Social Work License from Arizona to Wisconsin: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) ↗
Both Arizona and Wisconsin have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — endorsement for now
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
Arizona and Wisconsin have both enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27. Shared enactment changes nothing about this move today: you apply to the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, Arizona → Wisconsin
| Arizona (current) | Wisconsin (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| 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.) | DSPS says only 'pay appropriate fee(s) online via LicensE' and publishes renewal fees ($62 for the LCSW, per the RDAF chart rev. 08/07/2025), not the initial or reciprocal application fee. Not verified, so left null. |
| Processing time | R4-6-302 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. | DSPS publishes no processing time for LCSW reciprocity. A temporary license while an application is pending is possible for credentialed out-of-state health providers (information sheet 2021-A101). |
| Licensing authority | Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners | Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Wisconsin sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Wisconsin's current requirements on the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Apply online in LicensE for the Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential and pay the fee.
- Pass the Wisconsin Statutes and Rules (open-book) exam, unless taken within the last five years.
- Have every state or territory where you are or were credentialed (active or inactive) send verification.
- Submit Form 2252 (convictions and pending charges) if applicable.
- Keep your out-of-state license active until DSPS finishes its equivalency comparison.
- Pay the fees (DSPS says only 'pay appropriate fee(s) online via LicensE' and publishes renewal fees ($62 for the LCSW, per the RDAF chart rev. 08/07/2025), not the initial or reciprocal application fee. Not verified, so left null.) and allow DSPS publishes no processing time for LCSW reciprocity. A temporary license while an application is pending is possible for credentialed out-of-state health providers (information sheet 2021-A101)..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Wisconsin accept an Arizona social work license?
Both Arizona and Wisconsin have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Arizona to Wisconsin?
For reciprocity, DSPS compares your state's licensing standards with Wisconsin's; your ASWB score is accepted if ASWB sends it directly and it is for the same level you are applying for (Clinical). All applicants must ALSO pass the open-book Wisconsin Statutes and Rules exam, unless they took it within the last five years. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Arizona-to-Wisconsin move cost and how long does it take?
DSPS says only 'pay appropriate fee(s) online via LicensE' and publishes renewal fees ($62 for the LCSW, per the RDAF chart rev. 08/07/2025), not the initial or reciprocal application fee. Not verified, so left null. Processing: DSPS publishes no processing time for LCSW reciprocity. A temporary license while an application is pending is possible for credentialed out-of-state health providers (information sheet 2021-A101).
Arizona and Wisconsin are both compact states. Can I practice in Wisconsin on my Arizona license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Wisconsin. You need a Wisconsin license from the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS).
Will Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin's rule, where the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) 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.
- Wisconsin DSPS — #2681 Credentialing Information for Licensed Clinical Social Worker Applicants (rev. 4/2022), incl. Reciprocal Applicants ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wisconsin DSPS — Social Worker, Licensed Clinical profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wisconsin DSPS — Reciprocity/Endorsement Not Available list ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wisconsin DSPS — Renewal Dates and Fees (RDAF, rev. 08/07/2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-3274 — Licensure by endorsement (Arizona Legislature) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-3275 — Requirements for licensure (Arizona Legislature) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-4302 — Out-of-state applicants; residents (universal recognition) (Arizona Legislature) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ariz. Admin. Code R4-6-304 — Application for a License by Endorsement (official code text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ariz. Admin. Code R4-6-402 — Examination (social work) (official code text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ariz. Admin. Code R4-6-215 — Fees and Charges (official code text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Look up a license (board license-search directory) ↗ (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]