Social Work License from Illinois to Wyoming: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board ↗
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Wyoming by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board, verify your Illinois license, and meet Wyoming's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This move runs entirely through the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board. Your Illinois license is verified, your ASWB score is sent rather than retaken, and Wyoming's own checks follow; the Social Work Licensure Compact plays no part because neither state has enacted it.
What changes, Illinois → Wyoming
| Illinois (current) | Wyoming (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.) | $375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.) |
| 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. | 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.) |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board | Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Wyoming sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Wyoming's current requirements on the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Mail the signed application with the $419 payment (check, cashier's check or money order to the State of Wyoming).
- Include two FD-258 fingerprint cards taken within the last six months.
- Provide proof of lawful presence.
- Have your school send an official master's transcript, and have ASWB send your official exam score.
- Have every jurisdiction where you hold or held a license send official verification directly to the Board.
- Include a copy of the Professional Disclosure Statement you will use once licensed.
- Pay the fees ($375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.)) and allow 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Wyoming accept an Illinois social work license?
A social work license transfers from Illinois to Wyoming by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board, verify your Illinois license, and meet Wyoming's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Illinois to Wyoming?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Illinois-to-Wyoming move cost and how long does it take?
$375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.) Processing: 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.)
Will Wyoming 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. Wyoming's rule, where the Wyoming Mental Health Professions 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.
- Wyoming MHPLB — Licensed Clinical Social Worker by Reciprocity instructions and application (linked from the Board's Application & Forms page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wyoming MHPLB — Application & Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wyoming MHPLB — Questions and Answers (reciprocity, review time) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact map ↗ (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)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (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]