Social Work License from Rhode Island to Vermont: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers ↗
Both Rhode Island and Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, Rhode Island → Vermont
| Rhode Island (current) | Vermont (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.) | $180 (Initial fee for the Clinical Social Worker license (OPR code 089) on OPR's fee chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; outside.vermont.gov returned 403 to automated fetches). Biennial renewal is $120, due January 31 of even years.) |
| 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. | OPR publishes no processing time for social work applications. Under its 90-day policy, a license issued within 90 days of the renewal date runs through the next full two-year cycle. |
| Licensing authority | Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) | Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Vermont sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Vermont's current requirements on the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active independent clinical social work license (or equivalent) in a U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially equivalent to Vermont's.
- Pass the Vermont jurisprudence examination.
- Have your other licensing jurisdiction(s) complete OPR's Verification of Licensure form.
- Apply through OPR's online licensing system.
- Pay the fees ($180 (Initial fee for the Clinical Social Worker license (OPR code 089) on OPR's fee chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; outside.vermont.gov returned 403 to automated fetches). Biennial renewal is $120, due January 31 of even years.)) and allow OPR publishes no processing time for social work applications. Under its 90-day policy, a license issued within 90 days of the renewal date runs through the next full two-year cycle..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Vermont accept a Rhode Island social work license?
Both Rhode Island and Vermont 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 Vermont?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: an out-of-state LICSW from a substantially equivalent jurisdiction is licensed by endorsement without re-examination (CVR Social Work Rule 3.3). By-exam applicants need the ASWB clinical exam. Every route ALSO requires the Vermont jurisprudence examination. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Rhode Island-to-Vermont move cost and how long does it take?
$180 (Initial fee for the Clinical Social Worker license (OPR code 089) on OPR's fee chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; outside.vermont.gov returned 403 to automated fetches). Biennial renewal is $120, due January 31 of even years.) Processing: OPR publishes no processing time for social work applications. Under its 90-day policy, a license issued within 90 days of the renewal date runs through the next full two-year cycle.
Rhode Island and Vermont are both compact states. Can I practice in Vermont 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 Vermont. You need a Vermont license from the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers.
Will Vermont 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. Vermont's rule, where the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers 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.
- Vermont OPR — Social Worker Forms & Instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Vermont OPR — Social Work Administrative Rules, eff. 2017-07-01, Part 3 LICSW routes (Internet Archive copy of 2025-05-02) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Vermont OPR — Initial licensing and renewal fees chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Vermont OPR — Fast Track Endorsement (3 V.S.A. 136a) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Vermont OPR — Social Worker FAQs ↗ (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]