Social Work License from Rhode Island to Nebraska: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice ↗
Both Rhode Island and Nebraska 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.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — endorsement for now
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
Rhode Island and Nebraska 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 Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, Rhode Island → Nebraska
| Rhode Island (current) | Nebraska (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $70 (Application fee per the Board's LCSW/LICSW application (rev. 12/19/2025). A framed license certificate is an optional $30. The application lists no background-check 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.) |
| Processing time | RIDOH states no processing time and says it will not speed up any one applicant at others' expense. Applications stay valid for one year from receipt. | ~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.) |
| Licensing authority | Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) | Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Nebraska sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Nebraska's current requirements on the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a license in another state of the same or similar type that allows you to diagnose major mental illnesses or disorders, and have practised under it for at least 5 years.
- Pass the Nebraska mental health practice jurisprudence exam online.
- Complete a fingerprint-based FBI/Nebraska State Patrol criminal background check (required for the LIMHP).
- Also apply for the Certified Master Social Worker (CMSW) certificate if you want to use the title social worker.
- Submit the application and fee by mail or hand delivery to the DHHS Licensure Unit.
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow ~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.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Nebraska accept a Rhode Island social work license?
Both Rhode Island and Nebraska 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.
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Rhode Island to Nebraska?
On the 5-year reciprocity route no national exam is retaken or re-verified. Applicants must pass Nebraska's online mental health practice jurisprudence exam (or the social work jurisprudence exam if applying for a CMSW certificate only). ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Rhode Island-to-Nebraska move cost and how long does it take?
$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.) Processing: ~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.)
Rhode Island and Nebraska are both compact states. Can I practice in Nebraska on my Rhode Island license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Nebraska. You need a Nebraska license from the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice.
Will Nebraska accept the supervised hours I completed in Rhode Island?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Nebraska's rule, where the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice 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.
- 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)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- RIDOH — Instructions and Application for License as LCSW / LICSW, rev. 12/19/2025 (Internet Archive copy of 2026-06-08; health.ri.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- RIDOH — Social Work licensing page (Internet Archive copy of 2026-06-10; June 2025 statute change, verification link) ↗ (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]