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LicenseReciprocity

Social Work License from Arizona to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board ↗

A social work license transfers from Arizona to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board, verify your Arizona license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken; applicants who passed it in another state have ASWB send an official score transfer to IDFPR. Illinois also allows an 'Exam Alternative' (3,000 additional supervised professional hours after an ASWB Clinical attempt made after 2019-01-01). No Illinois jurisprudence exam is required..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Only Arizona has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and since the compact is not issuing multistate licenses anywhere, that difference does not affect this move. You apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board by endorsement, with your Arizona license verified and your ASWB score transferred.

What changes, Arizona → Illinois

Side-by-side: Arizona vs Illinois (Social Work (LCSW / LICSW)), verified 2026-09-27
Arizona (current)Illinois (destination)
SW Compact statusSW Compact enacted — not yet issuingLicensure by endorsement
Application fee$250 (Application for license by endorsement fee under Ariz. Admin. Code R4-6-215(A)(2); non-refundable. The rule also lists a $40 criminal history background check charge. The Board site (azbbhe.us) blocked automated access on 2026-09-27, so the fee could not be re-checked there. A $100 issuance fee appears as struck in the codified rule text read.)$200 (Endorsement licensure application fee per IDFPR's Social Worker/LCSW instructions; non-refundable. The Acceptance of Examination and Examination methods cost $50 but apply only to people not currently licensed elsewhere.)
Processing timeR4-6-302 sets administrative completeness and substantive review time frames in a Table 1 that was not readable in the source consulted, and the Board's own site blocked automated access. Deficiency responses are due within 60 days.IDFPR states no processing time. Its instructions ask applicants to allow 6 weeks from mailing before inquiring about status, and an application stays active for three years.
Licensing authorityArizona Board of Behavioral Health ExaminersIllinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold an active LCSW or equivalent license in another US state or jurisdiction and have each state send Certification of Licensure (form CT or its own format).
  5. Send an official ASWB score transfer if you passed the Clinical exam elsewhere.
  6. Unless licensed at the independent level for 5 consecutive years without discipline, prove a CSWE-accredited MSW or DSW and 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience (form VE-SW).
  7. Apply through the IDFPR CORE online portal.
  8. Pay the fees ($200 (Endorsement licensure application fee per IDFPR's Social Worker/LCSW instructions; non-refundable. The Acceptance of Examination and Examination methods cost $50 but apply only to people not currently licensed elsewhere.)) and allow IDFPR states no processing time. Its instructions ask applicants to allow 6 weeks from mailing before inquiring about status, and an application stays active for three years..

Official links

Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board ↗Illinois application ↗License verification ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Illinois → ArizonaSocial Work in ArizonaSocial Work in IllinoisAll social work statesThe SW Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Illinois accept an Arizona social work license?

A social work license transfers from Arizona to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board, verify your Arizona license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken; applicants who passed it in another state have ASWB send an official score transfer to IDFPR. Illinois also allows an 'Exam Alternative' (3,000 additional supervised professional hours after an ASWB Clinical attempt made after 2019-01-01). No Illinois jurisprudence exam is required..

Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Arizona to Illinois?

The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken; applicants who passed it in another state have ASWB send an official score transfer to IDFPR. Illinois also allows an 'Exam Alternative' (3,000 additional supervised professional hours after an ASWB Clinical attempt made after 2019-01-01). No Illinois jurisprudence exam is required. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.

What does the Arizona-to-Illinois move cost and how long does it take?

$200 (Endorsement licensure application fee per IDFPR's Social Worker/LCSW instructions; non-refundable. The Acceptance of Examination and Examination methods cost $50 but apply only to people not currently licensed elsewhere.) Processing: IDFPR states no processing time. Its instructions ask applicants to allow 6 weeks from mailing before inquiring about status, and an application stays active for three years.

Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?

No. Arizona has enacted it and Illinois has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board is the route.

Will Illinois accept the supervised hours I completed in Arizona?

Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Illinois's rule, where the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board 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.

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

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]