Social Work License from Utah to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) ↗
Both Utah and Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, Utah → Rhode Island
| Utah (current) | Rhode Island (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.) | $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.) |
| Processing time | DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no 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. |
| Licensing authority | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board | Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Rhode Island sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Rhode Island's current requirements on the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Mail the paper application with the $70 non-refundable fee payable to the RI General Treasurer.
- Have each state where you hold or held a license send a verification directly (Interstate Verification Form), including your ASWB score.
- Have the school of social work send an official MSW or doctoral transcript directly to the Board.
- Submit the Supervised Practice Form, unless your endorsing state's verification confirms the supervised-practice prerequisite.
- Submit a valid photo ID and a certified birth record or naturalization or immigration papers.
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Rhode Island accept an Utah social work license?
Both Utah and Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island?
The ASWB exam is not retaken. For the LICSW, the ASWB score (the application names the Clinical exam) must come directly from ASWB or on the verification from your original licensing state. There is no separate Rhode Island law or ethics exam in the application instructions. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Utah-to-Rhode Island move cost and how long does it take?
$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.) Processing: 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.
Utah and Rhode Island are both compact states. Can I practice in Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island. You need a Rhode Island license from the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health).
Will Rhode Island 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. Rhode Island's rule, where the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) 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.
- 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)
- 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]