Social Work License from California to Wyoming: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board ↗
A social work license transfers from California to Wyoming by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board, verify your California license, and meet Wyoming's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This move runs entirely through the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board. Your California license is verified, your ASWB score is sent rather than retaken, and Wyoming's own checks follow; the Social Work Licensure Compact plays no part because neither state has enacted it.
What changes, California → Wyoming
| California (current) | Wyoming (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.) | $375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.) |
| 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. | 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.) |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) | Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Wyoming sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Wyoming's current requirements on the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Mail the signed application with the $419 payment (check, cashier's check or money order to the State of Wyoming).
- Include two FD-258 fingerprint cards taken within the last six months.
- Provide proof of lawful presence.
- Have your school send an official master's transcript, and have ASWB send your official exam score.
- Have every jurisdiction where you hold or held a license send official verification directly to the Board.
- Include a copy of the Professional Disclosure Statement you will use once licensed.
- Pay the fees ($375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.)) and allow 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Wyoming accept a California social work license?
A social work license transfers from California to Wyoming by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board, verify your California license, and meet Wyoming's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from California to Wyoming?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the California-to-Wyoming move cost and how long does it take?
$375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.) Processing: 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.)
Will Wyoming 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. Wyoming's rule, where the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing 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.
- Wyoming MHPLB — Licensed Clinical Social Worker by Reciprocity instructions and application (linked from the Board's Application & Forms page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wyoming MHPLB — Application & Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wyoming MHPLB — Questions and Answers (reciprocity, review time) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact map ↗ (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)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (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]