Social Work License from Illinois to Kansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Kansas accept an Illinois social work license?
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB), verify your Illinois license, and meet Kansas's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: Kansas exempts applicants who passed an exam similar to the required one (K.S.A. 65-6309(a)); the LSCSW corresponds to the ASWB Clinical exam. An applicant who never passed a national clinical exam must document 10 continuous years of clinical-level licensure instead of 5 (K.A.R. 102-2-2b). No Kansas jurisprudence exam was identified.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Kansas has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Illinois has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What's different between Illinois and Kansas
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Kansas. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Kansas (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Kansas 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 Kansas.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Kansas has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Illinois has not.
- Application fee
Kansas lists $50 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $200 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Kansas and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Kansas (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken: Kansas exempts applicants who passed an exam similar to the required one (K.S.A. 65-6309(a)); the LSCSW corresponds to the ASWB Clinical exam. An applicant who never passed a national clinical exam must document 10 continuous years of clinical-level licensure instead of 5 (K.A.R. 102-2-2b). No Kansas jurisprudence exam was identified.
- 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 → Kansas
| Illinois (current) | Kansas (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.) | $50 (LSCSW application fee under K.A.R. 102-2-3(a)(3); + $150 original LSCSW license fee (102-2-3(c)(3)); optional $100 expedited-application fee (102-2-3(b)). A temporary permit for out-of-state independent clinical social workers practising up to 30 days a year costs $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 | Not verified. The BSRB website (ksbsrb.ks.gov) blocked automated access (HTTP 403) on 2026-09-27. BSRB testimony on HB 2340 (2023) says the bill required the Board to process applications within a set time; the figure was not confirmed |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board | Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kansas's current requirements on the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Request the LSCSW reciprocity application from the Board and pay the application fee.
- Have your current clinical-level licensing agency complete the Board's verification form, including license dates, renewal and lapse history and any serious discipline.
- Qualify on substantially equivalent standards, or otherwise document 5 continuous years of clinical-level licensure (10 years if you never passed a national clinical exam).
- Verify your master's or doctoral degree in social work from an accredited program.
- 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. Kansas has enacted it and Illinois has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB) is the route.
Will Kansas 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. Kansas's rule, where the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB) 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.
- K.A.R. 102-2-2b — Application for licensure based on reciprocity (LSCSW) (official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- K.A.R. 102-2-3 — Fees (official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- K.S.A. 65-6309 — Exemption from examination; temporary licensure (Kansas Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- K.S.A. 65-6309a — Temporary permit for out-of-state clinical social workers (Kansas Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Kansas BSRB — testimony on HB 2340 (2023), reciprocity practice period cut from 48 to 12 months ↗ (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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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