sometime during the second licensure renewal cycle, and thereafter once every three licensure cycles (i.e., one in every six years).
Mandated Reporter Training with Implicit Bias: A mandated reporter training with a section on implicit bias is required for every social worker with mandated reporter responsibilities within three (3) months of employment; and every three (3) years thereafter. There is no timed element (e.g., one hour of CEUs) to fulfill this training requirement, nor does it have to be a CEU, but it must cover all IDFPR course content requirements.
Clinical Supervision: All LCSWs are required to obtain 6 hours on clinical supervision training during the lifetime of their clinical license. This is a one-time requirement meaning once you have fulfilled the hours, you no longer need to repeat the requirement. Depending on when you obtained your LCSW, there are different deadlines for when you must fulfill the requirement.
Looking for more info? For more information on Illinois social worker CEU requirements, see the NASW-IL CEU Requirements page. We have updated our NASW-IL CE Worksheet for Licensure as well as more information about specialty CEU training requirements there.
Looking for CEUs? Check out the NASW-IL Events page for all of our upcoming live and recorded CE offerings that fulfill general and specialty CEU requirements.
Have More Questions?
For a complete list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about renewal, CEU eligibility, approved CEU providers, and more, visit the NASW-IL CEU Requirements page.
Please note that all specific questions concerning licensure and individual licenses or a particular license application needs to be properly directed to IDFPR as they are ultimately the licensing board who approve of licenses for Illinois. The NASW-Illinois Chapter website also has a plethora of information relating to licensure, from supervision requirements, the licensing process, testing procedures, and more. Visit the NASW-IL Licensure page to find out more.
>> One of the biggest benefits of NASW membership is consultation access for questions relating to the social work profession. Become a member today! https://www.socialworkers.org/nasw/join