Social Work License from Missouri to Maine: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) ↗
Both Missouri and Maine 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.
Missouri and Maine 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 Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, Missouri → Maine
| Missouri (current) | Maine (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $75 (Reciprocity application fee $75 (form MO 375-0901, rev. 8-2025), nonrefundable, payable by cashier's check, money order, personal check or bank draft. Fingerprinting is paid separately to IdentoGO/MACHS (amount not stated on the Committee's pages).) | $70 (The Board's licensing page lists $70 license fee plus $21 criminal history check for initial issuance; all fees nonrefundable. Renewal is $70 every 2 years.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published; fingerprint results are valid for one year. A temporary permit request form exists for reciprocity applicants. | The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online. |
| Licensing authority | Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration) | Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maine sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active LCSW-equivalent license from a U.S. jurisdiction whose pathway requires a social work master's, the ASWB Clinical exam and supervised clinical experience.
- Submit the Online Endorsement Application for Licensure.
- Have official verifications sent for every professional license you hold or have ever held, including expired ones.
- Be in good standing everywhere licensed: no pending complaints, restrictions, surrenders or revocations.
- Complete the criminal history record check required for initial licensure.
- Pay the fees ($70 (The Board's licensing page lists $70 license fee plus $21 criminal history check for initial issuance; all fees nonrefundable. Renewal is $70 every 2 years.)) and allow The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maine accept a Missouri social work license?
Both Missouri and Maine 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 Missouri to Maine?
No exam is retaken and no score report is listed among the endorsement documents: Maine's Chapter 12 test is whether your licensing jurisdiction's pathway requires, at minimum, a social work master's, the ASWB Clinical exam and supervised clinical experience. Maine's own LC route requires the ASWB Clinical exam. No Maine jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Missouri-to-Maine move cost and how long does it take?
$70 (The Board's licensing page lists $70 license fee plus $21 criminal history check for initial issuance; all fees nonrefundable. Renewal is $70 every 2 years.) Processing: The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online.
Missouri and Maine are both compact states. Can I practice in Maine on my Missouri license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Maine. You need a Maine license from the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation).
Will Maine accept the supervised hours I completed in Missouri?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Maine's rule, where the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) 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.
- Maine Board of Social Worker Licensure — Licensing and Forms (LC license, Licensure by Endorsement, fees) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-04-18; maine.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 02-416 CMR Chapter 12 — Licensure by Endorsement (Board rule, official DOCX) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Reciprocity page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Application for Licensure by Reciprocity (MO 375-0901, 8-2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Frequently Asked Questions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Criminal Background Checks / Fingerprinting instructions ↗ (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]