Social Work License from Arkansas to Missouri: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration) ↗
Both Arkansas and Missouri 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 Missouri 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 Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, Arkansas → Missouri
| Arkansas (current) | Missouri (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.) | $75 (Reciprocity application fee $75 (form MO 375-0901, rev. 8-2025), nonrefundable, payable by cashier's check, money order, personal check or bank draft. Fingerprinting is paid separately to IdentoGO/MACHS (amount not stated on the Committee's pages).) |
| 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. | No processing time is published; fingerprint results are valid for one year. A temporary permit request form exists for reciprocity applicants. |
| Licensing authority | Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health) | Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Missouri sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Missouri's current requirements on the Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active license in another state for one year or longer (if under one year, contact the Committee).
- Submit the Application for Licensure by Reciprocity (MO 375-0901) with the fee, checking Clinical Social Worker.
- Have every state where you hold or held a license send verification directly to the Committee.
- Complete 2 hours of suicide assessment, treatment and management training within the last 2 years.
- Complete IdentoGO fingerprinting (service code 5416; out-of-state applicants request an FD-258 card).
- Pay the fees ($75 (Reciprocity application fee $75 (form MO 375-0901, rev. 8-2025), nonrefundable, payable by cashier's check, money order, personal check or bank draft. Fingerprinting is paid separately to IdentoGO/MACHS (amount not stated on the Committee's pages).)) and allow No processing time is published; fingerprint results are valid for one year. A temporary permit request form exists for reciprocity applicants..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Missouri accept an Arkansas social work license?
Both Arkansas and Missouri 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 Missouri?
No exam is retaken and the reciprocity application does not list an ASWB score report among its required items (completed application, fee, license verifications, suicide-prevention training attestation, fingerprint results). No Missouri jurisprudence exam is required. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Arkansas-to-Missouri move cost and how long does it take?
$75 (Reciprocity application fee $75 (form MO 375-0901, rev. 8-2025), nonrefundable, payable by cashier's check, money order, personal check or bank draft. Fingerprinting is paid separately to IdentoGO/MACHS (amount not stated on the Committee's pages).) Processing: No processing time is published; fingerprint results are valid for one year. A temporary permit request form exists for reciprocity applicants.
Arkansas and Missouri are both compact states. Can I practice in Missouri 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 Missouri. You need a Missouri license from the Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration).
Will Missouri 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. Missouri's rule, where the Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration) 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.
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Reciprocity page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Application for Licensure by Reciprocity (MO 375-0901, 8-2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Frequently Asked Questions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Criminal Background Checks / Fingerprinting instructions ↗ (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]