Submitting hours to the New York state licensing board

If you’d like to submit your hours in New York to the Office of the Professions for approval, you can find information and steps for each license type below:

• LCSW
• LMHC
• Additional tips

LCSW

To complete the online application for LCSW licensure, go to the Office of the Professions' website. 

You’ll pay a $294 application and first registration fee when you submit your application. At this time, payment is only accepted by MasterCard, Visa, or American Express.

You’re required to submit additional forms along with your application. For an overview of the documents required for submission, refer to the LCSW applicant checklist. You can also learn more about these forms below:

• Form 2 - Certification of Professional Education
  • Important: This form must be submitted directly by the school you attended.
  • Complete Section I, making sure to sign and date item 9, before sending the entire form to your school’s registrar 
  • If your degree program isn’t registered as licensure-qualifying with the NYSED, your school must submit an official transcript with this form
• Form 4 - Applicant Experience Record
  • Complete and submit this form, making sure to sign and date item 10
• Form 4B - Certification of Experience for Licensed Clinical Social Worker
  • Important: This form must be submitted directly by your supervisor. Be sure to complete a separate Form 4B for each supervised experience listed on your Applicant Experience Record (Form 4).
  • Complete Section 1, making sure to sign and date item 7, before sending the entire form to your supervisor
  • If your supervisor is deceased, another licensed professional colleague may complete and submit this form, while also providing the qualifications of the supervisor, the dates and frequency of the supervision, and attesting to the accuracy of the information

Note: You’ll use your weekly psychotherapy logs to record client contact hours and supervision hours. Don’t submit these logs with your application. These logs should be retained by your supervisor, who may need to submit them to the State Board for Social Work if requested. 

• Form 4Q - Approval of Qualifications to Supervise Psychotherapy
  • Important: This form must be submitted directly by your supervisor. 
  • The form is only required if (a) your experience was completed outside of New York State and (b) your supervisor isn’t licensed by the New York State Education Department to provide supervision 
  • Complete Section I before sending the entire form to your supervisor
• Form 5 - Application for Limited Permit
  • If you’d like to practice under supervision as an LCSW before receiving your license, you can submit an application and a $70 limited permit fee
  • Complete Section I, making sure to sign and date item 9, before sending the entire form to your prospective employer
  • Your prospective supervisor will complete Section II, and you’ll submit the completed form and $70 fee to the Office of the Professions
• Form 6 - Plan for Supervised Experience
  • Important: This form must be submitted before you’re employed or supervised by the proposed supervisor. This form will not be reviewed if submitted after the supervised experience has been completed or or if the experience will be outside of New York State.
  • Complete Section I, making sure to sign and date item 7, before sending the entire form to your proposed supervisor
  • Your prospective supervisor will complete Section II, and you’ll submit the completed form and $10 fee to the Office of the Professions
• Child Abuse Certification of Exemption Form
  • Only submit this form if you’re applying for an exemption to the identification and reporting of child abuse training requirement because your practice does not involve contact with children

Note: Be sure to include Appendix A - Requirements for Supervised Experience along with any form(s) you’re sending to your supervisor to fill out, including Form 4B, Form 4Q, Form 5, and Form 6.

For more information, see the Office of the Professions’ LCSW License Requirements.

LMHC

To complete the online application for LMHC licensure, go to the Office of the Professions' website. 

You’ll pay a $371 licensure and first registration fee when you submit your application. At this time, payment is only accepted by MasterCard, Visa, or American Express.

You’re required to submit additional forms along with your application. For an overview of the documents required for submission, refer to the LMHC applicant checklist. You can also learn more about these forms below:

• Form 2 - Certification of Professional Education
  • Important: This form must be submitted directly by the school you attended.
  • Complete Section I, making sure to sign and date item 9, before sending the entire form to your school’s registrar, along with any fee required by the institution
  • If your degree program isn’t CACREP-accredited or registered as licensure-qualifying with the NYSED, your school must submit an official transcript with this form, along with Form 2INT
• Form 2INT - Certification of Supervised Internship and Practicum
  • Important: This form must be submitted by the school where you completed your supervised Mental Health Counseling internship and practicum as part of the graduate program. This form is not required if you graduated from a CACREP-accredited or NYS-registered licensure-qualifying Mental Health Counseling program. 
  • Complete Section I, making sure to sign and date item 9, before sending the entire form to your program director, along with any fee required by the institution
  • A syllabi will not be accepted in place of this form
• Form 4 - Applicant Experience and Endorsement Record
  • Complete and submit this form, making sure to sign and date item 9
• Form 4B - Certification of Supervised Experience
  • Important: This form must be submitted directly by your supervisor. Be sure to complete a separate Form 4B for each supervised experience listed on your Applicant Experience Record (Form 4).
  • Complete Section 1, making sure to sign and date item 6, before sending the entire form to your supervisor
  • For experience in New York, the supervisor must be the one listed on your limited permit
• Online Form 5 - Application for Limited Permit
  • If you’d like to practice under supervision as an LMHC before receiving your license, you can submit an online application and a $70 limited permit fee
  • You’ll also submit a Form 5CS - Certification of Supervisor for Limited Permit along with your application

Important: If you change supervisors or settings after the permit has been issued, you’ll need to apply for an amended permit using the Limited Permit Change Form. You’ll also submit a Form 5CS - Certification of Supervisor for Limited Permit for each new supervisor you’re adding.

• Form 5CS - Certification of Supervisor for Limited Permit 
  • Only submit this form if you’re applying or have applied for a limited permit
  • Complete Section I before sending this form to your supervisor
  • After your supervisor completes Section II, they’ll return this to you to submit directly to the Office of the Professions
• Child Abuse Certification of Exemption Form
  • Only submit this form if you’re applying for an exemption to the identification and reporting of child abuse training requirement because your practice does not involve contact with children

Note: Be sure to include Appendix A - Requirements for Supervised Experience along with any form(s) you’re sending to your supervisor to fill out, including Form 4B and Form 5CS.

For more information, see the Office of the Professions’ Mental Health Counseling License Requirements.

Additional tips

Online applications for licensure expire after 30 days. If your online application has expired, you’ll need to start a new application. 

To continue an application that you started within the last 30 days: 

• Go to NYSED Office of the Professions
• Click Continue Application
• Enter your application ID, social security number, and date of birth

If you’ve already completed an application and have additional documents you’d like to include with your submission: 

• Go to NYSED Office of the Professions
• Click Upload in the Upload Additional Documentation section
• Enter your application ID and date of birth

Make sure your application is 100% complete. Missing information is the number one reason for delays in the application review process. Check and double-check that’s you’ve completed all required parts of your application and provided all required forms.

Notify the Office of the Professions if you change your address or name. You can submit an address change online through the Address Change Form. To file a change of name, mail or fax the Name Change Form, along with the required supporting documentation.