Social Work License from Michigan to Washington: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Washington accept a Michigan social work license?
A social work license transfers from Michigan to Washington by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program, verify your Michigan license, and meet Washington's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: the LICSW requires the ASWB Clinical exam, and the score must be sent directly by ASWB or verified by another state where you were credentialed. No Washington jurisprudence exam is listed.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Washington has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Michigan has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program's endorsement process below is the whole route.
In Washington the clinical license is the LICSW. Apply for it under that name, whatever your Michigan license is called; boards match by scope, meaning independent diagnosis and treatment, not by initials.
What's different between Michigan and Washington
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Washington. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Michigan to Washington (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Washington to Michigan (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Michigan matter?
Coming from Michigan matters here: only 18 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Washington.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Washington has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Michigan has not.
- Application fee
Washington lists $170 for an out-of-state applicant and Michigan lists $99 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Washington and Michigan carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Washington (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken: the LICSW requires the ASWB Clinical exam, and the score must be sent directly by ASWB or verified by another state where you were credentialed. No Washington jurisprudence exam is listed.
- Michigan (the reverse move): The ASWB exam is not retaken; have ASWB send official score reports directly to LARA. For the master's social work license (LMSW) Michigan accepts the ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, and the exam passed goes with the designation you apply for. No Michigan jurisprudence exam is listed; one-time human-trafficking training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training are required instead.
What changes, Michigan → Washington
| Michigan (current) | Washington (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.) | $170 (LICSW original application and initial license fee under WAC 246-809-990, plus a $16 UW online access (HEAL-WA) fee. The WAC 246-809-990(4) probationary-license fee schedule is separate (the LICSW row was not captured cleanly). Renewal is $70 plus $16 HEAL-WA.) |
| 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 | DOH's social worker pages state no processing time |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) | Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Washington sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Washington's current requirements on the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Have each jurisdiction where you are or were credentialed send the DOH verification form directly to the department.
- Have your school send an official transcript showing a CSWE-accredited MSW or social work doctorate.
- Have ASWB send your Clinical exam score, or have another state verify it.
- Document supervised experience (3,000 hours over at least 2 years) unless you have been licensed in good standing, with no disqualifying criminal history, for over five years.
- Answer the personal data questions, with records for any professional liability claim.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Washington has enacted it and Michigan has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program is the route.
Will Washington 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. Washington's rule, where the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program 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.
- Washington DOH — Social Worker Out-of-State Applicants (probationary license, substantial equivalency, universal licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Washington DOH — Social Worker Licensing Requirements (LICSW) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- WAC 246-809-990 — Fees ↗ (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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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