Social Work License from Utah to Nebraska: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice ↗
Both Utah 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.
Utah 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, Utah → Nebraska
| Utah (current) | Nebraska (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.) | $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 | DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time. | ~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 | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board | 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 an Utah social work license?
Both Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah-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.)
Utah and Nebraska are both compact states. Can I practice in Nebraska on my Utah 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 Utah?
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)
- Utah DOPL — LCSW Out-of-State Applicants Applying by Endorsement (Internet Archive copy of 2025-07-10; dopl.utah.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Endorsement to Utah: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (equivalency map; Internet Archive copy of 2025-08-12) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Licensed Clinical Social Worker Application (v20230629; Internet Archive copy) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Fee Schedule FY July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026 (Internet Archive copy of 2026-01-07) ↗ (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]