Social Work License from Nebraska to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling ↗
A social work license transfers from Nebraska to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling, verify your Nebraska license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. The national clinical exam is not retaken; have your ASWB Clinical exam score (or another state board's official score report) sent directly to the Board. Florida has no state law exam, but requires an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course from a board-approved provider plus 3-hour HIV/AIDS and 2-hour domestic violence courses..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Nebraska has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Florida has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling's endorsement process below is the whole route.
What changes, Nebraska → Florida
| Nebraska (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $155–$205 (LIMHP license fee $155 (or $38.75 if applying March-August of an even year); adding the CMSW certificate costs $50 more ($205 total). Fingerprint processing is $55, paid to the Nebraska State Patrol. The initial license fee is waived for young workers (19-25), low-income applicants and military families.) | $180 ($180 total: $100 non-refundable application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee. $80 is refunded if the application is denied or withdrawn. Livescan fingerprint fees are paid to the vendor. Florida may reduce fees for military members, veterans and their spouses.) |
| Processing time | ~6 weeks (DHHS says it will email or write within approximately 30 business days (about 6 weeks) to say the license was issued or the file is incomplete; incomplete applications close after 90 days. Criminal background checks are not expedited.) | ~6 weeks (The Board says to allow up to 30 business days for the initial review of new applications (about 6 weeks). Under Fla. Stat. 456.0145 the Board must issue the license within 7 days once all documentation, including background screening, is received.) |
| Licensing authority | Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice | Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Florida sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active, unencumbered clinical social work license in another state and have actively practised for at least two of the four years before applying (Fla. Stat. 456.0145).
- Have a passing score on a national licensure exam or a recognized national certification.
- Have no National Practitioner Data Bank reports and no disciplinary actions in the past five years.
- Complete the 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course, the 3-hour HIV/AIDS course (or affidavit) and the 2-hour domestic violence course.
- Complete electronic fingerprinting through a Livescan service provider.
- Have every state that licensed you send verification directly to the Board.
- Pay the fees ($180 ($180 total: $100 non-refundable application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee. $80 is refunded if the application is denied or withdrawn. Livescan fingerprint fees are paid to the vendor. Florida may reduce fees for military members, veterans and their spouses.)) and allow ~6 weeks (The Board says to allow up to 30 business days for the initial review of new applications (about 6 weeks). Under Fla. Stat. 456.0145 the Board must issue the license within 7 days once all documentation, including background screening, is received.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Florida accept a Nebraska social work license?
A social work license transfers from Nebraska to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling, verify your Nebraska license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. The national clinical exam is not retaken; have your ASWB Clinical exam score (or another state board's official score report) sent directly to the Board. Florida has no state law exam, but requires an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course from a board-approved provider plus 3-hour HIV/AIDS and 2-hour domestic violence courses..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Nebraska to Florida?
The national clinical exam is not retaken; have your ASWB Clinical exam score (or another state board's official score report) sent directly to the Board. Florida has no state law exam, but requires an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course from a board-approved provider plus 3-hour HIV/AIDS and 2-hour domestic violence courses. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Nebraska-to-Florida move cost and how long does it take?
$180 ($180 total: $100 non-refundable application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee. $80 is refunded if the application is denied or withdrawn. Livescan fingerprint fees are paid to the vendor. Florida may reduce fees for military members, veterans and their spouses.) Processing: ~6 weeks (The Board says to allow up to 30 business days for the initial review of new applications (about 6 weeks). Under Fla. Stat. 456.0145 the Board must issue the license within 7 days once all documentation, including background screening, is received.)
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Nebraska has enacted it and Florida has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling is the route.
Will Florida accept the supervised hours I completed in Nebraska?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Florida's rule, where the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling 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.
- Florida Board of CSW, MFT and MHC — Licensed Clinical Social Worker (endorsement requirements, fees, processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Board of CSW, MFT and MHC — Application for Licensure by Endorsement (DH-MQA 5048, rev. 2/2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Statutes 491.006 — Licensure or certification by endorsement (Florida Legislature) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Statutes 456.0145 — MOBILE Act licensure by endorsement (Florida Legislature) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Department of Health — Background Screening ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Nebraska DHHS — 5-year Reciprocity Application Information, LIMHP/LMHP/CMFT/CPC/CMSW (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-01-16; dhhs.ne.gov did not resolve on 2026-09-27) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Nebraska DHHS — Mental Health and Social Work Practice licensure page (application list) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-09-10) ↗ (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]