Social Work License from California to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) ↗
A social work license transfers from California to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing), verify your California license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; have ASWB send official score reports directly to LARA. For the master's social work license (LMSW) Michigan accepts the ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, and the exam passed goes with the designation you apply for. No Michigan jurisprudence exam is listed; one-time human-trafficking training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training are required instead..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This move runs entirely through the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing). Your California license is verified, your ASWB score is sent rather than retaken, and Michigan's own checks follow; the Social Work Licensure Compact plays no part because neither state has enacted it.
What changes, California → Michigan
| California (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.) | $99 (Application fee plus 3-year license fee for a Master's Social Work License by Exam or Endorsement: $99.00 (Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024). Adding a second designation (specialty) is $16.50. Fingerprint/background-check vendor fee not stated in the guide.) |
| Processing time | Not verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read. | No processing time is published. All requirements must be completed within 2 years of LARA's receipt of the application (MCL 333.16307(3)), or the application is void. |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) | Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online through MiPLUS for the Master's Social Work License by endorsement.
- If licensed under 10 years, have supervisors verify 4,000 hours of post-degree supervised work experience (licensed over 10 years: presumed to meet MCL 333.16186).
- Have every licensing agency where you hold or held a license send verification showing no pending discipline.
- Complete the criminal background check using the instructions emailed after you apply.
- Complete one-time human-trafficking identification training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training within the prior 5 years.
- Pay the fees ($99 (Application fee plus 3-year license fee for a Master's Social Work License by Exam or Endorsement: $99.00 (Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024). Adding a second designation (specialty) is $16.50. Fingerprint/background-check vendor fee not stated in the guide.)) and allow No processing time is published. All requirements must be completed within 2 years of LARA's receipt of the application (MCL 333.16307(3)), or the application is void..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Michigan accept a California social work license?
A social work license transfers from California to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing), verify your California license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; have ASWB send official score reports directly to LARA. For the master's social work license (LMSW) Michigan accepts the ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, and the exam passed goes with the designation you apply for. No Michigan jurisprudence exam is listed; one-time human-trafficking training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training are required instead..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from California to Michigan?
The ASWB exam is not retaken; have ASWB send official score reports directly to LARA. For the master's social work license (LMSW) Michigan accepts the ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, and the exam passed goes with the designation you apply for. No Michigan jurisprudence exam is listed; one-time human-trafficking training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training are required instead. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the California-to-Michigan move cost and how long does it take?
$99 (Application fee plus 3-year license fee for a Master's Social Work License by Exam or Endorsement: $99.00 (Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024). Adding a second designation (specialty) is $16.50. Fingerprint/background-check vendor fee not stated in the guide.) Processing: No processing time is published. All requirements must be completed within 2 years of LARA's receipt of the application (MCL 333.16307(3)), or the application is void.
Will Michigan accept the supervised hours I completed in California?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Michigan's rule, where the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) 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.
- LARA — Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024 (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-04-22; michigan.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Social Work FAQs rev. 9/19/2024 (accepted ASWB exams) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-01-09) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Social Worker profession page (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-06-11) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.17.1 — Licensure of out-of-state clinical social workers (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.17.2 — Out-of-state education or experience (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.3 — LCSW fees (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Look up a license (board license-search directory) ↗ (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]