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LicenseReciprocity

Social Work License from Michigan to Alaska: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) ↗

A social work license transfers from Michigan to Alaska by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing), verify your Michigan license, and meet Alaska's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. The credentials application asks whether you passed the ASWB Clinical-level exam. To meet the continuing-competency rule (12 AAC 18.112) you either passed the Clinical exam within the two years before applying (request an ASWB score transfer to Alaska) or document 1,500 hours of social work in the past five years plus 45 CE hours. No Alaska jurisprudence exam is required..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

The compact question does not arise here. Alaska has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Michigan has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.

What changes, Michigan → Alaska

Side-by-side: Michigan vs Alaska (Social Work (LCSW / LICSW)), verified 2026-09-27
Michigan (current)Alaska (destination)
SW Compact statusLicensure by endorsementSW Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee$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.)$425 (Paid together with the application: $100 non-refundable application fee + $325 initial license fee (form 08-4871, rev. 04/21/2026). Alaska offers no temporary clinical license. Licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years.)
Processing timeNo 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.The Division says only that average processing time varies by program; once the file is complete and fees are paid, it goes to the Board for approval. Applications are reviewed in the order received.
Licensing authorityMichigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing)Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Alaska sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Alaska's current requirements on the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold a current clinical social work license from a jurisdiction whose requirements, when your license was first issued, were equal to or stricter than Alaska's (AS 08.95.120).
  5. Have every jurisdiction where you have ever held a social work license send verification, including any discipline, directly to the Division.
  6. Submit three professional references on form 08-4871c, including one from a current or previous employer supervisor.
  7. Show continuing competency by passing the ASWB Clinical exam within the past two years, or by documenting 1,500 hours of social work practice in the past five years (form 08-4871d).
  8. If you qualify by practice hours, also document 45 CE hours from the past five years, including 6 in substance abuse, 3 in ethics, 3 in teletherapy and 3 in suicide education.
  9. Register with the Telemedicine Business Registry if you will practise teletherapy.
  10. Pay the fees ($425 (Paid together with the application: $100 non-refundable application fee + $325 initial license fee (form 08-4871, rev. 04/21/2026). Alaska offers no temporary clinical license. Licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years.)) and allow The Division says only that average processing time varies by program; once the file is complete and fees are paid, it goes to the Board for approval. Applications are reviewed in the order received..

Official links

Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) ↗Alaska application ↗License verification ↗Social Work Licensure Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Alaska → MichiganSocial Work in MichiganSocial Work in AlaskaAll social work statesThe SW Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Alaska accept a Michigan social work license?

A social work license transfers from Michigan to Alaska by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing), verify your Michigan license, and meet Alaska's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. The credentials application asks whether you passed the ASWB Clinical-level exam. To meet the continuing-competency rule (12 AAC 18.112) you either passed the Clinical exam within the two years before applying (request an ASWB score transfer to Alaska) or document 1,500 hours of social work in the past five years plus 45 CE hours. No Alaska jurisprudence exam is required..

Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Michigan to Alaska?

The ASWB exam is not retaken. The credentials application asks whether you passed the ASWB Clinical-level exam. To meet the continuing-competency rule (12 AAC 18.112) you either passed the Clinical exam within the two years before applying (request an ASWB score transfer to Alaska) or document 1,500 hours of social work in the past five years plus 45 CE hours. No Alaska jurisprudence exam is required. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.

What does the Michigan-to-Alaska move cost and how long does it take?

$425 (Paid together with the application: $100 non-refundable application fee + $325 initial license fee (form 08-4871, rev. 04/21/2026). Alaska offers no temporary clinical license. Licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years.) Processing: The Division says only that average processing time varies by program; once the file is complete and fees are paid, it goes to the Board for approval. Applications are reviewed in the order received.

Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?

No. Alaska has enacted it and Michigan has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) is the route.

Will Alaska accept the supervised hours I completed in Michigan?

Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Alaska's rule, where the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and 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.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]