Transfer Your Social Work License to Mississippi: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT) ↗
A clinical social work license moves to Mississippi through licensure by endorsement with the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT): license verification, your ASWB score sent by score transfer, and Mississippi's own checks. Expect $187 (LMSW/LCSW reciprocity total $187, paid through the applicant portal; the Board states this total includes the application fee, initial license fee and background check fee ($50 fingerprint processing). The Board does not publish the split.); processing 4–6 weeks (The Board says fingerprint processing may take 4-6 weeks, longer if prints are unreadable, and the background check must be received before an application is considered. No overall processing time is published.). Mississippi has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so the compact does not change this application.
Moving to Mississippi from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Mississippi's legislature has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and you may see Mississippi described as a compact state. In practice that means nothing yet. No multistate license has been issued anywhere, there is no application to file, and a license from another compact state gives you no right to practice in Mississippi. Plan on the endorsement file below; the compact becomes relevant only once the commission launches, and its stated target for the data system that launch depends on is Spring 2027.
Mississippi's clinical-level license is the LCSW, which in Mississippi stands for Licensed Certified Social Worker; the other tiers are the LSW and LMSW. Under the Board's rules, reciprocity/endorsement requires a comparable license in good standing from a state whose qualifications are equal to or greater than Mississippi's, plus the ASWB exam prescribed for the level; pending complaints elsewhere must be resolved first. Applicants may alternatively apply under Mississippi's Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act (Miss. Code Ann. §73-50-2), which issues a license at the same practice level; the Board's Universal Recognition Affidavit cannot be completed until you have been licensed out of state for one year. Mississippi has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it is not yet issuing multistate licenses, so reciprocity/universal recognition is the only route in.
Mississippi requirements at a glance
| Exam | The ASWB exam is not retaken; submit a passing ASWB score through ASWB score transfer. The Board's rules require that the exam you passed be the one ASWB prescribes for the level sought (the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW); exams administered by individual states are not considered equal. No Mississippi jurisprudence exam is listed. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $187 (LMSW/LCSW reciprocity total $187, paid through the applicant portal; the Board states this total includes the application fee, initial license fee and background check fee ($50 fingerprint processing). The Board does not publish the split.) |
| Processing time | 4–6 weeks (The Board says fingerprint processing may take 4-6 weeks, longer if prints are unreadable, and the background check must be received before an application is considered. No overall processing time is published.) |
Step by step
- Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online through the Board's applicant portal using the Reciprocity Application checklist.
- Hold a CSWE-accredited MSW and an active social work license in another state.
- Have your current state licensing agency send an out-of-state license verification.
- Submit supervision documentation for the LCSW level.
- Request a fingerprint card for the Mississippi CIC/FBI criminal history and sex offender registry checks.
- Send an official sealed transcript or the Board's Verification of Education form.
- Pay the fees ($187 (LMSW/LCSW reciprocity total $187, paid through the applicant portal; the Board states this total includes the application fee, initial license fee and background check fee ($50 fingerprint processing). The Board does not publish the split.)) and allow 4–6 weeks (The Board says fingerprint processing may take 4-6 weeks, longer if prints are unreadable, and the background check must be received before an application is considered. No overall processing time is published.).
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Mississippi:
All 39 origin states
Nearby states
Social Work license transfer into the states bordering Mississippi:
Mississippi for other professions
- Nursing in Mississippi
- Cosmetology / Barber in Mississippi
- Real Estate in Mississippi
- Contractor in Mississippi
- Teaching in Mississippi
- CPA / Accounting in Mississippi
- Electrician in Mississippi
- Plumber in Mississippi
- Engineering in Mississippi
- Pharmacy in Mississippi
- Physical Therapy in Mississippi
- Psychology in Mississippi
- Counseling in Mississippi
- Occupational Therapy in Mississippi
Frequently asked questions
Does my social work license transfer to Mississippi?
A clinical social work license moves to Mississippi through licensure by endorsement with the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT): license verification, your ASWB score sent by score transfer, and Mississippi's own checks. Expect $187 (LMSW/LCSW reciprocity total $187, paid through the applicant portal; the Board states this total includes the application fee, initial license fee and background check fee ($50 fingerprint processing). The Board does not publish the split.); processing 4–6 weeks (The Board says fingerprint processing may take 4-6 weeks, longer if prints are unreadable, and the background check must be received before an application is considered. No overall processing time is published.). Mississippi has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so the compact does not change this application.
Do I have to retake the ASWB exam to get licensed in Mississippi?
The ASWB exam is not retaken; submit a passing ASWB score through ASWB score transfer. The Board's rules require that the exam you passed be the one ASWB prescribes for the level sought (the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW); exams administered by individual states are not considered equal. No Mississippi jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
How much does a Mississippi clinical social work license cost for an out-of-state applicant?
$187 (LMSW/LCSW reciprocity total $187, paid through the applicant portal; the Board states this total includes the application fee, initial license fee and background check fee ($50 fingerprint processing). The Board does not publish the split.)
How long does the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT) take?
4–6 weeks (The Board says fingerprint processing may take 4-6 weeks, longer if prints are unreadable, and the background check must be received before an application is considered. No overall processing time is published.)
Is Mississippi in the Social Work Licensure Compact?
Mississippi has enacted it, but the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. No one can practice in Mississippi on a compact license yet; endorsement through the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT) is the route.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- MBOESWMFT — Reciprocity Application Checklist and packet (rev. 03/14/2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- MBOESWMFT — Social Work Forms and Licensing Information (reciprocity, UROLA note) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- MBOESWMFT — 2022 Amended Rules and Regulations (Licensure by Reciprocity/Endorsement) ↗ (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]