Social Work License from District of Columbia to North Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) ↗
A social work license transfers from District of Columbia to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB), verify your District of Columbia license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; provide certified proof of passing the ASWB exam required for your level (the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW), sent directly by the jurisdiction's regulatory board or ASWB. Applicants licensed elsewhere by exam exemption must pass the ASWB exam before licensure. No North Carolina jurisprudence exam; applicants affirm they have reviewed G.S. 90B and 21 NCAC 63..
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. North Carolina has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and District of Columbia has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
District of Columbia calls its clinical license the LICSW. North Carolina knows the same tier by its own title, so apply for the North Carolina license that authorizes independent clinical practice rather than one whose initials happen to match.
What changes, District of Columbia → North Carolina
| District of Columbia (current) | North Carolina (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $230 ($230 combined application and license fee per the Board's endorsement checklist; + $50 criminal background check paid online. Social work licenses expire July 31 of odd years.) | $145 ($145 nonrefundable application fee per credential level, by certified check, money order or cashier's check (no personal checks). LCSW biennial renewal is $150. The Board may run a criminal or disciplinary history check; no separate fee is stated.) |
| Processing time | DC Health publishes no processing time for social work endorsement applications. | ~4 weeks (The Board says review and processing generally take at least 30 days once the application is complete and may be extended; no upper bound is published.) |
| Licensing authority | DC Board of Social Work (DC Health) | North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Carolina's current requirements on the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply by substantial equivalency with the standard notarized Application for Certification/Licensure packet.
- Provide your state's law showing the qualifications in force when you were first licensed, or have your board complete a License Verification documenting them.
- Provide verification of your current active credential and certified proof of passing the ASWB Clinical exam.
- Submit three Professional Reference forms in sealed envelopes and an official sealed or electronic transcript.
- Complete and submit Form SSA-89 for Social Security number verification.
- Pay the fees ($145 ($145 nonrefundable application fee per credential level, by certified check, money order or cashier's check (no personal checks). LCSW biennial renewal is $150. The Board may run a criminal or disciplinary history check; no separate fee is stated.)) and allow ~4 weeks (The Board says review and processing generally take at least 30 days once the application is complete and may be extended; no upper bound is published.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does North Carolina accept a District of Columbia social work license?
A social work license transfers from District of Columbia to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB), verify your District of Columbia license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; provide certified proof of passing the ASWB exam required for your level (the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW), sent directly by the jurisdiction's regulatory board or ASWB. Applicants licensed elsewhere by exam exemption must pass the ASWB exam before licensure. No North Carolina jurisprudence exam; applicants affirm they have reviewed G.S. 90B and 21 NCAC 63..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from District of Columbia to North Carolina?
The ASWB exam is not retaken; provide certified proof of passing the ASWB exam required for your level (the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW), sent directly by the jurisdiction's regulatory board or ASWB. Applicants licensed elsewhere by exam exemption must pass the ASWB exam before licensure. No North Carolina jurisprudence exam; applicants affirm they have reviewed G.S. 90B and 21 NCAC 63. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the District of Columbia-to-North Carolina move cost and how long does it take?
$145 ($145 nonrefundable application fee per credential level, by certified check, money order or cashier's check (no personal checks). LCSW biennial renewal is $150. The Board may run a criminal or disciplinary history check; no separate fee is stated.) Processing: ~4 weeks (The Board says review and processing generally take at least 30 days once the application is complete and may be extended; no upper bound is published.)
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. North Carolina has enacted it and District of Columbia has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) is the route.
Will North Carolina accept the supervised hours I completed in District of Columbia?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. North Carolina's rule, where the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) 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.
- NCSWCLB — Application for Certification/Licensure packet (v2026-05-26), incl. Certification/Licensure by Substantial Equivalency (Comity) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCSWCLB — Levels and Eligibility Requirements (LCSW exam, experience, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCSWCLB — Application FAQs (processing time) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- DC Health — Social Work Licensing ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- DC Board of Social Work — LGSW, LISW and LICSW New License Application Endorsement Checklist ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- DC Municipal Regulations Chapter 17-70 (Social Work) — section list incl. 7007 License by Endorsement ↗ (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]