Social work CE · United States · for providers
ASWB ACE certificate requirements for social work CE providers
The ten items every ASWB ACE provider must show on a certificate of credit, the exact ACE approval statement for each credit type and course type, the 30-day deadline, and the records you must keep for 7 years. Checked against the December 2023 ACE Handbook and the October 2024 sample certificates.
Short answer · checked 30 October 2026
An ASWB ACE certificate of credit must show the course title, the course date, the delivery format, the physical location for in-person courses, the participant’s name, the licence number where the state asks for it, the amount of CE credit shown prominently, the provider’s name, the printed name, signature and title of the provider’s designated authority, and the full ACE approval statement ending with the number of credits and the credit type. Issue it within 30 days of completion. Keep records for at least 7 years.
- Required elements
- 10
- Issue certificate
- Within 30 days
- Keep records
- At least 7 years
- Central reporting system
- None
New to CE?
How continuing education works, in one line
New to CE?
How continuing education works, in one line
Accreditor
Sets the rules and approves providers.
Provideryou
Runs the course and issues the certificate.
Learner
Completes the course and keeps the certificate.
Board
Renews the licence and may audit the certificate.
- ACE
- Approved Continuing Education. The ASWB program that approves CE providers and individual courses for social workers.
- ACE provider
- An organization ASWB has approved to offer any social work CE course under its own provider number, in the formats it is approved for.
- Individual course approval
- ASWB approval of one course or conference session, with its own course number. Used by small providers or for a format a provider is not approved for.
- Certificate of credit
- ASWB’s name for the certificate of completion. It is the proof a social worker shows a licensing board.
- CE credit
- The unit of social work CE. One CE credit is 60 minutes of instruction. ACE does not use the word CEU unless it means 10 hours.
- Designated authority
- The person the provider names to sign certificates, for example the CE director.
- Credit type
- The category of credit: clinical, cultural competence, ethics or general. Some states require it on the certificate.
Who this applies to
Providers under ASWB ACE, and the learners they serve
Providers
- Organizations approved by ASWB as ACE providers, which may offer any course in the formats they are approved for under a provider number
- Organizations with ACE individual course or conference approval, which carry a course number and a different statement
- Cosponsors of an ACE provider, who must show the provider’s approval statement on the certificate
Learners
Licensed social workers in the U.S. states and Canadian provinces that accept ACE credit for licence renewal. New York does not accept ACE approval.
The 10 elements
What the certificate must show
Each number on the sample matches one element ASWB ACE requires. The list says where the rule is written and which Hyperstack field fills it.
- 1
CE provider name
The name of the ACE provider. If the course is cosponsored, include the cosponsor’s name too.
Example: Harbor Light Social Work Institute
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person, provider approval (rev. 10/2024), key to required items, item 8
- 2
Participant name
The first and last name of the social worker who completed the course.
Example: Jordan M. Reyes, LCSW
In Hyperstack:
[recipient_name]ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person, provider approval (rev. 10/2024), key to required items, item 5 - 3
Licence number
Only if the state where you offer credit requires it. ASWB itself does not.
Example: License #SW-204817
In Hyperstack:
[custom_license_number]ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person, provider approval (rev. 10/2024), key to required items, item 6 - 4
Course title
The title of the course.
Example: Ethical Decision-Making in Telehealth Practice
In Hyperstack:
[group_title]ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person, provider approval (rev. 10/2024), key to required items, item 1 - 5
Course delivery format
In-person, synchronous distance, recorded asynchronous distance or reading-based asynchronous distance. For synchronous distance, also say whether it was interactive or non-interactive.
Example: In-person course
In Hyperstack:
[custom_delivery_format]ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person, provider approval (rev. 10/2024), key to required items, item 3; synchronous distance sample, items 3–4 - 6
Course date
The date of the course. For a self-paced course, the date the participant completed it.
Example: 14 October 2026
In Hyperstack:
[issue_date]ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person, provider approval (rev. 10/2024), key to required items, item 2; recorded asynchronous sample, item 2 - 7
Physical location
Required for in-person courses only. The venue and its address.
