Social Work License from Delaware to Alaska: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) ↗
Both Delaware and Alaska 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.
Delaware and Alaska 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 Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, Delaware → Alaska
| Delaware (current) | Alaska (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $205 (LCSW license application fee per the Division of Professional Regulation fee schedule; non-refundable, payable only by card through DELPROS. Background check fees are extra. Renewal fees are announced at renewal.) | $425 (Paid together with the application: $100 non-refundable application fee + $325 initial license fee (form 08-4871, rev. 04/21/2026). Alaska offers no temporary clinical license. Licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years.) |
| Processing time | The Board publishes no processing time for reciprocity applications. | The Division says only that average processing time varies by program; once the file is complete and fees are paid, it goes to the Board for approval. Applications are reviewed in the order received. |
| Licensing authority | Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) | Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Alaska sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Alaska's current requirements on the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current clinical social work license from a jurisdiction whose requirements, when your license was first issued, were equal to or stricter than Alaska's (AS 08.95.120).
- Have every jurisdiction where you have ever held a social work license send verification, including any discipline, directly to the Division.
- Submit three professional references on form 08-4871c, including one from a current or previous employer supervisor.
- Show continuing competency by passing the ASWB Clinical exam within the past two years, or by documenting 1,500 hours of social work practice in the past five years (form 08-4871d).
- If you qualify by practice hours, also document 45 CE hours from the past five years, including 6 in substance abuse, 3 in ethics, 3 in teletherapy and 3 in suicide education.
- Register with the Telemedicine Business Registry if you will practise teletherapy.
- Pay the fees ($425 (Paid together with the application: $100 non-refundable application fee + $325 initial license fee (form 08-4871, rev. 04/21/2026). Alaska offers no temporary clinical license. Licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years.)) and allow The Division says only that average processing time varies by program; once the file is complete and fees are paid, it goes to the Board for approval. Applications are reviewed in the order received..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Alaska accept a Delaware social work license?
Both Delaware and Alaska 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 Delaware to Alaska?
The ASWB exam is not retaken. The credentials application asks whether you passed the ASWB Clinical-level exam. To meet the continuing-competency rule (12 AAC 18.112) you either passed the Clinical exam within the two years before applying (request an ASWB score transfer to Alaska) or document 1,500 hours of social work in the past five years plus 45 CE hours. No Alaska jurisprudence exam is required. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Delaware-to-Alaska move cost and how long does it take?
$425 (Paid together with the application: $100 non-refundable application fee + $325 initial license fee (form 08-4871, rev. 04/21/2026). Alaska offers no temporary clinical license. Licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years.) Processing: The Division says only that average processing time varies by program; once the file is complete and fees are paid, it goes to the Board for approval. Applications are reviewed in the order received.
Delaware and Alaska are both compact states. Can I practice in Alaska on my Delaware license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Alaska. You need an Alaska license from the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing).
Will Alaska accept the supervised hours I completed in Delaware?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Alaska's rule, where the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) 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.
- Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners — Clinical Social Worker License by Credentials application and instructions (form 08-4871, rev. 04/21/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners — Applications & Forms ↗ (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)
- Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners — Clinical Social Worker Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners — Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Sending your exam results to another state or province ↗ (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]