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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers ↗

Yes, by endorsement. The Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers issues Massachusetts's clinical license (the LICSW) to social workers already licensed at the clinical level elsewhere, verifying your license and accepting your ASWB score rather than retesting you. Fee: $162 (LICSW reciprocity application fee $162, per the Board's fee table (archived June 2026). The same table adds a $105 vendor fee (ASWB's Application Processing Unit) and an $82 LICSW license fee, a $349 subtotal. A payment processing fee may also apply. LICSW renewal is $82 every two years.). Processing: No processing time is published on the pages reviewed.. Massachusetts has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Massachusetts has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, which matters less than it sounds: the compact is not issuing licenses anywhere yet, so every social worker moving to any state follows that state's own licensing process, here the one below.

Massachusetts's clinical license is the LICSW. Apply for it by that name; the board matches your current license by what it authorizes, independent diagnosis and treatment, not by its initials.

Massachusetts' clinical-level license is the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker), confirmed in 258 CMR 9.03; the other tiers are the LCSW (Licensed Certified Social Worker, master's, non-independent), LSW and LSWA. Note the naming trap: a Massachusetts 'LCSW' is NOT the clinical-independent tier. Licensure by reciprocity (M.G.L. c. 112 §132; 258 CMR 9.07) requires education, experience and scope of practice that the Board judges substantially equivalent, and licensure obtained by passing the ASWB exam for that level. Massachusetts has NOT enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (a bill, S 252, is pending), and the compact is not issuing multistate licenses anywhere yet. mass.gov blocked automated fetches on 2026-09-27, so every Massachusetts value comes from archived copies of official Mass.gov pages (2025-09 to 2026-06). No license-lookup URL was confirmed on a page actually read, so verification_system_url is null.

Massachusetts requirements at a glance

Out-of-state social work license transfer requirements for Massachusetts, verified 2026-09-27
Exam	No new exam if you were licensed in an ASWB member jurisdiction by passing the ASWB exam required for the level sought (258 CMR 9.07); for the LICSW that is the ASWB Clinical exam. If your state did not require an ASWB exam, the Board's Policy 06-07 requires you to take and pass the appropriate ASWB exam as a condition of reciprocity. No Massachusetts jurisprudence exam is required.
Additional requirements	Apply for reciprocity through the Health Professions Licensing Portal (ASWB's Application Processing Unit handles Board applications) Show your license's education and experience requirements are substantially equivalent to the LICSW (MSW; 3,500 hours of clinical social work over at least two years post-LCSW; 100 hours of individual clinical supervision) Show your license's scope of practice is substantially equivalent to the LICSW's Hold a license in good standing that has never been revoked, suspended, surrendered, denied or restricted by discipline Apply to MassHealth as a fully participating or non-billing provider (required of all LICSWs to be licensed or renew)
Fees	$162 (LICSW reciprocity application fee $162, per the Board's fee table (archived June 2026). The same table adds a $105 vendor fee (ASWB's Application Processing Unit) and an $82 LICSW license fee, a $349 subtotal. A payment processing fee may also apply. LICSW renewal is $82 every two years.)
Processing time	No processing time is published on the pages reviewed.

Step by step

Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Apply for reciprocity through the Health Professions Licensing Portal (ASWB's Application Processing Unit handles Board applications).
Show your license's education and experience requirements are substantially equivalent to the LICSW (MSW; 3,500 hours of clinical social work over at least two years post-LCSW; 100 hours of individual clinical supervision).
Show your license's scope of practice is substantially equivalent to the LICSW's.
Hold a license in good standing that has never been revoked, suspended, surrendered, denied or restricted by discipline.
Apply to MassHealth as a fully participating or non-billing provider (required of all LICSWs to be licensed or renew).
Pay the fees ($162 (LICSW reciprocity application fee $162, per the Board's fee table (archived June 2026). The same table adds a $105 vendor fee (ASWB's Application Processing Unit) and an $82 LICSW license fee, a $349 subtotal. A payment processing fee may also apply. LICSW renewal is $82 every two years.)) and allow No processing time is published on the pages reviewed..

Official links

Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers ↗Massachusetts application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

California → Massachusetts Florida → Massachusetts Georgia → Massachusetts Illinois → Massachusetts Michigan → Massachusetts New York → Massachusetts North Carolina → Massachusetts Ohio → Massachusetts Pennsylvania → Massachusetts Texas → Massachusetts

Nearby states

Social Work license transfer into the states bordering Massachusetts:

Massachusetts for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my social work license transfer to Massachusetts?

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

No new exam if you were licensed in an ASWB member jurisdiction by passing the ASWB exam required for the level sought (258 CMR 9.07); for the LICSW that is the ASWB Clinical exam. If your state did not require an ASWB exam, the Board's Policy 06-07 requires you to take and pass the appropriate ASWB exam as a condition of reciprocity. No Massachusetts jurisprudence exam is required. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.

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

$162 (LICSW reciprocity application fee $162, per the Board's fee table (archived June 2026). The same table adds a $105 vendor fee (ASWB's Application Processing Unit) and an $82 LICSW license fee, a $349 subtotal. A payment processing fee may also apply. LICSW renewal is $82 every two years.)

How long does the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers take?

No processing time is published on the pages reviewed.

Is Massachusetts in the Social Work Licensure Compact?

No. Massachusetts had not enacted it as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers is the route in.

What is the clinical social work license called in Massachusetts?

The LICSW. It is Massachusetts's equivalent of the LCSW, the license for independent diagnosis and treatment.

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]