Transfers

As approved by the House of Delegates (HOD) during the 2024 Annual Meeting, a swimmer may change club affiliation at the time of annual individual membership registration and up to 3 additional times during the membership year. Full details can be found in the USMS rule book under article 201.3 Representation/Club Affiliation.

Member Self-Management Important Details

Starting Feb. 3, members will self-manage their club and workout group affiliation through their My Account portal. This video tutorial will walk you through the process and aid with general questions.

Membership transfers will take effect immediately.
The effective date of the transfer will automatically be the date it was submitted.
Membership coordinators will no longer be able to submit transfer requests. The digital form within their My Account will be removed on Feb. 3.
- If a membership coordinator is needed to help with a club transfer, this video tutorial will walk you through the new self-management transfer process and aid with general questions, or email the details to membership@usmastersswimming.org.

Members and clubs can make nearly all account updates through their My Account or the club admin dashboard. The My Account Updates page will help you understand who sees which options and what information is included from that button on the My Account dashboard.

Administrative Procedures

Information in the admin tools system, ESTHER, will continue to be updated, allowing membership coordinators to see accurate registration history.
Membership reports for your LMSC will no longer include members who have transferred out of your LMSC. But the admin tools system, ESTHER, will contain a transfer transaction in the member’s record, including the effective date of the transfer.
Contact the National Office via email membership@usmastersswimming.org if:
- a member registers in your LMSC but makes a mistake and selects the wrong club in your LMSC.
- a member registered in the wrong LMSC.
- a member's effective date of transfer needs to be amended.

We've put together the following scenarios to help with the practical applications of this new rule and transfer counts:

Scenario 1:

Registers for 2025 as workout group CW under parent club MICH
Transfers to workout group BKTS under parent club MICH

There are 0 club transfers – member stayed in club MICH but changed workout groups under the same parent club.

Scenario 2:

Registers for 2025 as club SKY
Transfers to workout group LAKE under parent club SKY
Transfers to workout group GSP under parent club NEM

There is 1 club transfer – from club SKY to club NEM

Scenario 3:

Registers for 2025 as club ALEX
Transfers to club CMS
Transfers to club ALEX
Transfers to UC14

There are 2 club transfers – 1 from club ALEX to club CMS, 1 from club CMS to club ALEX.

Scenario 4:

Registers for 2025 as club SHARK
Transfers to UC14
Transfers back to club SHARK

There are 0 club transfers

Transfer FAQs

No, there is no longer a 60 day waiting period to transfer your membership. Starting with the 2025 registration year a swimmer may change club affiliation at the time of annual membership registration and up to three additional times during the membership year.

Changing a swimmer's status to unattached does not count against the allowable club changes per year.
A swimmer may compete for only one club during a meet. A transfer submitted during a meet, including at the time of annual registration, may take immediate effect only if the swimmer has not yet competed in the meet.
Swimmers may declare unattached status at any time except during a meet in which they have already competed. Swimmers who intend to compete as unattached should change their registration status prior to the meet.
More details can be found in the USMS rulebook, under article 201.3 Representation/Club Affiliation.

Answer: No. Changing a swimmer's status to unattached does not count against the allowable club changes per year.

The club transfer count resets upon renewal of individual membership.

Example: I am a 2025 member and transferred a total of 2 times in the 2025 membership year. The swimmer renews for 2026 on Nov. 1, 2025, the transfer count would reset and the member could transfer up to 3 times during the 2026 membership year.

Changing workout group affiliation under the same parent club does not count against the allowable club changes.

Scenario 1:

Registers with workout group CW under parent club MICH
Transfers to workout group BKTS under parent club MICH

There are 0 club transfers – member stayed in club MICH but changed workout groups under the same parent club.

Scenario 2:

Registers with workout group BEST under parent club SKY
Transfers to workout group GSP under parent club NEM

There is 1 club transfer – from club SKY to club NEM

Member Confirmation. The member will receive a confirmation that their membership has been updated.
Club Notification. If the member transfers to a club that has a new member notification email set up, that email will receive a new member notification.
LMSC Membership Coordinator. If a member transfers out of an LMSC, the membership coordinator of the prior LMSC will receive a notification email that a member has transferring out of their LMSC.

Answer: You'll need to transfer to your new LMSC and club. We've developed ways for members to self-manage transfers through their My Account dashboard.

This video tutorial will walk you through the self-management transfer process and aid with general questions.

Please contact either the National Office or the LMSC membership coordinator of your new LMSC, who can provide guidance on your transfer request if needed.

We've developed ways for members to self-manage transfers through their My Account dashboard.

This video tutorial will walk you through the self-management transfer process and aid with general questions.

Contact either the National Office or your LMSC membership coordinator, who can provide guidance on your transfer request if needed.

Example: I want to swim in the USMS Summer Nationals meet, which begins on August 9, but I want to represent my friend’s club, XYZ. The entry deadline for the meet is July 4. Currently, I am a member of Club ABC and planning to swim in a meet July 10 on that club. How can I swim in the July 10 meet for club ABC and enter Nationals and swim for club XYZ?

As long as the effective transfer date is before the first day of the USMS Summer Nationals meet you'll be able to transfer to club XYZ. When you register for Nationals, enter with the club you're planning to swim with (XYZ). Initially, your entry will appear on USMS's “unverified list” (because your entry does not match with what is listed in your member record -- currently ABC). Once the transfer has been processed, your entry will be verified with USMS.

Example: Today is November 10, 2024, and I am a member of Club ABC. My 2024 membership runs through December 31, 2024. For 2025 I want to register with Club XYZ. Can I go ahead and renew my 2025 USMS membership now, joining XYZ, but still represent Club ABC at a meet in December under my 2024 membership?

Answer: No.

Per Article 201.3.1, “There shall be only one USMS membership per individual permitted at any time.” If you renew for 2025 between November 1st and December 31st 2024 with club XYZ, your membership and club affiliation is with club XYZ from that date forward.

Still have questions?

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