Social Work License from Illinois to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Connecticut accept an Illinois social work license?
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work), verify your Illinois license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. On the standard route for applicants licensed elsewhere, the ASWB Clinical exam is required but not retaken; have ASWB send the passing score. On the route for applicants licensed at least 4 years in another US state, no exam, transcript or training verification is required. No Connecticut jurisprudence exam is required.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Connecticut has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Illinois has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What's different between Illinois and Connecticut
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Connecticut. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Connecticut (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Connecticut to Illinois (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Illinois matter?
Coming from Illinois matters here: only 18 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Connecticut.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Connecticut has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Illinois has not.
- Application fee
Connecticut lists $0 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $200 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Connecticut and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Connecticut (this move): On the standard route for applicants licensed elsewhere, the ASWB Clinical exam is required but not retaken; have ASWB send the passing score. On the route for applicants licensed at least 4 years in another US state, no exam, transcript or training verification is required. No Connecticut jurisprudence exam is required.
- Illinois (the reverse move): The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken; applicants who passed it in another state have ASWB send an official score transfer to IDFPR. Illinois also allows an 'Exam Alternative' (3,000 additional supervised professional hours after an ASWB Clinical attempt made after 2019-01-01). No Illinois jurisprudence exam is required.
What changes, Illinois → Connecticut
| Illinois (current) | Connecticut (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.) | $0 (The Department's LCSW requirements page says 'There is no application fee', and its Social Work Licensure page lists the initial application as no fee. Renewal is $200.) |
| 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 | No processing time is published on the Department's social work pages |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board | Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online through Connecticut eLicense with a photograph.
- Have every state where you hold or have ever held a license send official verification directly to the Department.
- Standard route: send an official transcript and the ASWB Clinical exam result.
- Standard route: have your employer send a letter confirming three years of licensed clinical practice in another state, in place of the work-experience and supervision requirement.
- 4-year route: hold a license in good standing for at least 4 years, with no discipline, pending complaints or surrender under investigation.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Connecticut has enacted it and Illinois has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) is the route.
Will Connecticut 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. Connecticut's rule, where the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) 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.
- Connecticut DPH — LCSW Licensing Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut DPH — Social Work Licensure (fees and pathways) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut DPH — Applicants Licensed in Another US State for at Least 4 Years ↗ (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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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