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Transfer Your Social Work License to Florida: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling ↗

Yes, by endorsement. The Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling issues Florida's clinical-level social work license to social workers already licensed at the clinical level elsewhere, verifying your license and accepting your ASWB score rather than retesting you. 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 $80 is refunded if the application is denied or withdrawn.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.). Processing: ~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.). Florida has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Outside the Social Work Licensure Compact, Florida will keep licensing incoming social workers only through its own process even after the compact launches, unless its legislature acts. For a move now, that makes no difference, since no state is issuing compact licenses.

Florida's clinical-level license is the LCSW. Florida has no LMSW practice license; pre-licensure clinical experience is done as a registered intern. Endorsement now runs through the MOBILE Act: Fla. Stat. 491.006 points to 456.0145, which requires at least two years of active practice in the four years before applying, a passing national exam score or national certification, and no discipline in the past five years (checked via the National Practitioner Data Bank). The Board's LCSW page says the same. The endorsement application form (rev. 2/2024) still prints the older 'three of the past five years' test; the statute controls. Florida has NOT enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, so endorsement is the only route in.

Florida requirements at a glance

Out-of-state social work license transfer requirements for Florida, verified 2026-09-27
ExamThe national clinical exam is not retaken; have your ASWB Clinical exam score (or another state board's official score report) sent directly to the Board. Florida has no state law exam, but requires an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course from a board-approved provider plus 3-hour HIV/AIDS and 2-hour domestic violence courses.
Additional requirements
  • Hold an active, unencumbered clinical social work license in another state and have actively practised for at least two of the four years before applying (Fla. Stat. 456.0145)
  • Have a passing score on a national licensure exam or a recognized national certification
  • Have no National Practitioner Data Bank reports and no disciplinary actions in the past five years
  • Complete the 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course, the 3-hour HIV/AIDS course (or affidavit) and the 2-hour domestic violence course
  • Complete electronic fingerprinting through a Livescan service provider
  • Have every state that licensed you send verification directly to the Board
Fees$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.)
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.)

Step by step

  1. Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold an active, unencumbered clinical social work license in another state and have actively practised for at least two of the four years before applying (Fla. Stat. 456.0145).
  5. Have a passing score on a national licensure exam or a recognized national certification.
  6. Have no National Practitioner Data Bank reports and no disciplinary actions in the past five years.
  7. Complete the 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course, the 3-hour HIV/AIDS course (or affidavit) and the 2-hour domestic violence course.
  8. Complete electronic fingerprinting through a Livescan service provider.
  9. Have every state that licensed you send verification directly to the Board.
  10. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow ~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.).

Official links

Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling ↗Florida application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Florida:

Alabama → FloridaAlaska → FloridaArizona → FloridaArkansas → FloridaCalifornia → FloridaColorado → FloridaConnecticut → FloridaDelaware → FloridaDistrict of Columbia → FloridaGeorgia → FloridaHawaii → FloridaIdaho → FloridaIllinois → FloridaIndiana → FloridaIowa → FloridaKansas → FloridaKentucky → FloridaLouisiana → FloridaMaine → FloridaMaryland → Florida
All 50 origin states
Massachusetts → FloridaMichigan → FloridaMinnesota → FloridaMississippi → FloridaMissouri → FloridaMontana → FloridaNebraska → FloridaNevada → FloridaNew Hampshire → FloridaNew Jersey → FloridaNew Mexico → FloridaNew York → FloridaNorth Carolina → FloridaNorth Dakota → FloridaOhio → FloridaOklahoma → FloridaOregon → FloridaPennsylvania → FloridaRhode Island → FloridaSouth Carolina → FloridaSouth Dakota → FloridaTennessee → FloridaTexas → FloridaUtah → FloridaVermont → FloridaVirginia → FloridaWashington → FloridaWest Virginia → FloridaWisconsin → FloridaWyoming → Florida

Nearby states

Social Work license transfer into the states bordering Florida:

Florida for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my social work license transfer to Florida?

Yes, by endorsement. The Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling issues Florida's clinical-level social work license to social workers already licensed at the clinical level elsewhere, verifying your license and accepting your ASWB score rather than retesting you. 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.). Processing: ~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.). Florida has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.

Do I have to retake the ASWB exam to get licensed in Florida?

The national clinical exam is not retaken; have your ASWB Clinical exam score (or another state board's official score report) sent directly to the Board. Florida has no state law exam, but requires an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course from a board-approved provider plus 3-hour HIV/AIDS and 2-hour domestic violence courses. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.

How much does a Florida clinical social work license cost for an out-of-state applicant?

$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.)

How long does the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling take?

~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.)

Is Florida in the Social Work Licensure Compact?

No. Florida had not enacted it as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling is the route in.

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]