Social Work License from Kansas to New Hampshire: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) ↗
Both Kansas and New Hampshire have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — endorsement for now
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
Kansas and New Hampshire have both enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27. Shared enactment changes nothing about this move today: you apply to the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, Kansas → New Hampshire
| Kansas (current) | New Hampshire (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $50 (LSCSW application fee under K.A.R. 102-2-3(a)(3); + $150 original LSCSW license fee (102-2-3(c)(3)); optional $100 expedited-application fee (102-2-3(b)). A temporary permit for out-of-state independent clinical social workers practising up to 30 days a year costs $200.) | $325 (Clinical social worker (including conditional) application fee $325, which includes the mandatory $28 Professional Health Program fee; renewal $325 (active) or $105 (inactive). Criminal background check fees are paid separately (amount not stated on the pages reviewed).) |
| Processing time | Not verified. The BSRB website (ksbsrb.ks.gov) blocked automated access (HTTP 403) on 2026-09-27. BSRB testimony on HB 2340 (2023) says the bill required the Board to process applications within a set time; the figure was not confirmed. | No processing time is published. Under Plc 313.07(c) OPLC may issue an 'Active-Provisional' license to an endorsement-qualified applicant while criminal-record results are pending. |
| Licensing authority | Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB) | New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Hampshire sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Hampshire's current requirements on the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Submit the OPLC Universal Application for Initial License by mail with the application fee.
- Provide verification of your active license in good standing in a qualifying jurisdiction (a screenshot or printout of the licensing board's portal is accepted under Plc 313.05(a)).
- Complete the FBI/New Hampshire criminal history records check required for clinical social workers.
- Pay the fees ($325 (Clinical social worker (including conditional) application fee $325, which includes the mandatory $28 Professional Health Program fee; renewal $325 (active) or $105 (inactive). Criminal background check fees are paid separately (amount not stated on the pages reviewed).)) and allow No processing time is published. Under Plc 313.07(c) OPLC may issue an 'Active-Provisional' license to an endorsement-qualified applicant while criminal-record results are pending..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New Hampshire accept a Kansas social work license?
Both Kansas and New Hampshire have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Kansas to New Hampshire?
On the HB 594 reciprocity route, applicants from qualifying jurisdictions no longer submit examination results, transcripts, experience or references. On the standard application the ASWB Clinical exam is required (have ASWB send your score if you tested out of state or more than two years ago). No New Hampshire jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Kansas-to-New Hampshire move cost and how long does it take?
$325 (Clinical social worker (including conditional) application fee $325, which includes the mandatory $28 Professional Health Program fee; renewal $325 (active) or $105 (inactive). Criminal background check fees are paid separately (amount not stated on the pages reviewed).) Processing: No processing time is published. Under Plc 313.07(c) OPLC may issue an 'Active-Provisional' license to an endorsement-qualified applicant while criminal-record results are pending.
Kansas and New Hampshire are both compact states. Can I practice in New Hampshire on my Kansas license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in New Hampshire. You need a New Hampshire license from the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification).
Will New Hampshire accept the supervised hours I completed in Kansas?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. New Hampshire's rule, where the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) 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.
- NH OPLC — New Changes for Reciprocity in New Hampshire (HB 594 license types incl. Clinical Social Worker; application process) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-08-21; oplc.nh.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — Board of Mental Health Practice License Fees (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-04-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — FAQs about new Reciprocity Rules (HB 594) (Internet Archive copy captured 2025-06-07) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — Instructions and Checklist, Licensure as an Independent Clinical Social Worker (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-05-18) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- K.A.R. 102-2-2b — Application for licensure based on reciprocity (LSCSW) (official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- K.A.R. 102-2-3 — Fees (official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- K.S.A. 65-6309 — Exemption from examination; temporary licensure (Kansas Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- K.S.A. 65-6309a — Temporary permit for out-of-state clinical social workers (Kansas Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Kansas BSRB — testimony on HB 2340 (2023), reciprocity practice period cut from 48 to 12 months ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Look up a license (board license-search directory) ↗ (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]