Social Work License from District of Columbia to North Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
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.
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's different between District of Columbia and North Carolina
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into North Carolina. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
District of Columbia to North Carolina (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
North Carolina to District of Columbia (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from District of Columbia matter?
Coming from District of Columbia matters here: only 18 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into North Carolina.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
North Carolina has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; District of Columbia has not.
- Application fee
North Carolina lists $145 for an out-of-state applicant and District of Columbia lists $230 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
North Carolina lists 4+ weeks; District of Columbia has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
North Carolina and District of Columbia carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- North Carolina (this move): 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.
- District of Columbia (the reverse move): The ASWB exam is not retaken; have ASWB transfer your score electronically to the Board. Under 17 DCMR 7007 your initial US licence must have been obtained by an exam equivalent to the level you apply for, which is the Clinical exam for the LICSW. No DC jurisprudence exam is listed on the endorsement checklist.
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 listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com