Social Work License from Illinois to Iowa: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Iowa accept an Illinois social work license?
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Iowa by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure), verify your Illinois license, and meet Iowa's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. The independent (LISW) level requires the ASWB Clinical exam (481 IAC 880.3(3)); have ASWB send your passing score. Iowa has no separate jurisprudence exam. Applicants using licensure by verification under Iowa Code 272C.12 instead attest that their license meets that statute's requirements.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Iowa has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Illinois has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What's different between Illinois and Iowa
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Iowa. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Iowa (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Iowa 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 Iowa.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Iowa has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Illinois has not.
- Application fee
Iowa lists $120–$123 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $200 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Iowa and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Iowa (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken. The independent (LISW) level requires the ASWB Clinical exam (481 IAC 880.3(3)); have ASWB send your passing score. Iowa has no separate jurisprudence exam. Applicants using licensure by verification under Iowa Code 272C.12 instead attest that their license meets that statute's requirements.
- 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 → Iowa
| Illinois (current) | Iowa (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.) | $120–$123 (Social work license fee under 481 IAC 507.19(1): $120, non-refundable. DIAL's social work page lists the application as a '$123 fee'; the $3 difference is unexplained on the page and may be a processing charge. Fingerprint and background check costs are extra.) |
| 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 DIAL's social work licensure page |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board | Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Iowa sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Iowa's current requirements on the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a license in another jurisdiction with a substantially similar scope of practice, and apply by licensure by verification (481 IAC 501.1, Iowa Code 272C.12) or by standard application with license verification.
- Submit fingerprint cards and waivers for a national DCI and FBI criminal history check, at your cost.
- Have your most recent licensing jurisdiction send license verification (web verification accepted if it shows initial date, status and discipline).
- Disclose any public or pending complaints in any jurisdiction.
- Verification route: submit a written statement of your scope of practice and copies of the other state's scope-of-practice laws.
- 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. Iowa has enacted it and Illinois has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) is the route.
Will Iowa 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. Iowa's rule, where the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) 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.
- Iowa DIAL — Social Work Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 481 IAC Chapter 880 — Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (IAC 9/2/26; social work licensure 880.2(7), exams 880.3(3)) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 481 IAC Chapter 501 — Licensure by verification (Iowa Code 272C.12) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 481 IAC Chapter 507 — Professional licensing division fees (507.19 social work) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ARC 9401C — consolidation of behavioral health licensing rules into 481 IAC 880 (effective 2025-08-13) ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com