Social Work License from Missouri to Iowa: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Iowa accept a Missouri social work license?
Both Missouri and Iowa 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 — not yet issuing
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
Missouri and Iowa 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 Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What's different between Missouri and Iowa
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Iowa. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Missouri to Iowa (this page): Compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement.
Iowa to Missouri (the reverse move): Compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Missouri matter?
Missouri gets Iowa's most common result: 32 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get the same one, so for most movers the origin does not change the answer.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (18).
- SW Compact membership
Missouri and Iowa have both enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, which is not issuing yet, so it does not cover this move today.
- Application fee
Iowa lists $120–$123 for an out-of-state applicant and Missouri lists $75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Iowa and Missouri carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Iowa (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken. The independent (LISW) level requires the ASWB Clinical exam (481 IAC 880.3(3)); have ASWB send your passing score. Iowa has no separate jurisprudence exam. Applicants using licensure by verification under Iowa Code 272C.12 instead attest that their license meets that statute's requirements.
- Missouri (the reverse move): No exam is retaken and the reciprocity application does not list an ASWB score report among its required items (completed application, fee, license verifications, suicide-prevention training attestation, fingerprint results). No Missouri jurisprudence exam is required.
What changes, Missouri → Iowa
| Missouri (current) | Iowa (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $75 (Reciprocity application fee $75 (form MO 375-0901, rev. 8-2025), nonrefundable, payable by cashier's check, money order, personal check or bank draft. Fingerprinting is paid separately to IdentoGO/MACHS (amount not stated on the Committee's pages).) | $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.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published; fingerprint results are valid for one year. A temporary permit request form exists for reciprocity applicants | No processing time is published on DIAL's social work licensure page |
| Licensing authority | Missouri State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration) | Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Iowa sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Iowa's current requirements on the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a license in another jurisdiction with a substantially similar scope of practice, and apply by licensure by verification (481 IAC 501.1, Iowa Code 272C.12) or by standard application with license verification.
- Submit fingerprint cards and waivers for a national DCI and FBI criminal history check, at your cost.
- Have your most recent licensing jurisdiction send license verification (web verification accepted if it shows initial date, status and discipline).
- Disclose any public or pending complaints in any jurisdiction.
- Verification route: submit a written statement of your scope of practice and copies of the other state's scope-of-practice laws.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Missouri and Iowa are both compact states. Can I practice in Iowa on my Missouri license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Iowa. You need an Iowa license from the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure).
Will Iowa accept the supervised hours I completed in Missouri?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Iowa's rule, where the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) 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.
- 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)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Reciprocity page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Application for Licensure by Reciprocity (MO 375-0901, 8-2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Frequently Asked Questions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Missouri Committee for Social Workers — Criminal Background Checks / Fingerprinting instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com