Transfer Your Social Work License to Alaska: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) ↗

Yes, by endorsement. The Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) issues Alaska's clinical-level social work license to social workers already licensed at the clinical level elsewhere, verifying your license and accepting your ASWB score rather than retesting you. 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.). Processing: 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.. Alaska is a Social Work Licensure Compact state on paper only: nothing was being issued as of 2026-09-27, and endorsement through the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) is the route in.

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Verdict

SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing

Being a compact state has not changed how Alaska licenses incoming social workers. The Social Work Licensure Compact is law here but was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) handles every out-of-state applicant through the steps below. If you expect to work across state lines later, a Alaska license will be a sensible base once the compact is running; the commission's stated target for its data system is Spring 2027.

Alaska calls the endorsement route 'license by credentials'. The clinical-level license is the Licensed Clinical Social Worker; the other tiers are the baccalaureate and master social worker licenses. The equal-or-more-stringent test compares Alaska's rules with those of the state that issued your license, as they stood when it was first issued. Alaska ENACTED the Social Work Licensure Compact (HB 110, 2026-07-03), but the compact is not issuing multistate licenses yet, so license by credentials is the only route in. The credentials instructions name no fingerprint requirement.

Alaska requirements at a glance

Out-of-state social work license transfer requirements for Alaska, verified 2026-09-27
Exam	The ASWB exam is not retaken. The credentials application asks whether you passed the ASWB Clinical-level exam. To meet the continuing-competency rule (12 AAC 18.112) you either passed the Clinical exam within the two years before applying (request an ASWB score transfer to Alaska) or document 1,500 hours of social work in the past five years plus 45 CE hours. No Alaska jurisprudence exam is required.
Additional requirements	Hold a current clinical social work license from a jurisdiction whose requirements, when your license was first issued, were equal to or stricter than Alaska's (AS 08.95.120) Have every jurisdiction where you have ever held a social work license send verification, including any discipline, directly to the Division Submit three professional references on form 08-4871c, including one from a current or previous employer supervisor Show continuing competency by passing the ASWB Clinical exam within the past two years, or by documenting 1,500 hours of social work practice in the past five years (form 08-4871d) If you qualify by practice hours, also document 45 CE hours from the past five years, including 6 in substance abuse, 3 in ethics, 3 in teletherapy and 3 in suicide education Register with the Telemedicine Business Registry if you will practise teletherapy
Fees	$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.)
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.

Step by step

Confirm Alaska's current requirements on the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
Hold a current clinical social work license from a jurisdiction whose requirements, when your license was first issued, were equal to or stricter than Alaska's (AS 08.95.120).
Have every jurisdiction where you have ever held a social work license send verification, including any discipline, directly to the Division.
Submit three professional references on form 08-4871c, including one from a current or previous employer supervisor.
Show continuing competency by passing the ASWB Clinical exam within the past two years, or by documenting 1,500 hours of social work practice in the past five years (form 08-4871d).
If you qualify by practice hours, also document 45 CE hours from the past five years, including 6 in substance abuse, 3 in ethics, 3 in teletherapy and 3 in suicide education.
Register with the Telemedicine Business Registry if you will practise teletherapy.
Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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..

Official links

Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) ↗Alaska application ↗License verification ↗Social Work Licensure Compact ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Alaska:

All 39 origin states

Nebraska → Alaska New Hampshire → Alaska New Jersey → Alaska New York → Alaska North Carolina → Alaska North Dakota → Alaska Ohio → Alaska Oklahoma → Alaska Pennsylvania → Alaska Rhode Island → Alaska South Dakota → Alaska Tennessee → Alaska Texas → Alaska Utah → Alaska Vermont → Alaska Virginia → Alaska Washington → Alaska West Virginia → Alaska Wisconsin → Alaska

Alaska for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my social work license transfer to Alaska?

Do I have to retake the ASWB exam to get licensed in Alaska?

The ASWB exam is not retaken. The credentials application asks whether you passed the ASWB Clinical-level exam. To meet the continuing-competency rule (12 AAC 18.112) you either passed the Clinical exam within the two years before applying (request an ASWB score transfer to Alaska) or document 1,500 hours of social work in the past five years plus 45 CE hours. No Alaska jurisprudence exam is required. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.

How much does an Alaska clinical social work license cost for an out-of-state applicant?

$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.)

How long does the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) take?

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.

Is Alaska in the Social Work Licensure Compact?

Alaska has enacted it, but the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. No one can practice in Alaska on a compact license yet; endorsement through the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) is the route.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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)
ASWB — Look up a license (board license-search directory) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

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