Social Work License from California to West Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does West Virginia accept a California social work license?
A social work license transfers from California to West Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the West Virginia Board of Social Work, verify your California license, and meet West Virginia's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: an out-of-state applicant must have passed the ASWB Clinical exam and have ASWB send the official score report. West Virginia's LICSW application requires no state jurisprudence exam.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only West Virginia 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 West Virginia Board of Social Work by endorsement, with your California license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What's different between California and West Virginia
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into West Virginia. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
California to West Virginia (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
West Virginia to California (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from California matter?
Coming from California matters here: only 18 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into West Virginia.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
West Virginia has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; California has not.
- Application fee
West Virginia lists $90 for an out-of-state applicant and California lists $250 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
West Virginia and California carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- West Virginia (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken: an out-of-state applicant must have passed the ASWB Clinical exam and have ASWB send the official score report. West Virginia's LICSW application requires no state jurisprudence exam.
- California (the reverse move): The national clinical exam is waived for applicants who qualify under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.17.1, so the ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken. California requires its own board-administered California Law and Ethics Examination on top of that ($150 statutory exam fee), and the applicant must pass it before licensure.
What changes, California → West Virginia
| California (current) | West Virginia (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.) | $90 (The Board's active fee rule (25CSR3, eff. 2022-07-01) sets $90 to issue a regular LICSW biennial license and lists no separate application fee; the LICSW application form states no fee. Renewal is $76 biennially. An amended fee rule is marked 'In Progress' at the Secretary of State.) |
| 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 | The Board publishes no processing time |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) | West Virginia Board of Social Work |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — West Virginia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm West Virginia's current requirements on the West Virginia Board of Social Work website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the West Virginia Board of Social Work (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Mail the paper LICSW application to the Board (applications may not be faxed or emailed).
- Have ASWB send your passing Clinical exam score report directly.
- Submit a copy of each other-state license with verification of standing (web verification accepted).
- Unless you have been licensed at the clinical level for 10 or more years, document 2 years and 3,000 hours of practice with 100 hours of face-to-face supervision (your prior board's supervision paperwork or a board letter is accepted).
- Send an official MSW transcript (CSWE-accredited) and a copy of your driver's license or photo ID.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. West Virginia has enacted it and California has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the West Virginia Board of Social Work is the route.
Will West Virginia 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. West Virginia's rule, where the West Virginia Board of Social Work 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.
- WV Board of Social Work — Level D LICSW (out-of-state applicants) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- WV Board of Social Work — Application for Licensed Independent Clinical Social Work License (rev. April 2021) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- WV Board of Social Work — Regular License levels ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- WV 25CSR3 Fee Schedule, eff. 2022-07-01 (Secretary of State) ↗ (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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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