Social Work License from Michigan to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) ↗
A social work license transfers from Michigan to Rhode Island by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health), verify your Michigan license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. For the LICSW, the ASWB score (the application names the Clinical exam) must come directly from ASWB or on the verification from your original licensing state. There is no separate Rhode Island law or ethics exam in the application instructions..
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only Rhode Island has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and since the compact is not issuing multistate licenses anywhere, that difference does not affect this move. You apply to the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) by endorsement, with your Michigan license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What changes, Michigan → Rhode Island
| Michigan (current) | Rhode Island (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW 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.) | $70 (Application fee per the Board's LCSW/LICSW application (rev. 12/19/2025). A framed license certificate is an optional $30. The application lists no background-check fee.) |
| Processing time | No 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. | RIDOH states no processing time and says it will not speed up any one applicant at others' expense. Applications stay valid for one year from receipt. |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) | Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Rhode Island sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Rhode Island's current requirements on the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Mail the paper application with the $70 non-refundable fee payable to the RI General Treasurer.
- Have each state where you hold or held a license send a verification directly (Interstate Verification Form), including your ASWB score.
- Have the school of social work send an official MSW or doctoral transcript directly to the Board.
- Submit the Supervised Practice Form, unless your endorsing state's verification confirms the supervised-practice prerequisite.
- Submit a valid photo ID and a certified birth record or naturalization or immigration papers.
- Pay the fees ($70 (Application fee per the Board's LCSW/LICSW application (rev. 12/19/2025). A framed license certificate is an optional $30. The application lists no background-check fee.)) and allow RIDOH states no processing time and says it will not speed up any one applicant at others' expense. Applications stay valid for one year from receipt..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Rhode Island accept a Michigan social work license?
A social work license transfers from Michigan to Rhode Island by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health), verify your Michigan license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. For the LICSW, the ASWB score (the application names the Clinical exam) must come directly from ASWB or on the verification from your original licensing state. There is no separate Rhode Island law or ethics exam in the application instructions..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Michigan to Rhode Island?
The ASWB exam is not retaken. For the LICSW, the ASWB score (the application names the Clinical exam) must come directly from ASWB or on the verification from your original licensing state. There is no separate Rhode Island law or ethics exam in the application instructions. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Michigan-to-Rhode Island move cost and how long does it take?
$70 (Application fee per the Board's LCSW/LICSW application (rev. 12/19/2025). A framed license certificate is an optional $30. The application lists no background-check fee.) Processing: RIDOH states no processing time and says it will not speed up any one applicant at others' expense. Applications stay valid for one year from receipt.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Rhode Island has enacted it and Michigan has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) is the route.
Will Rhode Island 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. Rhode Island's rule, where the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) 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.
- RIDOH — Instructions and Application for License as LCSW / LICSW, rev. 12/19/2025 (Internet Archive copy of 2026-06-08; health.ri.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- RIDOH — Social Work licensing page (Internet Archive copy of 2026-06-10; June 2025 statute change, verification link) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024 (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-04-22; michigan.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Social Work FAQs rev. 9/19/2024 (accepted ASWB exams) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-01-09) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Social Worker profession page (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-06-11) ↗ (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]