Social Work License from California to South Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners ↗
A social work license transfers from California to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners, verify your California license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. SDCL 36-26-18 exempts an out-of-state licensee from any exam if their state imposes substantially the same requirements and they passed a similar exam there. The Board accepts ASWB scores verified by another state; otherwise have ASWB send a score report directly. The Board's pages name no required ASWB category for the CSW-PIP and no state jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only South Dakota 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 South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners by endorsement, with your California license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What changes, California → South Dakota
| California (current) | South Dakota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| 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.) | $210 (Application fee for Certified Social Worker-Private Independent Practice per the Board's fee schedule (non-refundable). Biennial renewal is $105.) |
| 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. | No processing time is published. A Board review officer approves applications. |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) | South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Dakota's current requirements on the South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current CSW-PIP or equivalent independent license in another state.
- Submit the signed, notarized application and the application fee (check or money order).
- Have every state where you hold or held a license send official verification directly to the Board.
- Provide proof of supervision from your original licensing state; it must be substantially equivalent to South Dakota's (Verification of Out of State Experience form).
- Have your school send an official transcript for your highest degree.
- Have ASWB send a score report if your state's verification does not show the exam level and test passed.
- Pay the fees ($210 (Application fee for Certified Social Worker-Private Independent Practice per the Board's fee schedule (non-refundable). Biennial renewal is $105.)) and allow No processing time is published. A Board review officer approves applications..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Dakota accept a California social work license?
A social work license transfers from California to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners, verify your California license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. SDCL 36-26-18 exempts an out-of-state licensee from any exam if their state imposes substantially the same requirements and they passed a similar exam there. The Board accepts ASWB scores verified by another state; otherwise have ASWB send a score report directly. The Board's pages name no required ASWB category for the CSW-PIP and no state jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from California to South Dakota?
SDCL 36-26-18 exempts an out-of-state licensee from any exam if their state imposes substantially the same requirements and they passed a similar exam there. The Board accepts ASWB scores verified by another state; otherwise have ASWB send a score report directly. The Board's pages name no required ASWB category for the CSW-PIP and no state jurisprudence exam. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the California-to-South Dakota move cost and how long does it take?
$210 (Application fee for Certified Social Worker-Private Independent Practice per the Board's fee schedule (non-refundable). Biennial renewal is $105.) Processing: No processing time is published. A Board review officer approves applications.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. South Dakota has enacted it and California has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners is the route.
Will South Dakota 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. South Dakota's rule, where the South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners 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.
- SD Board of Social Work Examiners — Application instruction and checklist sheet (out-of-state PIP applicants) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Social Work Examiners — Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Social Work Examiners — Licensing Information ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-26-18 — Exemption from examination for out-of-state licensees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-26-17 — Independent practice requirements ↗ (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)
- 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]