Social Work License from Alaska to California: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) ↗
A social work license transfers from Alaska to California by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), verify your Alaska license, and meet California's endorsement requirements. The national clinical exam is waived for applicants who qualify under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.17.1, so the ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken. California requires its own board-administered California Law and Ethics Examination on top of that ($150 statutory exam fee), and the applicant must pass it before licensure..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Alaska has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and California has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What changes, Alaska → California
| Alaska (current) | California (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $425 (Paid together with the application: $100 non-refundable application fee + $325 initial license fee (form 08-4871, rev. 04/21/2026). Alaska offers no temporary clinical license. Licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years.) | $250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.) |
| Processing time | The Division says only that average processing time varies by program; once the file is complete and fees are paid, it goes to the Board for approval. Applications are reviewed in the order received. | Not verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read. |
| Licensing authority | Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) | California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — California sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm California's current requirements on the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a clinical social work license at the highest independent-practice level in another US jurisdiction, current, active and unrestricted for at least two years immediately before applying.
- Hold the master's degree in social work that qualified you for the out-of-state license.
- Complete 12 hours of California law and professional ethics coursework plus 15 hours (one semester unit) on California cultures and socioeconomic position.
- Complete 7 hours of child abuse assessment and reporting training and 6 hours of suicide risk assessment and intervention.
- Pass the California Law and Ethics Examination.
- Meet the Live Scan fingerprint requirement (Bus. & Prof. Code 144).
- Pay the fees ($250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.)) and allow Not verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does California accept an Alaska social work license?
A social work license transfers from Alaska to California by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), verify your Alaska license, and meet California's endorsement requirements. The national clinical exam is waived for applicants who qualify under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.17.1, so the ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken. California requires its own board-administered California Law and Ethics Examination on top of that ($150 statutory exam fee), and the applicant must pass it before licensure..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Alaska to California?
The national clinical exam is waived for applicants who qualify under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.17.1, so the ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken. California requires its own board-administered California Law and Ethics Examination on top of that ($150 statutory exam fee), and the applicant must pass it before licensure. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Alaska-to-California move cost and how long does it take?
$250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.) Processing: Not verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Alaska has enacted it and California has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) is the route.
Will California accept the supervised hours I completed in Alaska?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. California's rule, where the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) publishes one, is in the requirements on this page; confirm with the board if your hours were logged under a different structure.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.17.1 — Licensure of out-of-state clinical social workers (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.17.2 — Out-of-state education or experience (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.3 — LCSW fees (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Look up a license (board license-search directory) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners — Clinical Social Worker License by Credentials application and instructions (form 08-4871, rev. 04/21/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners — Applications & Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]