Example: Seaport Conference Center, 410 Harbor Street, Portland, ME 04101
In Hyperstack:
[custom_location]ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person, provider approval (rev. 10/2024), key to required items, item 4 - 8
Amount of CE credit
The credits this participant earned, shown prominently. ACE allows no partial credit, so this is the full course amount.
Example: 3.0 CE Credits
In Hyperstack:
[custom_ce_credits]ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person, provider approval (rev. 10/2024), key to required items, item 7 - 9
Signature of the designated authority
The printed name, signature and title of the person your organization has designated to sign, for example the CE director.
Example: Dana R. Okafor, LCSW, Continuing Education Director
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 7.5, p. 41; ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person, provider approval (rev. 10/2024), key to required items, item 9
- 10
ACE approval statement
The statement ASWB issued to you, in full, with your provider number and approval dates. The last sentence gives the number of credits and, where the state requires it, the credit type.
Example: Harbor Light Social Work Institute, #1842, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 03/01/2025–03/01/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3.0 ethics continuing education credits.
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 6.2, p. 32–33; ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person, provider approval (rev. 10/2024), key to required items, item 10
Exact wording
The statements, word for word
ASWB ACE has 8 wordings. Use the one that fits your approval and your activity. Copy it, do not retype it.
ACE provider, one credit type or no credit type
[Provider name], [provider number], is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: [dates]. Social workers completing this course receive [number] [type*] continuing education credits.
The standard statement for ACE providers. The credit type is one of clinical, cultural competence, ethics or general. Leave the type out when the state does not require it. Do not change any other word.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 6.2, p. 33ACE provider, more than one credit type
[Provider name], [provider number], is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: [dates]. Social workers completing this course receive [number] total credits including [number] [type*] and [number] [type*] continuing education credits.
Use when one course gives credits of two or more types, for example 2 clinical and 1 ethics.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 6.2, p. 33ACE provider, conference certificate (all sessions on one certificate)
[Provider name], [provider number], is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: [dates]. The social worker participating in this conference received [number] continuing education credits.
Only the last sentence changes. Use it on a certificate for a concurrent conference, or a nonconcurrent conference where full attendance is not required. The promotional material uses a different last sentence: “Social workers participating in this conference will receive up to [number of credits available for all sessions] continuing education credits.”
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 6.2, p. 33, conference adjustments tableACE provider, nonconcurrent conference where full attendance is required
[Provider name], [provider number], is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: [dates]. Social workers participating in this conference receive [number] continuing education credits.
The handbook table gives this last sentence for a nonconcurrent conference where full attendance is required, for both promotional material and the certificate.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 6.2, p. 33, conference adjustments tableIndividual course approval, one credit type
[Course name], [course number], is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by [provider name] as an individual course. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE course approval period: [dates]. Social workers completing this course receive [number] [type*] continuing education credits.
For a course with its own ACE course number. The organization may not call itself an “ACE provider” unless it also holds provider approval.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 6.2, p. 33Individual course approval, more than one credit type
[Course name], [course number], is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by [provider name] as an individual course. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE course approval period: [dates]. Social workers completing this course receive [number] total credits including [number] [type*] and [number] [type*] continuing education credits.
Use when one individually approved course gives credits of two or more types.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 6.2, p. 34Individually approved conference, all sessions on one certificate
All sessions in this conference are approved by Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program as part of the individually approved conference, [conference title], approval # [conference ID], offered by [provider name]. Regulatory boards are the final authority on conference sessions accepted for continuing education credit. ACE conference approval period: [dates]. The social worker participating in this conference received [total number] continuing education credits.
