Transfer Your Social Work License to Idaho: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) ↗
Idaho does not transfer your license as-is, but you do not start over: the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) grants its clinical-level social work license by endorsement, crediting your existing ASWB pass. Fee: $90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.). Processing: Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27.. Idaho has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.
Moving to Idaho from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Outside the Social Work Licensure Compact, Idaho will keep licensing incoming social workers only through its own process even after the compact launches, unless its legislature acts. For a move now, that makes no difference, since no state is issuing compact licenses.
Idaho's clinical-level license is the LCSW; the other tiers are the LMSW and LSW. By-exam LCSW applicants need 3,000 supervised clinical hours over 2-5 years with 100 hours of face-to-face supervision (IDAPA 24.14.01.100.03). Endorsement is governed by Idaho Code 54-3208 plus the exam condition in 100.04. The statute's text could not be read because every Idaho government host (dopl.idaho.gov, adminrules.idaho.gov, legislature.idaho.gov) refused connections on 2026-09-27. Its conditions, including any years-licensed, good-standing or background-check requirement, and whether Idaho's general universal-licensure provisions apply, are therefore unverified. The board page and application URL could not be confirmed to load. Idaho has NOT enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.
Idaho requirements at a glance
| Exam | The ASWB exam is not retaken. For endorsement you must have passed the approved ASWB exam for the license type (Clinical for the LCSW) or an equivalent, unless no exam was required when you were first licensed (IDAPA 24.14.01.100.04). The general approved-exam definition requires a pass within the previous seven years, but the endorsement rule does not repeat that limit. No Idaho jurisprudence exam is named in the rules. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.) |
| Processing time | Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27. |
Step by step
- Confirm Idaho's current requirements on the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Meet the endorsement requirements of Idaho Code 54-3208.
- Have passed the ASWB Clinical exam or an equivalent, unless no exam was required at your original licensure.
- Submit the notarized application and the endorsement fee to the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses.
- Pay the fees ($90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.)) and allow Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27..
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Idaho:
Nearby states
Social Work license transfer into the states bordering Idaho:
Idaho for other professions
Frequently asked questions
Does my social work license transfer to Idaho?
Idaho does not transfer your license as-is, but you do not start over: the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) grants its clinical-level social work license by endorsement, crediting your existing ASWB pass. Fee: $90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.). Processing: Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27.. Idaho has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.
Do I have to retake the ASWB exam to get licensed in Idaho?
The ASWB exam is not retaken. For endorsement you must have passed the approved ASWB exam for the license type (Clinical for the LCSW) or an equivalent, unless no exam was required when you were first licensed (IDAPA 24.14.01.100.04). The general approved-exam definition requires a pass within the previous seven years, but the endorsement rule does not repeat that limit. No Idaho jurisprudence exam is named in the rules. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
How much does an Idaho clinical social work license cost for an out-of-state applicant?
$90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.)
How long does the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) take?
Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27.
Is Idaho in the Social Work Licensure Compact?
No. Idaho had not enacted it as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) is the route in.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- IDAPA 24.14.01.100 — Licensure (Idaho Board of Social Work Examiners rules, official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDAPA 24.14.01.400 — Fees (official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (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]