Social Work License from Illinois to Nevada: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers ↗
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Nevada by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers, verify your Illinois license, and meet Nevada's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken, but endorsement requires that you passed the equivalent ASWB exams; Nevada's LCSW requires the ASWB Masters exam AND the ASWB Clinical exam. No Nevada jurisprudence exam is listed..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Illinois nor Nevada has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and it is not issuing licenses anywhere in any case, so this is a plain endorsement move. The Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers verifies your Illinois license, accepts your ASWB score by transfer, and adds its own requirements.
What changes, Illinois → Nevada
| Illinois (current) | Nevada (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| 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.) | $175 (LCSW level: $50 application fee plus $125 endorsement fee; the $125 initial license fee is also due (Board fee schedule, Jan 2022). Annual LCSW renewal is $187.50. Eligible military members, spouses and veterans pay half the initial fee.) |
| 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. |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board | Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Nevada sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Nevada's current requirements on the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, unrestricted clinical social work license in another state (the LCSW application is only for those currently licensed as clinical social workers elsewhere).
- Have the university send transcripts verifying your CSWE-accredited MSW directly to the Board.
- Show at least 3,000 hours of post-graduate internship/supervised experience; simply being licensed elsewhere is not sufficient.
- Pass state and federal background checks.
- Arrange written license verification from Arizona, California, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey or Utah if you were licensed there (the Board pulls other states online).
- Pay the fees ($175 (LCSW level: $50 application fee plus $125 endorsement fee; the $125 initial license fee is also due (Board fee schedule, Jan 2022). Annual LCSW renewal is $187.50. Eligible military members, spouses and veterans pay half the initial fee.)) and allow No processing time is published..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Nevada accept an Illinois social work license?
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Nevada by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers, verify your Illinois license, and meet Nevada's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken, but endorsement requires that you passed the equivalent ASWB exams; Nevada's LCSW requires the ASWB Masters exam AND the ASWB Clinical exam. No Nevada jurisprudence exam is listed..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Illinois to Nevada?
The ASWB exam is not retaken, but endorsement requires that you passed the equivalent ASWB exams; Nevada's LCSW requires the ASWB Masters exam AND the ASWB Clinical exam. No Nevada jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Illinois-to-Nevada move cost and how long does it take?
$175 (LCSW level: $50 application fee plus $125 endorsement fee; the $125 initial license fee is also due (Board fee schedule, Jan 2022). Annual LCSW renewal is $187.50. Eligible military members, spouses and veterans pay half the initial fee.) Processing: No processing time is published.
Will Nevada 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. Nevada's rule, where the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers 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.
- Nevada BESW — New Applicants (Endorsement information, LCSW application) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Nevada BESW — Fees for Licensure and Military Discount (Jan 2022) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Nevada BESW — Preliminary Qualifications for all Levels (2026) ↗ (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]