Social Work License Reciprocity by State (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27
49 of 51 US jurisdictions license an out-of-state clinical social worker by endorsement (Georgia, Hawaii do not), accepting the ASWB exam score you already hold. 33 states have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and 18 have not, but none is issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27.
Check your exact transfer pathway
Pathway, requirements, fees, and board links for your specific state pair.
The pathways, applied to social work
Licensure by endorsement (how every move works today)
You apply to the destination board as someone already licensed. It verifies your current license is active and in good standing, confirms your MSW and your ASWB score, and usually runs a criminal background check; some boards add a law or ethics exam or course. The labels differ from board to board (endorsement, reciprocity, licensure by credentials), but the substance is the same review, and none of them issues a license just because another state did.
Your ASWB score: sent, never retaken
The ASWB exam is the common currency. No board asks a licensed social worker to sit it again; instead you request a score transfer in ASWBCentral, pay ASWB $40, and the score reaches the new board in 7-10 business days. The catch is the category. Some boards license the clinical tier only on the ASWB Clinical exam, while others also accept the Advanced Generalist, so check the destination's rule before you assume your score qualifies.
Supervised experience and the clinical tier
Clinical licensure rests on post-MSW supervised practice, and states count it differently. Most boards credit hours you completed under your former state's rules; a minority set them against their own figure, often around 3,000 hours across two or more years. Apply for the tier that matches what you do. If your license authorizes independent diagnosis and treatment, you want the destination's clinical license, whether it is called an LCSW, LICSW or LISW.
The Social Work Licensure Compact (enacted, not issuing)
The compact will eventually let a social worker hold one multistate license, issued by the home state where they live, and practice in every member state. It is not there yet. There is no application, no fee schedule and no data system, and the commission's own estimate for that system is Spring 2027. Until it launches, membership changes nothing about your application in any state.
ASWB's Social Work Registry, a credentials bank that forwarded transcripts and supervision records to boards, closed to new applications and renewals on March 16, 2026 and shuts down on March 31, 2027. This site does not treat it as a live option. Your ASWB exam records stay available through ASWBCentral.
This dataset covers the clinical-level license only: the post-master's license that authorizes independent diagnosis and treatment. Bachelor's and master's tiers (LBSW, LMSW and their equivalents) carry their own requirements, and nothing here should be read as describing them.
The master matrix: every state by pathway
| Pathway (as destination) | States |
|---|---|
| SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing(33) | Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin |
| Licensure by endorsement(17) | California, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Wyoming |
| Full re-application required(1) | Hawaii |
Fees & timelines: the spread
Lowest verified application fees
- Connecticut$0
- Kentucky$25
- South Carolina$45
- Indiana$50
- Kansas$50
Highest verified application fees
- Hawaii$298–$478
- Alaska$425
- Wyoming$375
- New Hampshire$325
- New York$294
Processing times range from ~2 weeks (Louisiana) to ~9 weeks (Maryland) — where a board publishes no timeframe, the state page says so honestly instead of guessing.
Frequently asked questions
How does social work license reciprocity work in 2026?
49 of 51 US jurisdictions license an out-of-state clinical social worker by endorsement (Georgia, Hawaii do not), accepting the ASWB exam score you already hold. 33 states have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and 18 have not, but none is issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27.
Is the Social Work Licensure Compact active yet?
Not in any practical sense. The compact reached its seven-state activation threshold on April 12, 2024 and its commission first met in September 2024, but as of 2026-09-27 no multistate license can be applied for or issued. The commission's July 2026 update estimated its data system for Spring 2027; that is the commission's target, not a launch date.
Which states have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact?
33 states as of 2026-09-27: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin. New Mexico, South Carolina passed versions with material changes and are not on the commission's member list. Enactment does not mean a state is issuing anything; none is yet.
Do I have to retake the ASWB exam in a new state?
No. The exam is national and your passing score stays valid; ASWB sends it to the new board through score transfer, which costs $40 and takes 7-10 business days once you request it in ASWBCentral. Check which category the destination wants for the clinical license, because some boards accept only the Clinical exam while others also take the Advanced Generalist.
My license is an LCSW. What if the new state uses a different title?
Apply for the license that authorizes independent clinical practice, whatever that state calls it. Ohio's clinical license is the LISW; the District of Columbia's is the LICSW, and DC's own LISW is a separate non-clinical license, so applying for it by mistake puts you in the wrong tier.
Will my supervised hours count in the new state?
Usually. Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but a few compare your hours against their own requirement, which commonly runs to about 3,000 hours over two or more years. The state pages record each board's rule where it publishes one.
Can I use the ASWB Social Work Registry to send my records?
Not as a new user. ASWB stopped accepting new Registry applications and renewals on March 16, 2026, and the Registry shuts down on March 31, 2027. Send transcripts and supervision verification the way the destination board instructs; your exam records remain available through ASWBCentral.
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]