Both counts come from the Commission. Its member list shows 33 states that enacted the model law as written. Its news count of 35 adds New Mexico and South Carolina, which enacted the compact with material changes that may need to be amended before those two states can fully participate.
If you have looked up the Social Work Licensure Compact recently, you have probably seen two numbers. The Commission's alphabetical page of compact jurisdictions lists 33 states. Its July 2026 news post says the compact "has now passed in 35 states." Trackers and associations repeat one figure or the other. Neither is a typo.
Where does the gap come from?
The Commission's interactive map, which sits on swcompact.org and draws from a published dataset, sorts every state into one of four groups: enacted, enacted with material changes, pending, and no active legislation. In the version we read in October 2026:
- Enacted: 33 states.
- Enacted, with material changes: New Mexico and South Carolina.
- Pending: the District of Columbia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
- No active legislation: everyone else, including California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois and Michigan.
Add the first two groups and you get 35. The alphabetical member page shows only the first group.
What does "material changes" mean?
An interstate compact works only if every member enacts essentially the same contract. When a legislature edits the model language in a way that changes how the compact operates, the other members cannot simply treat that state as a full participant. The Commission flags those enactments so states know a fix may be needed.
South Carolina passed H.3752, signed in May 2025. A conforming bill, H.4649, was pending afterward. New Mexico's HB 50 was signed in February 2026. We have not seen a published Commission determination spelling out exactly which provisions differ in each state, so we will not guess at them here.
Does it matter to me?
Only if you live in New Mexico or South Carolina, or plan to practice there. For everyone else, both numbers describe the same practical situation: no state is issuing multistate licenses yet, as of October 2026, because the Commission's data system is not finished. See our October 2026 status snapshot.
If you do live in one of the two states, treat your state as a member whose participation is not yet settled. When the compact goes live, ask your board directly whether it can issue multistate licenses and whether other members will recognize them. Until the amendment question is resolved, a full license in each state where you have clients is the safe route.
Which number should you quote?
Our own copy says 35 states have enacted the compact, two of them with material differences that may have to be amended. Saying "33 member states" without that note undercounts two legislatures that did act. Saying "35 member states" without it overstates how settled things are in New Mexico and South Carolina.
One more trap: the map's underlying data has a few entry errors, such as mismatched bill numbers. If a detail looks odd, check the state legislature's own bill page.
For any specific state, our state-by-state license guides show its compact status alongside what its single-state license requires. If you want someone to check your own home state and target states, that is what the Compact Readiness Review is for.
Common questions
- Why does the Social Work Compact website say 33 states?
- The alphabetical jurisdiction page lists only the 33 states that enacted the model law without material changes. The Commission's map and July 2026 news count 35, adding New Mexico and South Carolina.
- Is South Carolina in the Social Work Compact?
- South Carolina enacted it in 2025 through H.3752, but the Commission marks the law as having material changes, and a conforming bill was pending. Its participation may depend on fixing that.
- Which states have Social Work Compact bills pending?
- The Commission's map listed the District of Columbia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania as pending in October 2026.
Need Help with Your Application?
We handle the social work licensing process end-to-end — eligibility screening, documents, board follow-ups, and tracking.