Social Work License from Louisiana to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors ↗
A social work license transfers from Louisiana to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, verify your Louisiana license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: Pennsylvania requires a pass on the ASWB Clinical examination for the LCSW, and an endorsement applicant must meet the Board's examination requirement. Send the score through ASWB Score Transfer. No Pennsylvania jurisprudence exam, but 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training are required for initial licensure..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Louisiana has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Pennsylvania has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors's endorsement process below is the whole route.
What changes, Louisiana → Pennsylvania
| Louisiana (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $103 (LCSW application fee shown at online payment as $103 (the $100 LCSW application fee in LAC 46:XXV.313 plus the $3 e-commerce fee). Fingerprinting is paid separately to IdentoGO (amount on the vendor's schedule, not stated by the Board). LCSW renewal fee is $100 per LAC 46:XXV.313 as amended October 2025.) | $90 (49 Pa. Code 47.4 sets one fee for 'licensure and original license issuance as a licensed clinical social worker': $90. Biennial renewal is $95. Any criminal-history check costs are not stated on the LCSW snapshot.) |
| Processing time | ~2 weeks (The Board says applications are processed within 10-15 business days of receipt and milestones take about 2 weeks to update; the Board then reviews complete files at its meetings (all requirements, including background-check results, are due 7 days before a meeting) and posts its decision 7-10 business days after the meeting. No overall end-to-end time is published. Applicants with complete endorsement files are eligible for a 90-day temporary practice permit issued within 21 calendar days (per the October 2025 LAC 46:XXV rule amendments).) | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time. |
| Licensing authority | Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners (LABSWE) | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current clinical social work license in good standing in another state.
- Have each board where you are licensed and practicing send a letter certifying licensure and reporting any violations.
- Meet Pennsylvania's education (CSWE-accredited MSW/DSW), supervised clinical experience (3,000 hours over at least 2 years) and ASWB Clinical exam requirements.
- Complete 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training.
- Apply through the Department of State's online professional licensing system.
- Pay the fees ($90 (49 Pa. Code 47.4 sets one fee for 'licensure and original license issuance as a licensed clinical social worker': $90. Biennial renewal is $95. Any criminal-history check costs are not stated on the LCSW snapshot.)) and allow Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Pennsylvania accept a Louisiana social work license?
A social work license transfers from Louisiana to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, verify your Louisiana license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: Pennsylvania requires a pass on the ASWB Clinical examination for the LCSW, and an endorsement applicant must meet the Board's examination requirement. Send the score through ASWB Score Transfer. No Pennsylvania jurisprudence exam, but 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training are required for initial licensure..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Louisiana to Pennsylvania?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: Pennsylvania requires a pass on the ASWB Clinical examination for the LCSW, and an endorsement applicant must meet the Board's examination requirement. Send the score through ASWB Score Transfer. No Pennsylvania jurisprudence exam, but 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training are required for initial licensure. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Louisiana-to-Pennsylvania move cost and how long does it take?
$90 (49 Pa. Code 47.4 sets one fee for 'licensure and original license issuance as a licensed clinical social worker': $90. Biennial renewal is $95. Any criminal-history check costs are not stated on the LCSW snapshot.) Processing: Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Louisiana has enacted it and Pennsylvania has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors is the route.
Will Pennsylvania accept the supervised hours I completed in Louisiana?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Pennsylvania's rule, where the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors 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.
- PA Department of State — Clinical Social Worker Licensure Requirements Snapshot (endorsement and Act 41) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 49 Pa. Code 47.4 — Licensure fees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact map (PA bill pending) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LABSWE — Application Information (license types, endorsement applications, open-book exam, background check) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LABSWE — How to complete the online application (application fees, processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LABSWE — Endorsement Applications instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Louisiana Register Vol. 51 No. 10 (2025-10-20) — LAC 46:XXV rule changes incl. §313 Fees and §319 Reciprocity and Endorsement (posted by LABSWE) ↗ (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]