Social Work License from South Carolina to North Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does North Carolina accept a South Carolina social work license?
A social work license transfers from South Carolina to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB), verify your South Carolina license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; provide certified proof of passing the ASWB exam required for your level (the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW), sent directly by the jurisdiction's regulatory board or ASWB. Applicants licensed elsewhere by exam exemption must pass the ASWB exam before licensure. No North Carolina jurisprudence exam; applicants affirm they have reviewed G.S. 90B and 21 NCAC 63.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. North Carolina has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and South Carolina has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What's different between South Carolina and North Carolina
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into North Carolina. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
South Carolina to North Carolina (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
North Carolina to South Carolina (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from South Carolina matter?
Coming from South Carolina matters here: only 18 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into North Carolina.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
North Carolina has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; South Carolina has not.
- Application fee
North Carolina lists $145 for an out-of-state applicant and South Carolina lists $45 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
North Carolina lists 4+ weeks; South Carolina has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
North Carolina and South Carolina carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- North Carolina (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken; provide certified proof of passing the ASWB exam required for your level (the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW), sent directly by the jurisdiction's regulatory board or ASWB. Applicants licensed elsewhere by exam exemption must pass the ASWB exam before licensure. No North Carolina jurisprudence exam; applicants affirm they have reviewed G.S. 90B and 21 NCAC 63.
- South Carolina (the reverse move): The ASWB exam is not retaken: have ASWB send your passing score to the Board. The Board's out-of-state requirements accept the ASWB Clinical or Advanced Generalist exam for the LISW (AP or CP). The LISW-CP requirements sheet names the Clinical exam for the CP tier. No South Carolina jurisprudence exam was found.
What changes, South Carolina → North Carolina
| South Carolina (current) | North Carolina (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $45 (Initial application fee per the Board's fee page and its Out-of-State LISW requirements sheet (both viewed as Internet Archive copies; llr.sc.gov refused automated connections on 2026-09-27).) | $145 ($145 nonrefundable application fee per credential level, by certified check, money order or cashier's check (no personal checks). LCSW biennial renewal is $150. The Board may run a criminal or disciplinary history check; no separate fee is stated.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published. The Board holds regular meetings four times a year (S.C. Code 40-63-50), and files with 'yes' answers are reviewed case by case | 4+ weeks (The Board says review and processing generally take at least 30 days once the application is complete and may be extended; no upper bound is published.) |
| Licensing authority | South Carolina Board of Social Work Examiners (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) | North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Carolina's current requirements on the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply by substantial equivalency with the standard notarized Application for Certification/Licensure packet.
- Provide your state's law showing the qualifications in force when you were first licensed, or have your board complete a License Verification documenting them.
- Provide verification of your current active credential and certified proof of passing the ASWB Clinical exam.
- Submit three Professional Reference forms in sealed envelopes and an official sealed or electronic transcript.
- Complete and submit Form SSA-89 for Social Security number verification.
- 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. North Carolina has enacted it and South Carolina has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) is the route.
Will North Carolina accept the supervised hours I completed in South Carolina?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. North Carolina's rule, where the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) 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.
- NCSWCLB — Application for Certification/Licensure packet (v2026-05-26), incl. Certification/Licensure by Substantial Equivalency (Comity) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCSWCLB — Levels and Eligibility Requirements (LCSW exam, experience, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCSWCLB — Application FAQs (processing time) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SC Board of Social Work Examiners — Requirements for Independent Level Licensure, Out of State Applicants (Internet Archive copy of 2026-03-07) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SC Board of Social Work Examiners — Requirements for LISW-CP (Internet Archive copy of 2026-03-07) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SC Board of Social Work Examiners — Licensure Fees (Internet Archive copy of 2025-12-01) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- S.C. Code Title 40 Chapter 63 (incl. 40-63-260 applicants licensed in another jurisdiction; Social Work Interstate Compact, Article 3) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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