Social Work License from New Hampshire to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists ↗
Both New Hampshire and Georgia 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 under the destination state's standard out-of-state process.
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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.
New Hampshire and Georgia 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 Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists through its full new-applicant process, because Georgia offers no endorsement route, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, New Hampshire → Georgia
| New Hampshire (current) | Georgia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $325 (Clinical social worker (including conditional) application fee $325, which includes the mandatory $28 Professional Health Program fee; renewal $325 (active) or $105 (inactive). Criminal background check fees are paid separately (amount not stated on the pages reviewed).) | $100 (The Board's fee schedule (04/18/2023) lists a $100 application fee for CSW applications, plus a $10 processing fee on mail-in applications. The Board no longer accepts paper applications, and GOALS shows the current fee schedule. The schedule's separate $350 licensure-by-endorsement fee is marked 'NOT APPLICABLE TO SOCIAL WORKERS'.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published. Under Plc 313.07(c) OPLC may issue an 'Active-Provisional' license to an endorsement-qualified applicant while criminal-record results are pending. | ~4 weeks (The Board says applications are generally processed within 20 business days of receipt (about 4 weeks). The count restarts after a deficiency letter. Complete applications then go to the next Board meeting and must arrive at least 15 days before it.) |
| Licensing authority | New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Review Georgia's initial-licensure requirements on the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists website (linked below).
- Expect to meet Georgia's education/experience requirements and pass any required exams you have not already passed — a national exam you passed often still counts, as can prior out-of-state licensure toward experience.
- Submit the standard (new applicant) application with fees ($100 (The Board's fee schedule (04/18/2023) lists a $100 application fee for CSW applications, plus a $10 processing fee on mail-in applications. The Board no longer accepts paper applications, and GOALS shows the current fee schedule. The schedule's separate $350 licensure-by-endorsement fee is marked 'NOT APPLICABLE TO SOCIAL WORKERS'.)).
- Allow ~4 weeks (The Board says applications are generally processed within 20 business days of receipt (about 4 weeks). The count restarts after a deficiency letter. Complete applications then go to the next Board meeting and must arrive at least 15 days before it.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Georgia accept a New Hampshire social work license?
Both New Hampshire and Georgia 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 under the destination state's standard out-of-state process.
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from New Hampshire to Georgia?
The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken: an out-of-state LCSW applies by 'Exam Waiver' and submits the national exam passing score report. No Georgia jurisprudence exam is listed. However, the Board does NOT offer clinical social work licensure by endorsement or reciprocity; you must otherwise meet all of Georgia's CSW requirements. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the New Hampshire-to-Georgia move cost and how long does it take?
$100 (The Board's fee schedule (04/18/2023) lists a $100 application fee for CSW applications, plus a $10 processing fee on mail-in applications. The Board no longer accepts paper applications, and GOALS shows the current fee schedule. The schedule's separate $350 licensure-by-endorsement fee is marked 'NOT APPLICABLE TO SOCIAL WORKERS'.) Processing: ~4 weeks (The Board says applications are generally processed within 20 business days of receipt (about 4 weeks). The count restarts after a deficiency letter. Complete applications then go to the next Board meeting and must arrive at least 15 days before it.)
New Hampshire and Georgia are both compact states. Can I practice in Georgia on my New Hampshire license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Georgia. You need a Georgia license from the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists.
Will Georgia accept the supervised hours I completed in New Hampshire?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Georgia's rule, where the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists 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.
- Georgia Secretary of State — How to Guide: Clinical Social Worker ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Composite Board — Fee Schedule (04/18/2023) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-5-.04 — Clinical Social Workers (official rule text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-3-.04 — Licensure by Endorsement (PC and MFT only) (official rule text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Composite Board — Clinical Social Worker Form N (verification of licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — New Changes for Reciprocity in New Hampshire (HB 594 license types incl. Clinical Social Worker; application process) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-08-21; oplc.nh.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — Board of Mental Health Practice License Fees (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-04-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — FAQs about new Reciprocity Rules (HB 594) (Internet Archive copy captured 2025-06-07) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — Instructions and Checklist, Licensure as an Independent Clinical Social Worker (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-05-18) ↗ (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]