Social Work License from Iowa to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board ↗
A social work license transfers from Iowa to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board, verify your Iowa license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. 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..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only Iowa 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 Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board by endorsement, with your Iowa license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What changes, Iowa → Illinois
| Iowa (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| 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.) | $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.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published on DIAL's social work licensure page. | 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. |
| Licensing authority | Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active LCSW or equivalent license in another US state or jurisdiction and have each state send Certification of Licensure (form CT or its own format).
- Send an official ASWB score transfer if you passed the Clinical exam elsewhere.
- Unless licensed at the independent level for 5 consecutive years without discipline, prove a CSWE-accredited MSW or DSW and 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience (form VE-SW).
- Apply through the IDFPR CORE online portal.
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Illinois accept an Iowa social work license?
A social work license transfers from Iowa to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board, verify your Iowa license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. 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..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Iowa to Illinois?
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. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Iowa-to-Illinois move cost and how long does it take?
$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.) Processing: 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.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Iowa has enacted it and Illinois has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board is the route.
Will Illinois 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. Illinois's rule, where the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary 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.
- 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)
- 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
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