Social Work License from New York to Maine: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Maine accept a New York social work license?
A social work license transfers from New York to Maine by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation), verify your New York license, and meet Maine's endorsement requirements. 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.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Maine has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and New York has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What's different between New York and Maine
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Maine. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New York to Maine (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Maine to New York (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from New York matter?
Coming from New York matters here: only 18 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Maine.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Maine has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; New York has not.
- Application fee
Maine lists $70 for an out-of-state applicant and New York lists $294 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Maine and New York carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Maine (this move): 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.
- New York (the reverse move): The ASWB exam is not retaken; ASWB must send the Clinical exam score directly to NYSED (scores from the candidate or other jurisdictions are not accepted). Endorsement requires that your initial clinical license was based on the ASWB clinical social work exam. No New York jurisprudence exam; New York-approved child-abuse identification and reporting coursework is required of all LCSW applicants.
What changes, New York → Maine
| New York (current) | Maine (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $294 ($294 fee for licensure and first registration (same fee for endorsement and standard applicants). Partial refunds may be available on withdrawal.) | $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 | NYSED publishes no processing time on the LCSW requirements page | The Board's pages state no processing time; applicants can check application status online |
| Licensing authority | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Social Work) | 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 listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Maine has enacted it and New York has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Maine State Board of Social Worker Licensure (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) is the route.
Will Maine accept the supervised hours I completed in New York?
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)
- NYSED Office of the Professions — LCSW License Requirements (incl. Applicants Licensed in Another State) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED Office of the Professions — Licensed Clinical Social Worker profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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