The first sentences come from the promotional statement for a concurrent conference where all sessions offer ACE credit. If only some sessions offer ACE credit, the first sentence starts “Where identified, sessions in this conference are approved by…”. On the certificate the last sentence is always the one shown here.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 6.2, p. 34–35Individually approved conference, one session on the certificate, one credit type
All sessions in this conference are approved by Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program as part of the individually approved conference, [conference title], approval # [conference ID], offered by [provider name]. Regulatory boards are the final authority on conference sessions accepted for continuing education credit. ACE conference approval period: [dates]. The social worker participating in this conference session received [number] [type*] continuing education credits.
For a separate certificate per session. Where the session gave more than one credit type, the last sentence becomes: “The social worker participating in this conference session received [number] [type*] and [number] [type*] continuing education credits.”
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 6.2, p. 35How credit is counted
Minutes in, CE credits out
The unit
1 CE credit = 60 minutes
One CE credit is 60 minutes of instruction. A course must be at least 60 minutes long, and the first 60 minutes must be uninterrupted instruction. Breaks, meals and registration time do not count. ACE calls the unit “CE” or “CE credit”, not “CEU”: one CEU is 10 hours, so 1 CE = 0.1 CEU.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 4.8, p. 18–19Rounding
After the first full hour, award in quarter-hour steps. Time may be rounded up to the next quarter hour.
Worked example
140 minutes = 2 hours 20 minutes. The first 60 minutes = 1 credit. The remaining 80 minutes = 1.33 credits, rounded up to the quarter hour = 1.5. Total 2.5.
140 minutes → 2.5 CE credits
140 ÷ 60, to the nearest 0.25. Rounds up to the quarter hour after the first full hour, as the handbook allows. Courses under 60 minutes earn no credit. Reading-based courses use a pilot test or the word-count rule (6,000 words = 1 credit) instead of the clock.
Timeline
From the last slide to the audit file
Activity
Day 0
The social worker attends the whole course or session, completes the evaluation and, for distance learning, passes the posttest.
Certificate
Within 30 days
Issue the certificate of credit within 30 days of course completion, and only after all completion requirements are met.
Report
Not required
ACE has no central reporting system. The social worker keeps the certificate and shows it to the licensing board.
Records
At least 7 years
Keep attendance, evaluations, the certificates (or the ability to generate them) and the course file. Answer an ACE audit request within 30 days.
Right and wrong
The same certificate, two ways
The lines on the left are the mistakes auditors find most. The lines on the right are the fix.
Fails an audit
Harbor Light Social Work Institute
Jordan M. Reyes, LCSW
- Approved by ASWB
- 0.3 CEUs
- Social workers completing this course receive up to 3.0 continuing education credits.
- Certificate of Credit · Online course
- Harbor Light Social Work Institute (no signature)
- Attended 2 of 3 hours: 2.0 CE Credits
Passes an audit
Harbor Light Social Work Institute
Jordan M. Reyes, LCSW
- Harbor Light Social Work Institute, #1842, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 03/01/2025–03/01/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3.0 ethics continuing education credits.
- 3.0 CE Credits
- Social workers completing this course receive 3.0 continuing education credits.
- Certificate of Credit · Interactive synchronous distance course
- Dana R. Okafor, LCSW, Continuing Education Director (printed name, signature and title)
- Attended the full course: 3.0 CE Credits
- 1. The statement must appear in its entirety, with your provider number and approval dates, and may not be altered.
- 2. ACE uses CE credits. CEU means 10 hours, so 0.3 CEU is wrong for a 3-hour course and confuses the board.
- 3. “Up to” belongs on promotional material for a conference. A certificate states the exact credit the participant received.
- 4. The certificate must name the delivery format. For live online courses it must also say interactive or non-interactive.
- 5. A recognized authority such as the CE director must sign every certificate.
- 6. Partial credit is not allowed. A participant who misses part of a course or session gets no certificate for it.
Digital
Electronic certificates and badges
Electronic certificates
The ACE Handbook does not say whether a certificate must be paper or electronic. It says what must be on it, that it must be signed by a recognized authority, and that providers must keep certificates “or the ability to generate them” for 7 years. An electronic certificate with a signature image meets the same list of items. Online courses and materials for which certificates are given must be restricted to authenticated and authorized users.
