Transfer Your Social Work License to Georgia: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists ↗
Georgia offers no endorsement route for an out-of-state clinical social worker, so you apply to the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists as a new applicant and are measured against Georgia's full requirements. Your ASWB score still counts. 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'.). Processing: ~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.). Georgia has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so the compact does not change this application.
Moving to Georgia from a specific state?
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Verdict
SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Georgia's legislature has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and you may see Georgia described as a compact state. In practice that means nothing yet. No multistate license has been issued anywhere, there is no application to file, and a license from another compact state gives you no right to practice in Georgia. Plan on the application file below; the compact becomes relevant only once the commission launches, and its stated target for the data system that launch depends on is Spring 2027.
Because Georgia has no endorsement path, the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists will review your degree, exam and supervised experience against its own standard as though you were applying for the first time. Start early.
Georgia's clinical-level license is the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (CSW); the other tier is the LMSW. Georgia is the rare state with NO licensure by endorsement or reciprocity for clinical social workers. The Board says so directly, its endorsement rule (135-3-.04) covers only professional counselors and marriage and family therapists, and its fee schedule marks endorsement 'NOT APPLICABLE TO SOCIAL WORKERS'. An out-of-state LCSW therefore uses the full new-applicant CSW route. The one concession is the 'Exam Waiver', so the ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken, but the MSW and 3,000 supervised post-master's hours (36-108 months, 120 supervision hours; rule 135-5-.04) must be documented to Georgia's standard on Georgia's own forms. Georgia has ENACTED the Social Work Licensure Compact, but the compact is not issuing multistate licenses yet.
Georgia requirements at a glance
| Exam | The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken: an out-of-state LCSW applies by 'Exam Waiver' and submits the national exam passing score report. No Georgia jurisprudence exam is listed. However, the Board does NOT offer clinical social work licensure by endorsement or reciprocity; you must otherwise meet all of Georgia's CSW requirements. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $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'.) |
| 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.) |
Step by step
- Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online in GOALS by 'CSW Licensure by Exam Waiver' with a notarized application.
- Send official transcripts showing a CSWE-accredited MSW.
- Document 3,000 hours of post-MSW clinical experience over 36-108 months, including 120 hours of supervision (Forms B and C).
- Have each state where you are licensed complete Form N (verification of licensure).
- Complete a national background check and the secure and verifiable documents (citizenship affidavit).
- Pay the fees ($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'.)) and allow ~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.).
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Georgia:
All 50 origin states
Nearby states
Social Work license transfer into the states bordering Georgia:
Georgia for other professions
- Nursing in Georgia
- Cosmetology / Barber in Georgia
- Real Estate in Georgia
- Contractor in Georgia
- Teaching in Georgia
- CPA / Accounting in Georgia
- Electrician in Georgia
- Plumber in Georgia
- Engineering in Georgia
- Pharmacy in Georgia
- Physical Therapy in Georgia
- Psychology in Georgia
- Counseling in Georgia
- Occupational Therapy in Georgia
Frequently asked questions
Does my social work license transfer to Georgia?
Georgia offers no endorsement route for an out-of-state clinical social worker, so you apply to the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists as a new applicant and are measured against Georgia's full requirements. Your ASWB score still counts. 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'.). Processing: ~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.). Georgia has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so the compact does not change this application.
Do I have to retake the ASWB exam to get licensed in Georgia?
The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken: an out-of-state LCSW applies by 'Exam Waiver' and submits the national exam passing score report. No Georgia jurisprudence exam is listed. However, the Board does NOT offer clinical social work licensure by endorsement or reciprocity; you must otherwise meet all of Georgia's CSW requirements. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
How much does a Georgia clinical social work license cost for an out-of-state applicant?
$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'.)
How long does the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists take?
~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.)
Is Georgia in the Social Work Licensure Compact?
Georgia has enacted it, but the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. No one can practice in Georgia on a compact license yet; a full new-applicant application to the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists is the route.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (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]