Social Work License from Minnesota to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Kentucky Board of Social Work ↗
Both Minnesota and Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky Board of 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. Kentucky knows the same tier by its own title, so apply for the Kentucky license that authorizes independent clinical practice rather than one whose initials happen to match.
What changes, Minnesota → Kentucky
| Minnesota (current) | Kentucky (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.) | $25 ($25 nonrefundable application fee paid online; after review the Board invoices the LCSW license fee of $200 (201 KAR 23:020 lists LCSW initial and renewal license fees of $200). No fingerprint/background-check fee is described on the Board's licensure page.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published in the materials reviewed; the application closes if not completed within one year. | The Board's licensure page states no processing time. Out-of-state licensees who need to practise sooner can get a non-renewable 90-day temporary permit (201 KAR 23:160). |
| Licensing authority | Minnesota Board of Social Work | Kentucky Board of Social Work |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kentucky sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Board of Social Work website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky Board of Social Work (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online for the LCSW (Kentucky has no reciprocity with any state, so out-of-state licensees use the standard application).
- Have ASWB send an Official Transfer Score Report directly to the Board.
- Have your university send the official transcript conferring your social work degree directly to the Board.
- Have every state board where you hold a license send official license verification directly to the Board.
- Document two years plus 150 hours of supervision by an approved LCSW, or show clinical-level licensure elsewhere and/or five years of active clinical practice.
- Pay the fees ($25 ($25 nonrefundable application fee paid online; after review the Board invoices the LCSW license fee of $200 (201 KAR 23:020 lists LCSW initial and renewal license fees of $200). No fingerprint/background-check fee is described on the Board's licensure page.)) and allow The Board's licensure page states no processing time. Out-of-state licensees who need to practise sooner can get a non-renewable 90-day temporary permit (201 KAR 23:160)..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kentucky accept a Minnesota social work license?
Both Minnesota and Kentucky 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 Kentucky?
The ASWB exam is not retaken; ask ASWB to send an 'Official Transfer Score Report' directly to the Board. Kentucky accepts the ASWB Bachelors, Masters and Clinical categories and does NOT accept the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam. The Board's licensure page names no separate Kentucky jurisprudence exam. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Minnesota-to-Kentucky move cost and how long does it take?
$25 ($25 nonrefundable application fee paid online; after review the Board invoices the LCSW license fee of $200 (201 KAR 23:020 lists LCSW initial and renewal license fees of $200). No fingerprint/background-check fee is described on the Board's licensure page.) Processing: The Board's licensure page states no processing time. Out-of-state licensees who need to practise sooner can get a non-renewable 90-day temporary permit (201 KAR 23:160).
Minnesota and Kentucky are both compact states. Can I practice in Kentucky 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 Kentucky. You need a Kentucky license from the Kentucky Board of Social Work.
Will Kentucky 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. Kentucky's rule, where the Kentucky Board of 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.
- Kentucky Board of Social Work — Licensure page, 'Out of State Licenses' section (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-06-15; bsw.ky.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 201 KAR 23:020 Fees (LII reproduction of the Kentucky Administrative Regulations; apps.legislature.ky.gov did not respond) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 201 KAR 23:060 LSW, CSW and LCSW license categories (LII reproduction of the Kentucky Administrative Regulations) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Kentucky Administrative Regulations Chapter 23 index incl. 201 KAR 23:012 Social Work Licensure Compact (LII reproduction) ↗ (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]