Social Work License from Arkansas to Maine: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) ↗
Both Arkansas and Maine have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — endorsement for now
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
Arkansas and Maine have both enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27. Shared enactment changes nothing about this move today: you apply to the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, Arkansas → Maine
| Arkansas (current) | Maine (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $100 (Arkansas Rule VII sets the application filing fee at $100. Under Act 114 of 2023 the Department of Health cut it to $5 for 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026 only; its 2025-05-16 letter says the cut 'may or may not apply in future years'. When checked on 2026-09-27 the Board had posted no reduction for the year starting 1 July 2026, so the rule's $100 applies. The application form (rev. 01/2024, posted January 2026) still prints the old $5, so confirm the amount with the Board before paying. Background check fees are extra.) | $70 (The Board's licensing page lists $70 license fee plus $21 criminal history check for initial issuance; all fees nonrefundable. Renewal is $70 every 2 years.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published. Background check results must arrive before the Board reviews the application, and applications stay valid for six months. | The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online. |
| Licensing authority | Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health) | Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maine sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active LCSW-equivalent license from a U.S. jurisdiction whose pathway requires a social work master's, the ASWB Clinical exam and supervised clinical experience.
- Submit the Online Endorsement Application for Licensure.
- Have official verifications sent for every professional license you hold or have ever held, including expired ones.
- Be in good standing everywhere licensed: no pending complaints, restrictions, surrenders or revocations.
- Complete the criminal history record check required for initial licensure.
- Pay the fees ($70 (The Board's licensing page lists $70 license fee plus $21 criminal history check for initial issuance; all fees nonrefundable. Renewal is $70 every 2 years.)) and allow The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maine accept an Arkansas social work license?
Both Arkansas and Maine have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Arkansas to Maine?
No exam is retaken and no score report is listed among the endorsement documents: Maine's Chapter 12 test is whether your licensing jurisdiction's pathway requires, at minimum, a social work master's, the ASWB Clinical exam and supervised clinical experience. Maine's own LC route requires the ASWB Clinical exam. No Maine jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Arkansas-to-Maine move cost and how long does it take?
$70 (The Board's licensing page lists $70 license fee plus $21 criminal history check for initial issuance; all fees nonrefundable. Renewal is $70 every 2 years.) Processing: The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online.
Arkansas and Maine are both compact states. Can I practice in Maine on my Arkansas license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Maine. You need a Maine license from the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation).
Will Maine accept the supervised hours I completed in Arkansas?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Maine's rule, where the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) publishes one, is in the requirements on this page; confirm with the board if your hours were logged under a different structure.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Maine Board of Social Worker Licensure — Licensing and Forms (LC license, Licensure by Endorsement, fees) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-04-18; maine.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 02-416 CMR Chapter 12 — Licensure by Endorsement (Board rule, official DOCX) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board — Rules (Rule V Endorsement, Rule VII Fees; 2022 revision) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board — Application for licensure (rev. 01/2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arkansas Department of Health — Social Work Licensing Board FY26 fee reduction letter (2025-05-16) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board — Licensing Information & FAQs ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board — Board page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]