Digital badges
ASWB says nothing about digital badges. A badge on its own is not a certificate of credit. It must carry the same ten items, including the full ACE approval statement, before a board will accept it.
No fetch of the handbook or the sample certificates found the words “electronic” or “digital” in the certificate rules. ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standards 7.1, 7.3 and 7.5, p. 37–41
Records and other rules
What else ASWB ACE checks
Issue within 30 days, and only after completion
Certificates must go out within 30 days of course completion. Issue them only after the participant has met every completion requirement: full attendance and an evaluation for in-person courses; the whole course, a posttest and an evaluation for distance learning. Hyperstack sends the certificate the moment you publish it, and the verification page shows the issue date.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 7.5, p. 41No partial credit
A participant must be present for the entire course or conference session. Partial credit for attending only part of a session is not allowed. For a conference, the participant earns credit only for the sessions attended in full.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 7.5, p. 41Signed by a recognized authority
The certificate must be signed by a recognized authority such as the CE director or another person the organization designates. The sample certificates show the printed name, signature and title. In Hyperstack the signature image, name and title are set once in the design.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 7.5, p. 41; ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person, provider approval (rev. 10/2024), key to required items, item 9Keep records for at least 7 years
Keep participant attendance with name and profession, sign-in/out logs, evaluations, the certificates of credit or the ability to generate them, and the course title, date, location and credits awarded. ACE may audit at any time and you must answer within 30 days, or within 24 to 48 hours if ACE calls it urgent. Hyperstack keeps every certificate, its verification page and its audit log for the life of your account and after cancellation.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 7.3, p. 38–39Conferences: one certificate or one per session
A conference certificate must name the conference. You may issue one certificate per session or one for the whole conference. A whole-conference certificate must list each session the social worker fully attended with its title, number of credits, credit type where the state requires it, and date, and the last sentence of the ACE statement changes to the conference wording. In Hyperstack, put the session list in a custom attribute such as [custom_sessions].
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 5.4, p. 29Live and self-paced courses
ACE recognizes four formats: in-person, synchronous distance, recorded asynchronous distance and reading-based asynchronous distance. The certificate names the format. In-person certificates add the physical location. Synchronous distance certificates say interactive or non-interactive. Self-paced certificates show the completion date, not the date the recording was made. Every distance learning course needs a posttest before the certificate; an interactive live course may use discussion questions, polling or a question-and-answer session instead.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standards 4.10 and 5.1, p. 21–23; sample certificates rev. 10/2024Cosponsored courses
When you run a course with another organization, the certificate must show that it is cosponsored and must carry the ACE provider’s approval statement. If any cosponsor is not an ACE provider, the course needs individual course approval first.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 5.3, p. 24–27Instructors get no certificate
A certificate of course completion with ACE credit cannot be issued to the course instructor. If the instructor needs proof of teaching, give a letter instead.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 7.5, p. 41Credit type and state rules
The ACE statement may name only four credit types: clinical, cultural competence, ethics or general. If a state uses another category, for example suicide assessment hours, put that in a separate line on the certificate, away from the ACE statement, such as “This course meets Pennsylvania requirements for 3 suicide assessment credit hours.” Most U.S. states and all Canadian provinces accept ACE credit; New York does not.
ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023, Standard 1.1, p. 4; aswb.org/aceBefore you send
The audit checklist, to tick or print
ASWB ACE certificate checklist0/13
How to do it in Hyperstack
Three steps to a compliant certificate
- 1
Open the ASWB ACE template
The template has a place for every element on this page. Add your logo and your 3 fixed elements once.
- CE provider name
- Signature of the designated authority
- ACE approval statement
- 2
Map your columns
Upload a spreadsheet or connect your LMS. Each column fills one element for every learner.
- [recipient_name]
- [custom_license_number]
- [group_title]
- [custom_delivery_format]
- [issue_date]
- [custom_location]
- [custom_ce_credits]
- 3
Issue and keep the record
Every learner gets an email, a verification page and a QR code. The record stays for as long as the rules need it.
