Social Work License from Illinois 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) ↗
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Alaska by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing), verify your Illinois license, and meet Alaska's endorsement requirements. 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..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Alaska has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Illinois has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What changes, Illinois → Alaska
| Illinois (current) | Alaska (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $200 (Endorsement licensure application fee per IDFPR's Social Worker/LCSW instructions; non-refundable. The Acceptance of Examination and Examination methods cost $50 but apply only to people not currently licensed elsewhere.) | $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 | IDFPR states no processing time. Its instructions ask applicants to allow 6 weeks from mailing before inquiring about status, and an application stays active for three years. | 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 | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board | 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 an Illinois social work license?
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Alaska by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing), verify your Illinois license, and meet Alaska's endorsement requirements. 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..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Illinois 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 Illinois-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.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Alaska has enacted it and Illinois has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) is the route.
Will Alaska accept the supervised hours I completed in Illinois?
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)
- IDFPR — Qualifications for Licensure, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (149), effective 05/2025 ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR — Instructions, Licensed Social Worker or Licensed Clinical Social Worker application ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR — Social Work profession page ↗ (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]