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Social Work License from Florida to Arkansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health) ↗

A social work license transfers from Florida to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health), verify your Florida license, and meet Arkansas's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. Arkansas waives its exam for applicants currently licensed elsewhere who passed a social work exam approved by the licensing state (Rule V). Submit an official ASWB score report or transfer; the LCSW tier corresponds to the ASWB Clinical exam. No Arkansas jurisprudence exam is required..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

The compact question does not arise here. Arkansas has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Florida has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.

What changes, Florida → Arkansas

Side-by-side: Florida vs Arkansas (Social Work (LCSW / LICSW)), verified 2026-09-27
Florida (current)Arkansas (destination)
SW Compact statusLicensure by endorsementSW Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee$180 ($180 total: $100 non-refundable application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee. $80 is refunded if the application is denied or withdrawn. Livescan fingerprint fees are paid to the vendor. Florida may reduce fees for military members, veterans and their spouses.)$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.)
Processing time~6 weeks (The Board says to allow up to 30 business days for the initial review of new applications (about 6 weeks). Under Fla. Stat. 456.0145 the Board must issue the license within 7 days once all documentation, including background screening, is received.)No processing time is published. Background check results must arrive before the Board reviews the application, and applications stay valid for six months.
Licensing authorityFlorida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health CounselingArkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arkansas sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Arkansas's current requirements on the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold a current social work license in another state whose standards the Board finds substantially equivalent (A.C.A. 17-103-302).
  5. Have your CSWE-accredited MSW program send an official transcript directly to the Board.
  6. Document 24 months of supervision and 4,000 hours in a master's-level position supervised by an LCSW (waivable after 3 years of independent clinical practice).
  7. Send the Board's Verification of Licensure form to every state where you hold or have held a license.
  8. Complete Arkansas State Police state and FBI criminal background checks using the Board's forms.
  9. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow No processing time is published. Background check results must arrive before the Board reviews the application, and applications stay valid for six months..

Official links

Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health) ↗Arkansas application ↗License verification ↗Social Work Licensure Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Arkansas → FloridaSocial Work in FloridaSocial Work in ArkansasAll social work statesThe SW Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Arkansas accept a Florida social work license?

A social work license transfers from Florida to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health), verify your Florida license, and meet Arkansas's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. Arkansas waives its exam for applicants currently licensed elsewhere who passed a social work exam approved by the licensing state (Rule V). Submit an official ASWB score report or transfer; the LCSW tier corresponds to the ASWB Clinical exam. No Arkansas jurisprudence exam is required..

Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Florida to Arkansas?

The ASWB exam is not retaken. Arkansas waives its exam for applicants currently licensed elsewhere who passed a social work exam approved by the licensing state (Rule V). Submit an official ASWB score report or transfer; the LCSW tier corresponds to the ASWB Clinical exam. No Arkansas 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 Florida-to-Arkansas move cost and how long does it take?

$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.) Processing: No processing time is published. Background check results must arrive before the Board reviews the application, and applications stay valid for six months.

Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?

No. Arkansas has enacted it and Florida has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health) is the route.

Will Arkansas accept the supervised hours I completed in Florida?

Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Arkansas's rule, where the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health) 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.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]