Social Work License from Illinois to Wisconsin: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Wisconsin accept an Illinois social work license?
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Wisconsin by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS), verify your Illinois license, and meet Wisconsin's endorsement requirements. For reciprocity, DSPS compares your state's licensing standards with Wisconsin's; your ASWB score is accepted if ASWB sends it directly and it is for the same level you are applying for (Clinical). All applicants must ALSO pass the open-book Wisconsin Statutes and Rules exam, unless they took it within the last five years.
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. Wisconsin has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Illinois has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What's different between Illinois and Wisconsin
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Wisconsin. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Wisconsin (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Wisconsin has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Illinois has not.
- Application fee
Illinois lists $200 for the reverse move; Wisconsin has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Wisconsin and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Wisconsin (this move): For reciprocity, DSPS compares your state's licensing standards with Wisconsin's; your ASWB score is accepted if ASWB sends it directly and it is for the same level you are applying for (Clinical). All applicants must ALSO pass the open-book Wisconsin Statutes and Rules exam, unless they took it within the last five years.
- 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 → Wisconsin
| Illinois (current) | Wisconsin (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.) | DSPS says only 'pay appropriate fee(s) online via LicensE' and publishes renewal fees ($62 for the LCSW, per the RDAF chart rev. 08/07/2025), not the initial or reciprocal application fee. Not verified, so left null |
| 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 | DSPS publishes no processing time for LCSW reciprocity. A temporary license while an application is pending is possible for credentialed out-of-state health providers (information sheet 2021-A101) |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board | Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Wisconsin sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Wisconsin's current requirements on the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Apply online in LicensE for the Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential and pay the fee.
- Pass the Wisconsin Statutes and Rules (open-book) exam, unless taken within the last five years.
- Have every state or territory where you are or were credentialed (active or inactive) send verification.
- Submit Form 2252 (convictions and pending charges) if applicable.
- Keep your out-of-state license active until DSPS finishes its equivalency comparison.
- 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. Wisconsin has enacted it and Illinois has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) is the route.
Will Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin's rule, where the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) 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.
- Wisconsin DSPS — #2681 Credentialing Information for Licensed Clinical Social Worker Applicants (rev. 4/2022), incl. Reciprocal Applicants ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wisconsin DSPS — Social Worker, Licensed Clinical profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wisconsin DSPS — Reciprocity/Endorsement Not Available list ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wisconsin DSPS — Renewal Dates and Fees (RDAF, rev. 08/07/2025) ↗ (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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