When a Client Moves to Another State

A client tells you they are moving out of state next month and asks whether you can keep seeing them by video. The relationship is going well, the timing is bad, and there is no clinician lined up in the new state. This is one of the most common situations a social worker in private practice runs into, and the answer depends almost entirely on where the client is going.

Start with the rule

Once the client lives in the new state, every session is practice in that state. You need that state's license, or an exception in its law. Your home license does not travel with the client. The Social Work Licensure Compact will eventually change this between member states, but as of October 2026 no multistate licenses had been issued.

Option 1: A planned transition

For many clients, the right answer is a careful handoff: a few final sessions before the move, a referral to a clinician licensed in the new state, records sent with the client's written authorization, and, where the new clinician agrees, a coordination call. It is the option that is always available and never puts your license at risk.

Start early. Finding a social worker in a new state who takes the client's insurance can take weeks. The sessions before the move are the ones you can bill for without question.

Option 2: Get licensed in the new state

If you expect to keep the client for a long time, or have other clients there, a license is the durable answer. Most states offer endorsement for social workers licensed elsewhere, but timelines run from weeks to months depending on the state and how complete your file is. See how long endorsement takes and how to get licensed in another state.

Some states let you practice while an application is pending; most do not. Maryland's law, for instance, has long exempted a social worker licensed elsewhere who has an application pending before the board and meets its regulations, for up to 6 months. Do not assume such a provision exists anywhere else.

Option 3: A continuity allowance, where one exists

A small number of states let you keep seeing an existing client for a limited time after the client moves in. The ones we verified in 2026:

Maryland: 6 months, from October 1, 2026

Chapter 242 of 2026 (HB 1483) added an exemption to Maryland's social work licensing law. It covers a social worker licensed and in good standing in another state who:

• established the client relationship with a client outside Maryland;
• can no longer provide in-person services because the client is now located in Maryland; and
• provides services through telehealth for continuity of care for no more than 6 months after the client relocated to Maryland, or returned to Maryland after "a continuous and nonincidental period of relocation outside the State."

The same exemption covers students in accredited graduate social work programs in other states, working under supervision. Maryland's board has long said it has no temporary licenses, so this is a real change. Its website FAQ may lag the statute; rely on the law.

Utah: 90 days, with notice

Utah's Mental Health Professional Practice Act, as amended effective May 6, 2026, allows short-term transitional mental health therapy, done remotely, to a client who was yours immediately before relocating to Utah. It runs for the 90 days beginning on the day the client relocates, and you must give written notice to Utah's Division of Professional Licensing within one day after the first remote session in Utah. Other conditions apply, including where you are physically located, so read section 58-60-107 before relying on it.

California: 30 days

California's temporary practice allowance covers clinical social workers licensed at the highest independent clinical level elsewhere, for an existing client located in California; the board described it as covering clients visiting California or in the process of moving there. It lasts no more than 30 consecutive days in a calendar year. You must give the board specified information before providing services, tell the client you are not licensed in California and that services are time-limited, and give the client your license details and the board's website.

Other states have similar provisions for behavioral health practitioners in general. Our sister site's temporary practice table, compared across professions, is a good starting list; confirm each one names social workers.

Combining the options

The allowances are short on purpose. They buy time for one of the other two options, not a substitute for them. A typical plan:

1. Before the move, tell the client what you can and cannot do once they are in the new state.
2. If the state has a continuity allowance, use it while you apply for a license or while the client finds a local clinician.
3. Put the end date in your calendar the day you start. Practicing on day 31 in California or after month 6 in Maryland is unlicensed practice.

How to document it

• The date the client relocated, in the client's words.
• The provision you are relying on, with its citation.
• Any notice or registration you filed, and the confirmation.
• Your conversation with the client about the time limit and the plan.
• Where the client was during each session.

Insurance and payment

An exemption under licensing law does not mean a payer will pay. Commercial plans and Medicaid programs credential clinicians by state, and Medicare enrollment is also state-specific. Check before you bill, or agree on self-pay for the transition period.

When the compact goes live

Once your home state is issuing and you hold a multistate license, a client who moves from one member state to another stays within your authorization. A client moving to a non-member state, such as New York or Texas, does not. See telehealth across state lines.

If you want to keep a relocating client long term, we can prepare the new state's endorsement application ($499), with rush handling where the board allows it. Tell us where the client is going.