Social Work License from Minnesota to New Jersey: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) ↗
Both Minnesota and New Jersey 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.
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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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
Minnesota calls its clinical license the LICSW. New Jersey knows the same tier by its own title, so apply for the New Jersey license that authorizes independent clinical practice rather than one whose initials happen to match.
What changes, Minnesota → New Jersey
| Minnesota (current) | New Jersey (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.) | $75–$150 (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1 (revision date 4/15/2024) lists a $75 application fee and a separate $75 endorsement fee. The endorsement rule (13:44G-4.5(b)(2)) names only the application fee, and whether the $75 endorsement fee is also charged could not be confirmed, hence the $75-$150 range. Initial clinical license fee is $160 (first year of the biennial cycle) or $80 (second year). Criminal history background check $18.75.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published in the materials reviewed; the application closes if not completed within one year. | No processing time was found in the materials that could be retrieved. |
| Licensing authority | Minnesota Board of Social Work | New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Jersey sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Jersey's current requirements on the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a license in a U.S. jurisdiction whose education and experience requirements are substantially the same as New Jersey's.
- Document the LCSW education and experience: CSWE MSW, 12 semester hours of clinical coursework, and 3,000 supervised post-MSW clinical hours over 2-4 years.
- Submit the application with exam results and an official license verification for any out-of-state social work credential.
- Sign the consent for a criminal history background check (fingerprinting unless already fingerprinted for a NJ Division of Consumer Affairs board since November 2003).
- Pay the fees ($75–$150 (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1 (revision date 4/15/2024) lists a $75 application fee and a separate $75 endorsement fee. The endorsement rule (13:44G-4.5(b)(2)) names only the application fee, and whether the $75 endorsement fee is also charged could not be confirmed, hence the $75-$150 range. Initial clinical license fee is $160 (first year of the biennial cycle) or $80 (second year). Criminal history background check $18.75.)) and allow No processing time was found in the materials that could be retrieved..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New Jersey accept a Minnesota social work license?
Both Minnesota and New Jersey 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 New Jersey?
The exam is not retaken: N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.5 exempts an out-of-state licensee from the exam if they passed an exam similar to the Board-required one (for the LCSW, the ASWB Clinical exam); submit your exam results (an ASWB score report or the score on your out-of-state license verification). No New Jersey 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-New Jersey move cost and how long does it take?
$75–$150 (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1 (revision date 4/15/2024) lists a $75 application fee and a separate $75 endorsement fee. The endorsement rule (13:44G-4.5(b)(2)) names only the application fee, and whether the $75 endorsement fee is also charged could not be confirmed, hence the $75-$150 range. Initial clinical license fee is $160 (first year of the biennial cycle) or $80 (second year). Criminal history background check $18.75.) Processing: No processing time was found in the materials that could be retrieved.
Minnesota and New Jersey are both compact states. Can I practice in New Jersey 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 New Jersey. You need a New Jersey license from the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs).
Will New Jersey 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. New Jersey's rule, where the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) 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.
- N.J.A.C. 13:44G State Board of Social Work Examiners, last revision 4/15/2024 (4.1 LCSW eligibility, 4.5 Endorsement, 14.1 Fees) (Internet Archive copy captured 2025-05-16; njconsumeraffairs.gov is behind an Incapsula bot-block) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NJ Board of Social Work Examiners — Application for Licensure as an LCSW (Internet Archive copy captured 2024-02-03) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NJ Board of Social Work Examiners — home page (license levels) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-09-05) ↗ (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]