Social Work License from New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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.

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Verdict

Compact enacted — endorsement for now

Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.

New Jersey 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, New Jersey → Maine

Side-by-side: New Jersey vs Maine (Social Work (LCSW / LICSW)), verified 2026-09-27
	New Jersey (current)	Maine (destination)
SW Compact status	SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing	SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee	$75–$150 (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1 (revision date 4/15/2024) lists a $75 application fee and a separate $75 endorsement fee. The endorsement rule (13:44G-4.5(b)(2)) names only the application fee, and whether the $75 endorsement fee is also charged could not be confirmed, hence the $75-$150 range. Initial clinical license fee is $160 (first year of the biennial cycle) or $80 (second year). Criminal history background check $18.75.)	$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 was found in the materials that could be retrieved.	The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online.
Licensing authority	New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs)	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

Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) ↗Maine application ↗License verification ↗Social Work Licensure Compact ↗

Frequently asked questions

Does Maine accept a New Jersey social work license?

Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from New Jersey 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 New Jersey-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.

New Jersey and Maine are both compact states. Can I practice in Maine on my New Jersey 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 New Jersey?

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.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]