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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) ↗

Maine does not transfer your license as-is, but you do not start over: the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) grants its clinical-level social work license by endorsement, crediting your existing ASWB pass. Fee: $70 (The Board's licensing page lists $70 license fee plus $21 criminal history check for initial issuance; all fees nonrefundable. Renewal is $70 every 2 years.). Processing: The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online.. Maine is a Social Work Licensure Compact state on paper only: nothing was being issued as of 2026-09-27, and endorsement through the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) is the route in.

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Verdict

SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing

Being a compact state has not changed how Maine licenses incoming social workers. The Social Work Licensure Compact is law here but was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) handles every out-of-state applicant through the steps below. If you expect to work across state lines later, a Maine license will be a sensible base once the compact is running; the commission's stated target for its data system is Spring 2027.

Maine's clinical-level license is the LC (Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW); the tiers are LSX, LS, LM, MC (conditional clinical) and LC. Maine's own LC route requires an MSW, the ASWB Clinical exam and 96 hours of consultation concurrent with 3,200 hours of clinical social work employment. Endorsement (02-416 CMR ch. 12, repealed and replaced 2022-10-11, authority 10 M.R.S. §8003-H) requires only an active license from a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements plus good standing everywhere; an applicant whose state conditional-clinical supervision is complete may go straight to the LC. LC licensees must also complete a one-time 12 hours of family/intimate partner violence training at renewal (Title 32 §7060). Maine has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it is not yet issuing multistate licenses, so endorsement is the only route in.

Maine requirements at a glance

Out-of-state social work license transfer requirements for Maine, verified 2026-09-27
Exam	No exam is retaken and no score report is listed among the endorsement documents: Maine's Chapter 12 test is whether your licensing jurisdiction's pathway requires, at minimum, a social work master's, the ASWB Clinical exam and supervised clinical experience. Maine's own LC route requires the ASWB Clinical exam. No Maine jurisprudence exam is listed.
Additional requirements	Hold an active LCSW-equivalent license from a U.S. jurisdiction whose pathway requires a social work master's, the ASWB Clinical exam and supervised clinical experience Submit the Online Endorsement Application for Licensure Have official verifications sent for every professional license you hold or have ever held, including expired ones Be in good standing everywhere licensed: no pending complaints, restrictions, surrenders or revocations Complete the criminal history record check required for initial licensure
Fees	$70 (The Board's licensing page lists $70 license fee plus $21 criminal history check for initial issuance; all fees nonrefundable. Renewal is $70 every 2 years.)
Processing time	The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online.

Step by step

Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
Hold an active LCSW-equivalent license from a U.S. jurisdiction whose pathway requires a social work master's, the ASWB Clinical exam and supervised clinical experience.
Submit the Online Endorsement Application for Licensure.
Have official verifications sent for every professional license you hold or have ever held, including expired ones.
Be in good standing everywhere licensed: no pending complaints, restrictions, surrenders or revocations.
Complete the criminal history record check required for initial licensure.
Pay the fees ($70 (The Board's licensing page lists $70 license fee plus $21 criminal history check for initial issuance; all fees nonrefundable. Renewal is $70 every 2 years.)) and allow The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online..

Official links

Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) ↗Maine application ↗License verification ↗Social Work Licensure Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

All 39 origin states

Nebraska → Maine New Hampshire → Maine New Jersey → Maine New York → Maine North Carolina → Maine North Dakota → Maine Ohio → Maine Oklahoma → Maine Pennsylvania → Maine Rhode Island → Maine South Dakota → Maine Tennessee → Maine Texas → Maine Utah → Maine Vermont → Maine Virginia → Maine Washington → Maine West Virginia → Maine Wisconsin → Maine

Nearby states

Social Work license transfer into the states bordering Maine:

New Hampshire

Maine for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my social work license transfer to Maine?

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

No exam is retaken and no score report is listed among the endorsement documents: Maine's Chapter 12 test is whether your licensing jurisdiction's pathway requires, at minimum, a social work master's, the ASWB Clinical exam and supervised clinical experience. Maine's own LC route requires the ASWB Clinical exam. No Maine jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.

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

$70 (The Board's licensing page lists $70 license fee plus $21 criminal history check for initial issuance; all fees nonrefundable. Renewal is $70 every 2 years.)

How long does the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) take?

The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online.

Is Maine in the Social Work Licensure Compact?

Maine has enacted it, but the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. No one can practice in Maine on a compact license yet; endorsement through the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) is the route.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.

Maine Board of Social Worker Licensure — Licensing and Forms (LC license, Licensure by Endorsement, fees) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-04-18; maine.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
02-416 CMR Chapter 12 — Licensure by Endorsement (Board rule, official DOCX) ↗ (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]