Social Work License from Iowa to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) ↗
Both Iowa and Connecticut have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — endorsement for now
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
Iowa and Connecticut have both enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27. Shared enactment changes nothing about this move today: you apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, Iowa → Connecticut
| Iowa (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $120–$123 (Social work license fee under 481 IAC 507.19(1): $120, non-refundable. DIAL's social work page lists the application as a '$123 fee'; the $3 difference is unexplained on the page and may be a processing charge. Fingerprint and background check costs are extra.) | $0 (The Department's LCSW requirements page says 'There is no application fee', and its Social Work Licensure page lists the initial application as no fee. Renewal is $200.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published on DIAL's social work licensure page. | No processing time is published on the Department's social work pages. |
| Licensing authority | Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) | Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online through Connecticut eLicense with a photograph.
- Have every state where you hold or have ever held a license send official verification directly to the Department.
- Standard route: send an official transcript and the ASWB Clinical exam result.
- Standard route: have your employer send a letter confirming three years of licensed clinical practice in another state, in place of the work-experience and supervision requirement.
- 4-year route: hold a license in good standing for at least 4 years, with no discipline, pending complaints or surrender under investigation.
- Pay the fees ($0 (The Department's LCSW requirements page says 'There is no application fee', and its Social Work Licensure page lists the initial application as no fee. Renewal is $200.)) and allow No processing time is published on the Department's social work pages..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut accept an Iowa social work license?
Both Iowa and Connecticut have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Iowa to Connecticut?
On the standard route for applicants licensed elsewhere, the ASWB Clinical exam is required but not retaken; have ASWB send the passing score. On the route for applicants licensed at least 4 years in another US state, no exam, transcript or training verification is required. No Connecticut jurisprudence exam is required. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Iowa-to-Connecticut move cost and how long does it take?
$0 (The Department's LCSW requirements page says 'There is no application fee', and its Social Work Licensure page lists the initial application as no fee. Renewal is $200.) Processing: No processing time is published on the Department's social work pages.
Iowa and Connecticut are both compact states. Can I practice in Connecticut on my Iowa license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Connecticut. You need a Connecticut license from the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work).
Will Connecticut accept the supervised hours I completed in Iowa?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Connecticut's rule, where the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) 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.
- Connecticut DPH — LCSW Licensing Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut DPH — Social Work Licensure (fees and pathways) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut DPH — Applicants Licensed in Another US State for at Least 4 Years ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Iowa DIAL — Social Work Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 481 IAC Chapter 880 — Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (IAC 9/2/26; social work licensure 880.2(7), exams 880.3(3)) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 481 IAC Chapter 501 — Licensure by verification (Iowa Code 272C.12) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 481 IAC Chapter 507 — Professional licensing division fees (507.19 social work) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ARC 9401C — consolidation of behavioral health licensing rules into 481 IAC 880 (effective 2025-08-13) ↗ (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]