Social Work License from South Dakota to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT) ↗
Both South Dakota and Mississippi 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.
South Dakota and Mississippi 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 Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, South Dakota → Mississippi
| South Dakota (current) | Mississippi (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $210 (Application fee for Certified Social Worker-Private Independent Practice per the Board's fee schedule (non-refundable). Biennial renewal is $105.) | $187 (LMSW/LCSW reciprocity total $187, paid through the applicant portal; the Board states this total includes the application fee, initial license fee and background check fee ($50 fingerprint processing). The Board does not publish the split.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published. A Board review officer approves applications. | 4–6 weeks (The Board says fingerprint processing may take 4-6 weeks, longer if prints are unreadable, and the background check must be received before an application is considered. No overall processing time is published.) |
| Licensing authority | South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners | Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Mississippi sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online through the Board's applicant portal using the Reciprocity Application checklist.
- Hold a CSWE-accredited MSW and an active social work license in another state.
- Have your current state licensing agency send an out-of-state license verification.
- Submit supervision documentation for the LCSW level.
- Request a fingerprint card for the Mississippi CIC/FBI criminal history and sex offender registry checks.
- Send an official sealed transcript or the Board's Verification of Education form.
- Pay the fees ($187 (LMSW/LCSW reciprocity total $187, paid through the applicant portal; the Board states this total includes the application fee, initial license fee and background check fee ($50 fingerprint processing). The Board does not publish the split.)) and allow 4–6 weeks (The Board says fingerprint processing may take 4-6 weeks, longer if prints are unreadable, and the background check must be received before an application is considered. No overall processing time is published.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Mississippi accept a South Dakota social work license?
Both South Dakota and Mississippi 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 South Dakota to Mississippi?
The ASWB exam is not retaken; submit a passing ASWB score through ASWB score transfer. The Board's rules require that the exam you passed be the one ASWB prescribes for the level sought (the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW); exams administered by individual states are not considered equal. No Mississippi jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the South Dakota-to-Mississippi move cost and how long does it take?
$187 (LMSW/LCSW reciprocity total $187, paid through the applicant portal; the Board states this total includes the application fee, initial license fee and background check fee ($50 fingerprint processing). The Board does not publish the split.) Processing: 4–6 weeks (The Board says fingerprint processing may take 4-6 weeks, longer if prints are unreadable, and the background check must be received before an application is considered. No overall processing time is published.)
South Dakota and Mississippi are both compact states. Can I practice in Mississippi on my South Dakota license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Mississippi. You need a Mississippi license from the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT).
Will Mississippi accept the supervised hours I completed in South Dakota?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Mississippi's rule, where the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (MBOESWMFT) 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.
- MBOESWMFT — Reciprocity Application Checklist and packet (rev. 03/14/2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- MBOESWMFT — Social Work Forms and Licensing Information (reciprocity, UROLA note) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- MBOESWMFT — 2022 Amended Rules and Regulations (Licensure by Reciprocity/Endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Social Work Examiners — Application instruction and checklist sheet (out-of-state PIP applicants) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Social Work Examiners — Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Social Work Examiners — Licensing Information ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-26-18 — Exemption from examination for out-of-state licensees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-26-17 — Independent practice requirements ↗ (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]