The short version
The Social Work Licensure Compact will let a social worker licensed in their home state hold one multistate license that covers every member state, the way the nurse compact works. It is a real law: 35 jurisdictions have enacted it (New Mexico and South Carolina with material changes that may need amending), and the Commission that runs it has been meeting since 2024.
What it is not, yet, is usable. As of October 2026 no multistate license had been issued, because the Commission's data system was still being built; it has pointed to roughly 2027. Until then, every state where you see clients needs its own license, and the largest states (California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois) have not joined at all.
Member states
Enacted and waiting for the Compact to open. Practicing in any of them today still takes that state's license.
Missouri
Enacted Jul 6, 2023
South Dakota
Enacted Feb 6, 2024
Utah
Enacted Mar 13, 2024
Washington
Enacted Mar 19, 2024
Kentucky
Enacted Apr 5, 2024
Virginia
Enacted Apr 8, 2024
Maine
Enacted Apr 11, 2024
Kansas
Enacted Apr 12, 2024
Nebraska
Enacted Apr 15, 2024
Vermont
Enacted Apr 23, 2024
Iowa
Enacted May 3, 2024
Alabama
Enacted May 9, 2024
Ohio
Enacted May 10, 2024
Connecticut
Enacted May 21, 2024
Minnesota
Enacted May 24, 2024
Colorado
Enacted Jun 3, 2024
Arizona
Enacted Jun 21, 2024
Louisiana
Enacted Jun 25, 2024
Rhode Island
Enacted Jun 25, 2024
North Dakota
Enacted Mar 14, 2025
Mississippi
Enacted Mar 28, 2025
Maryland
Enacted Apr 8, 2025
Arkansas
Enacted Apr 16, 2025
New Jersey
Enacted May 8, 2025
Oklahoma
Enacted May 8, 2025
South Carolina
Enacted May 22, 2025
North Carolina
Enacted Jun 13, 2025
Delaware
Enacted Aug 25, 2025
New Mexico
Enacted Feb 9, 2026
Wisconsin
Enacted Apr 8, 2026
Alaska
Enacted Jun 22, 2026
Georgia
New Hampshire
Tennessee
West Virginia
Not in the Compact
A full license is the only route here, now and after the Compact opens. District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania have bills pending.
Multistate license or state license
| Compact multistate license | State license | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | One multistate license, issued by your home state, valid in every member state | A full license from one state |
| Where | Every member state, once the Compact opens | That state only |
| Available | Not yet: no multistate license has been issued (October 2026) | Now |
| If you move | Your home state changes, and the multistate license moves with your residence | The license stays valid; you renew it on its own cycle |
| Renewal | With your home state | Its own cycle and CE rules, per state |
What to do while you wait
- License directly in every state where you have clients now. Waiting for the Compact leaves those clients without a licensed clinician.
- Keep your home-state license unencumbered and current: the multistate license will be issued on it.
- If you are moving, time it: your home state is where you live, and that is the state that will issue your multistate license.
- Watch the rules. The Commission adopted its first rules in September 2026, including a $20 Commission fee per transaction and a 30-day deadline to apply for reissuance after a move; state fees and the background-check rules are still to come.
Nobody can sell you a multistate license yet. We will not take a fee for a Compact filing that cannot be made. What we do now is license you in the states you need, and get your home-state file ready for the day the Compact opens.
How we help
- Compact readiness review ($149): your home state, license level and record checked against the Compact's model, and a plan for which states need a license now. Credited if you go ahead.
- State licenses ($499 endorsement, $749 full application) in every state where you see clients, filed end to end.
- LMSW-to-LCSW upgrade ($299), so your clinical license is in place when the Compact opens.
The other behavioral health compacts
Professional counselors have the Counseling Compact, which already issues per-state privileges in some states; our sister site White Glove Counseling handles it. Psychologists have PSYPACT, handled by White Glove PSYPACT. Marriage and family therapists have no compact; see White Glove MFT. Many social workers also hold a counselor or addiction license; we coordinate with our sister teams so both move together.
Common questions
Can I get a Social Work Compact multistate license now?
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Is the Social Work Compact a privilege like the Counseling Compact?
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My state joined. What should I do now?
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Does the Compact cover LMSWs and bachelor-level social workers?
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Which big states are not members?
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Authoritative sources
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