Renewal Instructions

All continuing education can be completed via distance learning through August 31, 2023. Beginning September 1, 2023 the rule that limits distance learning to 10 hours is in effect.

Important information regarding renewal for 2023-2024

Certemy revised the renewal workflows and the revised renewal was assigned to licensee accounts between May 31 and June 1. If you started the continuing education step of the renewal workflow and no longer see your entries, your uploaded certificates are saved in your digital wallet under the tab “Education”. If you don’t have a 2023 renewal assigned to your account notify the board office. Please review the FAQs on this page for additional information.

Renewal is required by August 31 of each year. Licenses that are not renewed by August 31 will lapse. Individuals with a lapsed license are not authorized to practice social work.

Lapsed licenses can be renewed between September 1 – February 28 with an additional fee.

After February 28, one must apply for Reinstatement. Reinstatement applications are considered by the board at their regularly scheduled board meetings. After the application is approved the license will be reissued.

Renewal FAQs

When does renewal start?

June 1

When does renewal end?

February 28

How do I renew?

Login to Certemy by using your email address and password.

The renewal workflow will be under “Credentials”. All steps must be complete for your license to be renewed. The continuing education step will show pending verification if you are selected for audit. It will stay pending until the continuing education is reviewed and approved. The payment step will show pending verification if you are mailing a certified check or money order until payment is received. Once renewed next year’s renewal will be added to your account (you can verify that it is next year’s renewal by reviewing the due date).

What is the collection period for continuing education?

The current collection period began September 1, 2022 and will end August 31, 2023. Hours that were obtained in August 2022 can be used in the current collection period if they were not used to renew for last collection period (2021-2022). If hours are obtained in August 2023 that are not used to renew this year they may be applied to next year’s collection period. This allowance is only for the time periods stated.

How do I enter continuing education?

If you complete an educational offering that offers hours in more than one content area, i.e. clinical and ethics, the offering must be listed as two separate entries. One entry for the number of clinical hours received and one entry for the number of ethics hours received.

If the educational offering is less than one hour you must include a 0 and decimal. For example, a 30 minute training is entered as 0.5.

Where is the continuing education I uploaded?

In your Digital Wallet under the “Education” tab.

What if I don’t want to renew my BACS?

Contact the board office to request that a LCSW renewal workflow be assigned to your account. Do not complete the LCSW-BACS renewal workflow.

I recently passed the Masters exam, do I renew my CSW or LMSW?

You do not need to renew your CSW. Whether you have to renew your LMSW during your first year of having the LMSW depends on the month it was awarded.

Licenses issued July, August, September owe 20 hours of continuing education and renew by August 31 of the following year.

Licenses issued October, November, December owe 15 hours of continuing education the first year of renewal. Example: A person whose license is issued November 1, 2023 will owe 15 hours of continuing education and is required to renew by August 31, 2024.

Licenses issued January, February, March owe 10 hours of continuing education in the first year of renewal.

Licenses issued April, May, June owe 20 hours of continuing education and renew by August 31 of the following year.

After I renew where do I find my new ID card?

Go to your Digital Wallet and click on the Certificates tab. Next, click the three vertical dots to the right of the file name to view or download your updated license card.

What is the renewal fee?

If paid by August 31:

RSW $25, CSW & LMSW $50, LCSW & LCSW-BACS $75 plus a $3 electronic commerce fee

Payments made by certified check or money order do not need to include the electronic commerce fee. Personal checks and cash are not accepted.

When does the late fee go into effect?

September 1st. If paid between September 1 and February 28:

RSW $50, CSW & LMSW $100, LCSW & LCSW-BACS $150 plus a $3 electronic commerce fee

I did ethics last year do I need to enter them again this year?

No, 3 clock hours in ethics are required every other year.

Can I submit more than the required continuing education hours?

Yes, you are able to enter as many hours as you want.

Can I get an extension for obtaining continuing education?

In the case of extenuating circumstances, when a licensee does not fulfill the continuing education requirements, they must submit a written request to the board for an extension. Include in the request how many hours have been completed and how long of an extension is being requested. If approved, you must complete all steps of the renewal workflow, minus the continuing education step.

What if I did not complete the required continuing education by August 31?

Statute 2714.C. reads, “…Any application for renewal shall be declined until the continuing education requirements have been met.”

Can I print a summary of my continuing education submitted?

Yes, click on the Transcript tab at the top of your Certemy account (next to the Digital Wallet) to download and print a renewal transcript.

Will I receive a hard copy of my updated license?

No, LABSWE discontinued sending paper copies in 2018.

How do I know if I am being audited?

Your continuing education step will show “pending verification”. You will receive notices by email once the continuing education is approved or if we need additional information.

What can the Certemy helpdesk assist with?

  1. How to login to Certemy.
  2. Change an email address.
  3. Update a password.
  4. Consolidate accounts if two professional accounts exist.
  5. How to find or download information in your digital wallet.
  6. Certemy site error messages.
  7. Uploading or deleting continuing education submissions.
  8. Submitting a name change.
  9. Platform navigation-related questions.
  10. Questions related to making a credit card payment.
  11. Questions related to a third party payment.
  12. What different notices mean, for example “incomplete” or “pending verification”.

Certemy helpdesk: support@certemy.com or (866) 907-4088

 

 

The kebab menu, also known as the three dots menu, and the three vertical dots menu, is an icon used to open a menu with additional options.

If you log into Certemy and click on your Digital Wallet, you will find this menu icon on the right side of your screen. If you click on the menu icon, you will have options to view or download files in your Digital Wallet.

 

Once you renew, your new ID card will be generated into your Digital Wallet and you will click on the menu icon to download or view your ID card.

Back to Top