Michigan requirements · LARA
Michigan Social Work License CE Requirements (LARA)
Michigan's Board of Social Work, part of LARA, sets the continuing education you need to renew an LMSW or LBSW license. This is what it asks for in each 3-year cycle, and the details that are easy to get wrong.
The short version
- 45 CE hours every 3 years. The license expires April 30.
- Inside those 45: at least 5 hours of ethics, 2 of pain and symptom management, 2 of human trafficking and 3 of implicit bias.
- At most 50% of your hours may be non-interactive online self-study. Live online sessions don't count against that cap.
- Keep your proof for 5 years from the date you apply for renewal, and your implicit bias proof for 6.
The 45 hours and the 3-year cycle
Your license renews every 3 years and expires on April 30. The 45 hours have to be earned within the 3 years immediately before the renewal. Hours you earn beyond 45 in one cycle don't roll forward into the next one, so there is no benefit to getting ahead of the clock.
The requirement is the same for an LMSW and an LBSW.
Required topics, inside the 45
Four minimums live inside the total. They are not extra hours on top of it: a 5-hour ethics course is 5 of your 45, not 5 more. Under R 338.2961, the ethics, pain and human trafficking minimums apply in every renewal period.
| Topic | Hours | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Ethics | 5 hrs | Every renewal period. |
| Pain and symptom management | 2 hrs | Every renewal period. |
| Human trafficking | 2 hrs | Every renewal period, not a one-time course. |
| Implicit bias | 3 hrs | 1 hour for each year of the cycle, under R 338.7004. A single 3-hour class covers it. See the implicit bias page. |
| General | the rest | Anything else that qualifies, up to the 45. |
Online and self-study limits
Under R 338.2963, at least half of your hours must be in person, or online in a format that allows live, synchronous contact. Put the other way: at most 50% can be non-interactive online self-study.
The line is interactivity, not whether you were in the room. A live online session where you can ask the instructor questions counts as synchronous and doesn't touch the cap. A recorded webinar you watch on your own counts against it.
Keeping records
LARA doesn't track your hours for you. Renewal works on the honor system: you attest that you met the requirement, and you keep the proof in case you are selected for an audit. Keep your certificates of completion for 5 years from the date you apply for renewal. Proof of implicit bias training has its own rule and is kept for 6 years.
Does it count toward your MDE certificate too?
Often, but not automatically. Social work CE frequently carries SCECHs as well, so one course can count toward your license and your MDE certificate. Credit mostly runs one way: SCECH-only courses, such as district PD, usually don't count toward your LARA license. Go by what the certificate of completion lists.
Common mistakes
- Treating the required topics as extra hours on top of the 45.
- Assuming human trafficking is a one-time course. It is 2 hours in every cycle.
- Spreading implicit bias as 1 hour in each year. One 3-hour class in the cycle is enough.
- Counting a recorded webinar as live. If you couldn't interact in real time, it counts toward the self-study cap.
Sources
Requirements verified 14 September 2026 against LARA's social work licensing guide and FAQs and the Board of Social Work rules (R 338.2921 to R 338.2965).
Social Work Hours is a personal tracking tool. It is not affiliated with LARA, MDE, or MOECS, and does not submit anything to the state on your behalf. Requirements change; always verify current rules with LARA (Board of Social Work) and MDE, and confirm SCECHs in your MOECS account. Retain your original certificates as required by state rules.
Track this automatically in Social Work Hours
Log a course once and Social Work Hours counts it toward your LARA license and your MDE certificate, tracks every minimum and deadline above, and keeps the record ready in case you are audited. Free during the pilot.