Social Work License from Minnesota to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) ↗
Both Minnesota and Connecticut have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — endorsement for now
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
Minnesota and Connecticut have both enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27. Shared enactment changes nothing about this move today: you apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
Minnesota calls its clinical license the LICSW. Connecticut knows the same tier by its own title, so apply for the Connecticut license that authorizes independent clinical practice rather than one whose initials happen to match.
What changes, Minnesota → Connecticut
| Minnesota (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $115 (Endorsement application fee $115, or $147 when paid together with the fingerprint criminal background check fee (Board application form, 2025 fee update; statutory maximum in Minn. Stat. 148E.180 subd. 1 is $115). After approval, the LICSW license fee is up to $335 (148E.180 subd. 2, prorated if the first term is not 24 months). All steps must be completed within one year of application.) | $0 (The Department's LCSW requirements page says 'There is no application fee', and its Social Work Licensure page lists the initial application as no fee. Renewal is $200.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published in the materials reviewed; the application closes if not completed within one year. | No processing time is published on the Department's social work pages. |
| Licensing authority | Minnesota Board of Social Work | Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online through Connecticut eLicense with a photograph.
- Have every state where you hold or have ever held a license send official verification directly to the Department.
- Standard route: send an official transcript and the ASWB Clinical exam result.
- Standard route: have your employer send a letter confirming three years of licensed clinical practice in another state, in place of the work-experience and supervision requirement.
- 4-year route: hold a license in good standing for at least 4 years, with no discipline, pending complaints or surrender under investigation.
- Pay the fees ($0 (The Department's LCSW requirements page says 'There is no application fee', and its Social Work Licensure page lists the initial application as no fee. Renewal is $200.)) and allow No processing time is published on the Department's social work pages..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut accept a Minnesota social work license?
Both Minnesota and Connecticut have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Minnesota to Connecticut?
On the standard route for applicants licensed elsewhere, the ASWB Clinical exam is required but not retaken; have ASWB send the passing score. On the route for applicants licensed at least 4 years in another US state, no exam, transcript or training verification is required. No Connecticut 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 Minnesota-to-Connecticut move cost and how long does it take?
$0 (The Department's LCSW requirements page says 'There is no application fee', and its Social Work Licensure page lists the initial application as no fee. Renewal is $200.) Processing: No processing time is published on the Department's social work pages.
Minnesota and Connecticut are both compact states. Can I practice in Connecticut on my Minnesota license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Connecticut. You need a Connecticut license from the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work).
Will Connecticut accept the supervised hours I completed in Minnesota?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Connecticut's rule, where the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) 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.
- Connecticut DPH — LCSW Licensing Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut DPH — Social Work Licensure (fees and pathways) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut DPH — Applicants Licensed in Another US State for at Least 4 Years ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota Statutes 148E.055 License requirements (subd. 5a LICSW by endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota Statutes 148E.180 Fee amounts ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota Board of Social Work — Standard License Application, Information and Instructions (2025 fees update) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Minnesota Board of Social Work — Requirements for Social Work Licensure in Minnesota (presentation, March 26, 2026) ↗ (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]