- Verification page
- QR code
- Audit log
- Kept 7 years and beyond
Free template
An ASWB ACE-ready certificate, with all 10 elements in place
Set your provider details once. Names, dates and CE credits fill in for every learner. Each certificate gets a verification page and QR code.
FAQ
ASWB ACE certificates, answered
Ten items: course title, course date, delivery format, physical location for in-person courses, participant name, licence number if the state requires it, the amount of CE credit shown prominently, the provider name, the printed name, signature and title of the designated authority, and the full ACE approval statement with the number of credits in its last sentence. ASWB publishes sample certificates for each format with these items numbered.
No. The statement must appear in its entirety on every certificate and may not be altered. The only allowed change is the last sentence for conferences, where you state the credits the social worker received. You may also leave the credit type out of the last sentence when no state you serve requires it.
Within 30 days of course completion. You may send it only after the participant has met the completion requirements: full attendance and an evaluation, plus a posttest for distance learning courses. Many providers send it the same day.
The handbook does not say it must be paper, and it accepts that you keep certificates “or the ability to generate them”. An electronic certificate that carries all ten items, including the signature of the designated authority, meets the standard. Check your state board’s own rule as well.
One credit is 60 minutes of instruction. A course must be at least 60 minutes, with the first hour uninterrupted. After that, award in quarter-hour steps and you may round up to the next quarter hour: a 2-hour-20-minute course gives 2.5 credits. Breaks and registration time never count.
The conference name, and either one certificate per session or one for the whole conference. A whole-conference certificate lists each session the person fully attended with the session title, credits, credit type if required, and date. The last sentence of the ACE statement becomes “The social worker participating in this conference received [number] continuing education credits.”
No. ACE does not allow partial credit. The participant must be present for the entire course or session. At a conference, they earn credit only for the sessions they attended in full, and your sign-in/out log must show it.
No. ACE has no central reporting system. The social worker keeps the certificate and sends it to the licensing board when asked. You keep your own records for at least 7 years and must produce them within 30 days if ACE audits you.
Sources
Read from Association of Social Work Boards, Approved Continuing Education program documents on 30 October 2026. This page is a guide, not legal advice. Your accreditation manual and your licensing board have the final word. Something out of date? Tell us.
Changes to this page
- 2026-10-30Page written from the December 2023 ACE Handbook and the October 2024 sample certificates.
- 2026-10-30Fact check: Standard 7.1 wording narrowed to online course materials; posttest rule now covers every distance learning course with the allowed alternatives for interactive live courses; removed the unsourced claim that the certificate title must match the promotional material.
- 1ASWB ACE Handbook, December 2023Standard 1.1 credit categories (p. 4); 4.8 calculating CE credit (p. 18–19); 5.1 delivery formats (p. 23); 5.3 cosponsorship (p. 24–27); 5.4 conference certificates (p. 29); 6.1 promotional material (p. 30–31); 6.2 approval statements (p. 32–35); 7.3 record keeping (p. 38–39); 7.5 attendance and certificates (p. 40–41).
- 2ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person course, provider approval (rev. 10/2024)Key to the ten required items.
- 3ACE Handbook sample certificate, synchronous distance, provider approval (rev. 10/2024)Adds the interactive or non-interactive description.
- 4ACE Handbook sample certificate, recorded asynchronous distance, provider approval (rev. 10/2024)Uses the course completion date.
- 5ACE Handbook sample certificate, conference, provider approval (rev. 10/2024)One line per session with credits and credit type.
- 6ACE Handbook sample certificate, in-person course, individual course approval (rev. 10/2024)The individual course approval statement with a course number.
- 7ASWB: ACE provider approvalApproval periods and fees.
- 8ASWB: ACE individual course or conference approvalTwo-year approval period and fees.
- 9ASWB: ACE approved continuing educationWhich jurisdictions accept ACE credit; New York does not.
- 10ASWB: ACE provider verificationThe official provider list.
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