Social Work Compact Status, October 2026: 35 States, Zero Licenses

Here is the short version, as of October 8, 2026. Thirty-five states have passed the Social Work Licensure Compact. No social worker in any of them holds a multistate license, and nobody can apply for one. The Commission's data system, which every member state has to use before it can issue anything, is being built by a vendor and is projected to be finished in spring 2027. Applications come after that, state by state.

Everything below is what we could confirm from the Commission's own site (swcompact.org), its adopted rules, ASWB and state legislatures. We will update this snapshot as things move. If you read it after early 2027, check the date before relying on it.

Which states have enacted the compact?

The Commission's July 7, 2026 news post says the compact "has now passed in 35 states." Its alphabetical member page lists 33. The difference is two states that passed versions of the law with material changes from the model text, which may have to be amended before they can take part. We explain that in detail in Is the Social Work Compact in 33 states or 35?

The 33 on the Commission's member list: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Enacted with material changes: New Mexico (HB 50, signed February 2026) and South Carolina (H.3752, signed May 2025).

Pending on the Commission's map: the District of Columbia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

The 2026 sessions added three states: Wisconsin on April 9, West Virginia on June 9 and Alaska on July 3. The compact became active when Kansas became the seventh state on April 12, 2024. Missouri was first, in July 2023.

When did each state join?

The order matters a little, because states that enacted early have had longer to prepare their boards. Dates we confirmed from the Commission's announcements and state sources:

• 2023: Missouri, July 7.
• 2024: South Dakota (February 5), Utah (March 14), Washington (March 19), then Kentucky and Virginia, and Kansas on April 12, which made seven and activated the compact. Georgia followed on May 2 and Iowa on May 3. Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Vermont also passed bills in their 2024 sessions, and New Jersey in its 2024–2025 session.
• 2025: Arkansas, Delaware, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota and Oklahoma passed bills in their 2025 sessions, and South Carolina's governor signed H.3752 on May 22.
• 2026: New Mexico (signed in February), Wisconsin (April 9), West Virginia (June 9) and Alaska (July 3).

Connecticut and Arizona are on the Commission's member list; we could not confirm their enactment dates from a primary source, so we leave them out of the timeline. Early enactment is no guarantee of an early start. A board's software, staffing and FBI authorization will matter more than its place in line.

So why does nobody have a multistate license?

Enacting the law creates the legal authority. It does not create the machinery. Before a single license can issue, three things have to exist.

1. A data system. Under the compact, every member state must participate fully in the Commission's data system and use its unique identifier for each licensee. That is how states see each other's licenses, discipline and investigations. The system is not built yet.
2. Rules. The Commission writes the operating rules: which exams qualify, how fees work, how a move between states is handled, what data states must report. Several are adopted. Several are still out for public comment.
3. State readiness. Each member state has to decide which license categories it will offer, set its own fee, connect to the data system and be able to run FBI fingerprint checks for multistate applicants.

None of the three is complete in October 2026. That is the whole reason. It is not a sign that the compact is in trouble.

What is the timeline, and how often has it moved?

Every published target so far has slipped, which is normal for a new compact and worth knowing before you plan around the next one.

• April 2024: on activation, the Commission said implementation would take "approximately 18-24 months."
• June 2025: ASWB wrote that the Commission was "on track to begin offering multi-state licenses in 2026."
• September 2025: the Commission's guide for state boards said it hoped to launch the data system "by summer 2026, but that target is still in flux."
• June 2026: the Commission's FAQ said there was "no definite date, but likely within 9-12 months."
• July 2026: the Commission announced that its data system partner is Inspiring Apps, with development "estimated for completion in Spring 2027."

Spring 2027 is the system's completion estimate, not the date you can apply. After the system is finished, states are onboarded, and the Commission has said from the start that states will have "varying timelines to onboard." For more on the order of events, see When can social workers apply for a multistate license?

Which rules are finished?

The Commission has done a good share of the legal groundwork. As of early October 2026:

• Qualifying exams (Chapter 2). The ASWB Clinical exam for the clinical category, the Masters exam (or the Advanced Generalist exam in some cases) for the master's category, and the Bachelors exam for the bachelor's category. The rule also requires the home state to certify that the license is not provisional, temporary or limited and that the holder is authorized for independent practice. Details in Is an LMSW or bachelor's license eligible?
• Home state change (Chapter 4, adopted September 9, 2026). If you move between member states, you apply to the new state no later than 30 calendar days after establishing your domicile there. See Moving to a new home state.
• Fees (Chapter 5, adopted September 9, 2026). A $20 Commission administrative fee for each multistate license transaction, plus a fee each state sets for itself. No state has published its fee yet. See What the Social Work Compact will cost.

Still open for comment at the end of September 2026: a background-check implementation rule (Chapter 6), a rule on the uniform data set and adverse actions (Chapter 7), and bylaw revisions. The data set rule matters more than it sounds, since it defines what the data system has to carry.

Why fingerprints could hold up some states

The compact requires a fingerprint-based FBI and state criminal background check for every multistate applicant. A state board needs federal authorization to request those checks for this purpose. The Commission's own implementation guide warns that "FBI approval can take 6–12 months" and tells states that do not already run such checks to start now. A draft rule would let the Commission's Executive Committee grant extensions. The practical result is that a member state with every other piece in place may still go live later than its neighbors.

What will a multistate license actually do?

Once your home state issues it, a multistate license authorizes practice in every member state, in the category your home state designates: bachelor's, master's or clinical. You will not apply to each remote state separately. You practice under the law of the state where the client is located at the time of service, you keep up the continuing education your home state requires, and the license renews on your home state's schedule.

That design is closer to the nurse compact than to the per-state model some other professions use. Our post A multistate license is not a per-state permission walks through the difference.

Who can use it, once it works?

Only social workers whose primary residence is in a member state. Your home state is where you live, not where your employer is or where you happen to hold a license. A Texas resident who holds a Louisiana license cannot use Louisiana as a home state. See Your home state under the Social Work Compact.

All three license levels can qualify, not only clinical licenses. That is a real difference from what many social workers assume.

Where do the big non-member states stand?

California's bill (AB 427) failed in February 2026. Florida's House passed HB 13 unanimously, then the bill died in a Senate committee in March 2026. Texas's 2025 bills died in committee, and the next regular session starts in January 2027. We found no compact bill in New York or Michigan. Illinois had a bill introduced in 2025 with no movement we could find. Pennsylvania's House passed HB 554 in June 2025, and it was in a Senate committee in 2026. A Massachusetts bill was reported favorably by committee in March 2026. Bill-by-bill notes are in California, New York, Texas and the other holdouts.

What should a social worker do with this today?

If you need to see clients in another state this year, the compact will not help you this year. You need that state's license, or a narrow exception if the state has one. If you can wait until well into 2027 and your home state and target states are all members, waiting may be reasonable. Our decision guide on getting a second license now or waiting works through that.

Either way, a few things are worth doing now: confirm your ASWB score record, gather degree and supervision documentation, and keep your home license unencumbered. The list is in What to do while the compact is not live.

What we can and cannot do

Nobody can sell you a multistate license today, and that includes us. When applications open, they go to your home state's licensing board, and you will most likely submit the application and attest to your domicile yourself. Our Social Work Compact Readiness Review ($149, credited if you go on to use another service) checks your home-state eligibility and builds a plan for the states you need. For clients you have to see sooner, we handle single-state applications by endorsement. The Social Work Compact page tracks status between updates, or send us your states.