Social Work License from Georgia to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) ↗
A social work license transfers from Georgia to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing), verify your Georgia license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; have ASWB send official score reports directly to LARA. For the master's social work license (LMSW) Michigan accepts the ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, and the exam passed goes with the designation you apply for. No Michigan jurisprudence exam is listed; one-time human-trafficking training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training are required instead..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Georgia has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Michigan has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What changes, Georgia → Michigan
| Georgia (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $100 (The Board's fee schedule (04/18/2023) lists a $100 application fee for CSW applications, plus a $10 processing fee on mail-in applications. The Board no longer accepts paper applications, and GOALS shows the current fee schedule. The schedule's separate $350 licensure-by-endorsement fee is marked 'NOT APPLICABLE TO SOCIAL WORKERS'.) | $99 (Application fee plus 3-year license fee for a Master's Social Work License by Exam or Endorsement: $99.00 (Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024). Adding a second designation (specialty) is $16.50. Fingerprint/background-check vendor fee not stated in the guide.) |
| Processing time | ~4 weeks (The Board says applications are generally processed within 20 business days of receipt (about 4 weeks). The count restarts after a deficiency letter. Complete applications then go to the next Board meeting and must arrive at least 15 days before it.) | No processing time is published. All requirements must be completed within 2 years of LARA's receipt of the application (MCL 333.16307(3)), or the application is void. |
| Licensing authority | Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists | Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online through MiPLUS for the Master's Social Work License by endorsement.
- If licensed under 10 years, have supervisors verify 4,000 hours of post-degree supervised work experience (licensed over 10 years: presumed to meet MCL 333.16186).
- Have every licensing agency where you hold or held a license send verification showing no pending discipline.
- Complete the criminal background check using the instructions emailed after you apply.
- Complete one-time human-trafficking identification training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training within the prior 5 years.
- Pay the fees ($99 (Application fee plus 3-year license fee for a Master's Social Work License by Exam or Endorsement: $99.00 (Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024). Adding a second designation (specialty) is $16.50. Fingerprint/background-check vendor fee not stated in the guide.)) and allow No processing time is published. All requirements must be completed within 2 years of LARA's receipt of the application (MCL 333.16307(3)), or the application is void..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Michigan accept a Georgia social work license?
A social work license transfers from Georgia to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing), verify your Georgia license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; have ASWB send official score reports directly to LARA. For the master's social work license (LMSW) Michigan accepts the ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, and the exam passed goes with the designation you apply for. No Michigan jurisprudence exam is listed; one-time human-trafficking training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training are required instead..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Georgia to Michigan?
The ASWB exam is not retaken; have ASWB send official score reports directly to LARA. For the master's social work license (LMSW) Michigan accepts the ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, and the exam passed goes with the designation you apply for. No Michigan jurisprudence exam is listed; one-time human-trafficking training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training are required instead. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Georgia-to-Michigan move cost and how long does it take?
$99 (Application fee plus 3-year license fee for a Master's Social Work License by Exam or Endorsement: $99.00 (Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024). Adding a second designation (specialty) is $16.50. Fingerprint/background-check vendor fee not stated in the guide.) Processing: No processing time is published. All requirements must be completed within 2 years of LARA's receipt of the application (MCL 333.16307(3)), or the application is void.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Georgia has enacted it and Michigan has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) is the route.
Will Michigan accept the supervised hours I completed in Georgia?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Michigan's rule, where the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) 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.
- LARA — Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024 (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-04-22; michigan.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Social Work FAQs rev. 9/19/2024 (accepted ASWB exams) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-01-09) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Social Worker profession page (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-06-11) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Secretary of State — How to Guide: Clinical Social Worker ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Composite Board — Fee Schedule (04/18/2023) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-5-.04 — Clinical Social Workers (official rule text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-3-.04 — Licensure by Endorsement (PC and MFT only) (official rule text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Composite Board — Clinical Social Worker Form N (verification of licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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