Social Work License from Colorado to Missouri: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration) ↗
Both Colorado 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.
Colorado 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, Colorado → Missouri
| Colorado (current) | Missouri (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | The Colorado DPO social work pages and the online application preview do not state the LCSW application fee; the fee is shown only inside the DPO Online Services system. Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. | $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 on the Colorado social work application pages. | No processing time is published; fingerprint results are valid for one year. A temporary permit request form exists for reciprocity applicants. |
| Licensing authority | Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) | 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 a Colorado social work license?
Both Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Colorado-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.
Colorado and Missouri are both compact states. Can I practice in Missouri on my Colorado 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 Colorado?
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)
- Colorado DPO — Social Work Applications and Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Colorado DPO — Licensed Clinical Social Worker initial application preview (linked from the Applications page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Colorado DPO — Social Work Licensing Guide (linked from the Applications 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]