Social Work License from Illinois to Utah: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board ↗
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board, verify your Illinois license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. Utah requires the ASWB Clinical exam (or the California Clinical Social Workers Exam). Applicants from 'dual scope' jurisdictions whose single license covers generalist and clinical practice must document a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam to be deemed equivalent; Advanced Generalist holders are pointed to the Utah CSW instead. Scores may be on the license verification or sent by ASWB. No Utah law exam is listed, but endorsement applicants must document 3 hours of ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide-prevention CE from the last three years..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only Utah 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 Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board by endorsement, with your Illinois license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What changes, Illinois → Utah
| Illinois (current) | Utah (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 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.) |
| 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. | DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time. |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Utah sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Utah's current requirements on the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an LCSW (or DOPL-designated equivalent) in good standing for at least one year in a jurisdiction DOPL deems equivalent, or document 4,000 hours of lawful practice with at least 1,000 in mental health therapy.
- Submit official primary-source verification of each license used to qualify.
- Submit official verification of a passing ASWB exam (Clinical for dual-scope jurisdictions).
- Document 3 hours of professional ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide prevention CE completed within the last three years.
- Complete the FBI and BCI fingerprint file searches billed on the fee schedule.
- Pay the fees ($120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.)) and allow DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Utah accept an Illinois social work license?
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board, verify your Illinois license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. Utah requires the ASWB Clinical exam (or the California Clinical Social Workers Exam). Applicants from 'dual scope' jurisdictions whose single license covers generalist and clinical practice must document a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam to be deemed equivalent; Advanced Generalist holders are pointed to the Utah CSW instead. Scores may be on the license verification or sent by ASWB. No Utah law exam is listed, but endorsement applicants must document 3 hours of ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide-prevention CE from the last three years..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Illinois to Utah?
The ASWB exam is not retaken. Utah requires the ASWB Clinical exam (or the California Clinical Social Workers Exam). Applicants from 'dual scope' jurisdictions whose single license covers generalist and clinical practice must document a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam to be deemed equivalent; Advanced Generalist holders are pointed to the Utah CSW instead. Scores may be on the license verification or sent by ASWB. No Utah law exam is listed, but endorsement applicants must document 3 hours of ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide-prevention CE from the last three years. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Illinois-to-Utah move cost and how long does it take?
$120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.) Processing: DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Utah has enacted it and Illinois has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board is the route.
Will Utah 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. Utah's rule, where the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board 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.
- Utah DOPL — LCSW Out-of-State Applicants Applying by Endorsement (Internet Archive copy of 2025-07-10; dopl.utah.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Endorsement to Utah: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (equivalency map; Internet Archive copy of 2025-08-12) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Licensed Clinical Social Worker Application (v20230629; Internet Archive copy) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Fee Schedule FY July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026 (Internet Archive copy of 2026-01-07) ↗ (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]