Transfer Your Social Work License to Minnesota: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Minnesota Board of Social Work ↗
Yes, by endorsement. The Minnesota Board of Social Work issues Minnesota's clinical license (the LICSW) to social workers already licensed at the clinical level elsewhere, verifying your license and accepting your ASWB score rather than retesting you. 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.). Processing: No processing time is published in the materials reviewed; the application closes if not completed within one year.. Minnesota is a Social Work Licensure Compact state on paper only: nothing was being issued as of 2026-09-27, and endorsement through the Minnesota Board of Social Work is the route in.
Moving to Minnesota from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Being a compact state has not changed how Minnesota licenses incoming social workers. The Social Work Licensure Compact is law here but was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so the Minnesota Board of Social Work handles every out-of-state applicant through the steps below. If you expect to work across state lines later, a Minnesota license will be a sensible base once the compact is running; the commission's stated target for its data system is Spring 2027.
Minnesota's clinical license is the LICSW. Apply for it by that name; the board matches your current license by what it authorizes, independent diagnosis and treatment, not by its initials.
Minnesota's clinical-level license is the LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker), confirmed on the Board's own 2026 materials and in Minn. Stat. 148E.055; the other tiers are the LSW, LGSW and LISW (independent, non-clinical, based on the Advanced Generalist exam). Minnesota's by-exam LICSW needs an MSW, 360 clinical clock hours, 200 hours of supervision over 4,000-8,000 hours of practice, and the ASWB Clinical exam, but none of that is re-examined on the endorsement route. Minnesota has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (148E.180 already sets compact multistate fees), but the compact is not yet issuing multistate licenses, so endorsement is the only route in. The Board's HTML pages (mn.gov/boards/social-work/...) were behind a bot-check on 2026-09-27; the Board's own PDFs and the Revisor's statute pages loaded and were used.
Minnesota requirements at a glance
| Exam | No exam is required for the LICSW by endorsement: Minn. Stat. 148E.055 subd. 5a requires an active independent-clinical-level license elsewhere, a master's degree, a criminal background check and fees, with no exam condition, so no ASWB score transfer is needed on that route. (The LICSW by examination uses the ASWB Clinical exam.) No Minnesota jurisprudence exam is required. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $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.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published in the materials reviewed; the application closes if not completed within one year. |
Step by step
- Confirm Minnesota's current requirements on the Minnesota Board of Social Work website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Minnesota Board of Social Work (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active independent clinical-level social work license or credential in another jurisdiction (a master's-level license qualifies only for the LGSW).
- Hold a master's degree from an accredited college or university.
- Complete a fingerprint-based criminal background check (Minn. Stat. 214.075) unless you already hold a current Minnesota social work license.
- Have each licensing agency submit verification of your other-jurisdiction credentials.
- Pay the LICSW license fee after the Board approves the application.
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow No processing time is published in the materials reviewed; the application closes if not completed within one year..
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Minnesota:
All 39 origin states
Nearby states
Social Work license transfer into the states bordering Minnesota:
Minnesota for other professions
- Nursing in Minnesota
- Cosmetology / Barber in Minnesota
- Real Estate in Minnesota
- Contractor in Minnesota
- Teaching in Minnesota
- CPA / Accounting in Minnesota
- Electrician in Minnesota
- Plumber in Minnesota
- Engineering in Minnesota
- Pharmacy in Minnesota
- Physical Therapy in Minnesota
- Psychology in Minnesota
- Counseling in Minnesota
- Occupational Therapy in Minnesota
Frequently asked questions
Does my social work license transfer to Minnesota?
Yes, by endorsement. The Minnesota Board of Social Work issues Minnesota's clinical license (the LICSW) to social workers already licensed at the clinical level elsewhere, verifying your license and accepting your ASWB score rather than retesting you. 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.). Processing: No processing time is published in the materials reviewed; the application closes if not completed within one year.. Minnesota is a Social Work Licensure Compact state on paper only: nothing was being issued as of 2026-09-27, and endorsement through the Minnesota Board of Social Work is the route in.
Do I have to retake the ASWB exam to get licensed in Minnesota?
No exam is required for the LICSW by endorsement: Minn. Stat. 148E.055 subd. 5a requires an active independent-clinical-level license elsewhere, a master's degree, a criminal background check and fees, with no exam condition, so no ASWB score transfer is needed on that route. (The LICSW by examination uses the ASWB Clinical exam.) No Minnesota jurisprudence exam is required. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
How much does a Minnesota clinical social work license cost for an out-of-state applicant?
$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.)
How long does the Minnesota Board of Social Work take?
No processing time is published in the materials reviewed; the application closes if not completed within one year.
Is Minnesota in the Social Work Licensure Compact?
Minnesota has enacted it, but the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. No one can practice in Minnesota on a compact license yet; endorsement through the Minnesota Board of Social Work is the route.
What is the clinical social work license called in Minnesota?
The LICSW. It is Minnesota's equivalent of the LCSW, the license for independent diagnosis and treatment.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (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]