Social Work License from Florida to Indiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) ↗
A social work license transfers from Florida to Indiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency), verify your Florida license, and meet Indiana's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: reciprocity applicants have ASWB send an official score report showing a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam directly to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (only the Clinical exam qualifies for the LCSW; 839 IAC 1-2-1(c)). If your out-of-state license was not based on an ASWB exam at the same or a higher level, you must apply by examination instead. The Board's reciprocity instructions (archived February 2024) also require LSW and LCSW reciprocity applicants to pass a 30-question Indiana jurisprudence exam (statutes and rules, 75% to pass) emailed after Board approval; the current online LCSW reciprocity checklist (archived July 2026) does not list it, so confirm with the Board..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Florida nor Indiana has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and it is not issuing licenses anywhere in any case, so this is a plain endorsement move. The Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) verifies your Florida license, accepts your ASWB score by transfer, and adds its own requirements.
What changes, Florida → Indiana
| Florida (current) | Indiana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $180 ($180 total: $100 non-refundable application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee. $80 is refunded if the application is denied or withdrawn. Livescan fingerprint fees are paid to the vendor. Florida may reduce fees for military members, veterans and their spouses.) | $50 ($50 nonrefundable application/issuance fee for a clinical social worker license (839 IAC 1-2-5(b), readopted 2024; the Board's July 2026 LCSW reciprocity checklist also lists $50). Fingerprint background-check vendor fees are extra and not stated by the Board. Renewal is $50 every two years; licenses expire April 1 of even years.) |
| Processing time | ~6 weeks (The Board says to allow up to 30 business days for the initial review of new applications (about 6 weeks). Under Fla. Stat. 456.0145 the Board must issue the license within 7 days once all documentation, including background screening, is received.) | No processing time is published for LCSW reciprocity. The Board says only that it takes 7-10 business days to process exam results once received. Applications are abandoned if not completed within one year. |
| Licensing authority | Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling | Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Indiana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Indiana's current requirements on the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active clinical social work license of equal level in another state with no pending disciplinary proceeding (IC 25-23.6-5-10.5, as cited by the Board).
- Have ASWB send an official score report showing you passed the Clinical exam directly to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency.
- Have each state that licenses you send verification of your license (copies of license cards are not accepted).
- Complete a national fingerprint-based criminal background check at your cost, after you submit the application.
- Apply online and pay the $50 application fee.
- Pay the fees ($50 ($50 nonrefundable application/issuance fee for a clinical social worker license (839 IAC 1-2-5(b), readopted 2024; the Board's July 2026 LCSW reciprocity checklist also lists $50). Fingerprint background-check vendor fees are extra and not stated by the Board. Renewal is $50 every two years; licenses expire April 1 of even years.)) and allow No processing time is published for LCSW reciprocity. The Board says only that it takes 7-10 business days to process exam results once received. Applications are abandoned if not completed within one year..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Indiana accept a Florida social work license?
A social work license transfers from Florida to Indiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency), verify your Florida license, and meet Indiana's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: reciprocity applicants have ASWB send an official score report showing a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam directly to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (only the Clinical exam qualifies for the LCSW; 839 IAC 1-2-1(c)). If your out-of-state license was not based on an ASWB exam at the same or a higher level, you must apply by examination instead. The Board's reciprocity instructions (archived February 2024) also require LSW and LCSW reciprocity applicants to pass a 30-question Indiana jurisprudence exam (statutes and rules, 75% to pass) emailed after Board approval; the current online LCSW reciprocity checklist (archived July 2026) does not list it, so confirm with the Board..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Florida to Indiana?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: reciprocity applicants have ASWB send an official score report showing a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam directly to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (only the Clinical exam qualifies for the LCSW; 839 IAC 1-2-1(c)). If your out-of-state license was not based on an ASWB exam at the same or a higher level, you must apply by examination instead. The Board's reciprocity instructions (archived February 2024) also require LSW and LCSW reciprocity applicants to pass a 30-question Indiana jurisprudence exam (statutes and rules, 75% to pass) emailed after Board approval; the current online LCSW reciprocity checklist (archived July 2026) does not list it, so confirm with the Board. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Florida-to-Indiana move cost and how long does it take?
$50 ($50 nonrefundable application/issuance fee for a clinical social worker license (839 IAC 1-2-5(b), readopted 2024; the Board's July 2026 LCSW reciprocity checklist also lists $50). Fingerprint background-check vendor fees are extra and not stated by the Board. Renewal is $50 every two years; licenses expire April 1 of even years.) Processing: No processing time is published for LCSW reciprocity. The Board says only that it takes 7-10 business days to process exam results once received. Applications are abandoned if not completed within one year.
Will Indiana accept the supervised hours I completed in Florida?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Indiana's rule, where the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) 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.
- Indiana PLA — Behavioral Health and Human Services licensing information: LCSW reciprocity checklist (Internet Archive copy of the official page, captured 2026-07-08) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Indiana PLA — LBSW, LSW and LCSW application for licensure by reciprocity: information and instructions (Internet Archive copy of the official PDF, captured 2024-02-18) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 839 IAC 1-2-5 — Fees (official rule text via Cornell LII; readopted 2024-06-24) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 839 IAC 1-2-1 — Application by examination; clinical social workers take the ASWB clinical exam (official rule text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Board of CSW, MFT and MHC — Licensed Clinical Social Worker (endorsement requirements, fees, processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Board of CSW, MFT and MHC — Application for Licensure by Endorsement (DH-MQA 5048, rev. 2/2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Statutes 491.006 — Licensure or certification by endorsement (Florida Legislature) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Statutes 456.0145 — MOBILE Act licensure by endorsement (Florida Legislature) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Department of Health — Background Screening ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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