Social Work License Information Made Easy

Figuring out state social work license requirements can be confusing because there is no set standard for social work licenses across states. Even the names of social work license types can vary widely from state to state.

We summarize social work license requirements by state as a way to save social workers time.

To be assured that we provide social workers with accurate information, we update our national centralized social work license information every 30 days.

Click on a State to see the Social Work License Requirements for that State

Why Do Social Work License Requirements Differ by State?

If you are interested in why there are different social work license rules from state to state it is because social work is a licensed profession that is regulated at the state, and not the national level.

This means that there is no national standard for a social work license. So social workers fall under the control of the state that awarded them their social work license. Each state has its own social work license board and each state license board has its own name for the different kinds of social work license in that state, and different rules and fees for the regulation of social work license.

Do States Agree on any Social Work License Requirements?

Even though there are no national social work boards, the National Association of Social Work (NASW) has tried to adopt a national leadership position for all social workers, and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) has been created as a way for states to link with one another at the national level and to come to some common agreements about the nature of social work practice and to discuss social work license requirements.

One of the standout agreements by this board is that the social work exams that are required in all states are national exams created and scored by the ASWB.

This is a GREAT decision for social workers because without this common agreement then you would have to take a different exam to practice in each state. Ouch!

So, while social work requirements do not always transfer from state to state, the ASWB national exam scores do!

To read more about the specific license requirements in your state, just click the green map above. We have separated all information into tables on each state page. We hope that this is helpful for you.

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