Social Work License from California to Idaho: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) ↗
A social work license transfers from California to Idaho by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses), verify your California license, and meet Idaho's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. For endorsement you must have passed the approved ASWB exam for the license type (Clinical for the LCSW) or an equivalent, unless no exam was required when you were first licensed (IDAPA 24.14.01.100.04). The general approved-exam definition requires a pass within the previous seven years, but the endorsement rule does not repeat that limit. No Idaho jurisprudence exam is named in the rules..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This move runs entirely through the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses). Your California license is verified, your ASWB score is sent rather than retaken, and Idaho's own checks follow; the Social Work Licensure Compact plays no part because neither state has enacted it.
What changes, California → Idaho
| California (current) | Idaho (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $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.) | $90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.) |
| Processing time | 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. | Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27. |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) | Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Idaho sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Idaho's current requirements on the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Meet the endorsement requirements of Idaho Code 54-3208.
- Have passed the ASWB Clinical exam or an equivalent, unless no exam was required at your original licensure.
- Submit the notarized application and the endorsement fee to the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses.
- Pay the fees ($90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.)) and allow Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Idaho accept a California social work license?
A social work license transfers from California to Idaho by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses), verify your California license, and meet Idaho's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. For endorsement you must have passed the approved ASWB exam for the license type (Clinical for the LCSW) or an equivalent, unless no exam was required when you were first licensed (IDAPA 24.14.01.100.04). The general approved-exam definition requires a pass within the previous seven years, but the endorsement rule does not repeat that limit. No Idaho jurisprudence exam is named in the rules..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from California to Idaho?
The ASWB exam is not retaken. For endorsement you must have passed the approved ASWB exam for the license type (Clinical for the LCSW) or an equivalent, unless no exam was required when you were first licensed (IDAPA 24.14.01.100.04). The general approved-exam definition requires a pass within the previous seven years, but the endorsement rule does not repeat that limit. No Idaho jurisprudence exam is named in the rules. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the California-to-Idaho move cost and how long does it take?
$90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.) Processing: Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27.
Will Idaho accept the supervised hours I completed in California?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Idaho's rule, where the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) 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.
- IDAPA 24.14.01.100 — Licensure (Idaho Board of Social Work Examiners rules, official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDAPA 24.14.01.400 — Fees (official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (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)
- 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]