Social Work License from Illinois to Nebraska: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Nebraska accept an Illinois social work license?
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Nebraska by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice, verify your Illinois license, and meet Nebraska's endorsement requirements. On the 5-year reciprocity route no national exam is retaken or re-verified. Applicants must pass Nebraska's online mental health practice jurisprudence exam (or the social work jurisprudence exam if applying for a CMSW certificate only).
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only Nebraska has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and since the compact is not issuing multistate licenses anywhere, that difference does not affect this move. You apply to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice by endorsement, with your Illinois license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What's different between Illinois and Nebraska
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Nebraska. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Nebraska (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Nebraska 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 Nebraska.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Nebraska has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Illinois has not.
- Application fee
Nebraska lists $155–$205 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $200 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Nebraska lists up to 6 weeks; Illinois has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Nebraska and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Nebraska (this move): On the 5-year reciprocity route no national exam is retaken or re-verified. Applicants must pass Nebraska's online mental health practice jurisprudence exam (or the social work jurisprudence exam if applying for a CMSW certificate only).
- 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 → Nebraska
| Illinois (current) | Nebraska (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.) | $155–$205 (LIMHP license fee $155 (or $38.75 if applying March-August of an even year); adding the CMSW certificate costs $50 more ($205 total). Fingerprint processing is $55, paid to the Nebraska State Patrol. The initial license fee is waived for young workers (19-25), low-income applicants and military families.) |
| 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 | up to 6 weeks (DHHS says it will email or write within approximately 30 business days (about 6 weeks) to say the license was issued or the file is incomplete; incomplete applications close after 90 days. Criminal background checks are not expedited.) |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board | Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Nebraska sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Nebraska's current requirements on the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a license in another state of the same or similar type that allows you to diagnose major mental illnesses or disorders, and have practised under it for at least 5 years.
- Pass the Nebraska mental health practice jurisprudence exam online.
- Complete a fingerprint-based FBI/Nebraska State Patrol criminal background check (required for the LIMHP).
- Also apply for the Certified Master Social Worker (CMSW) certificate if you want to use the title social worker.
- Submit the application and fee by mail or hand delivery to the DHHS Licensure Unit.
- 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. Nebraska has enacted it and Illinois has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice is the route.
Will Nebraska 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. Nebraska's rule, where the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Board of Mental Health Practice 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.
- Nebraska DHHS — 5-year Reciprocity Application Information, LIMHP/LMHP/CMFT/CPC/CMSW (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-01-16; dhhs.ne.gov did not resolve on 2026-09-27) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Nebraska DHHS — Mental Health and Social Work Practice licensure page (application list) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-09-10) ↗ (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