Social Work License from New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What changes, New Hampshire → Illinois
| New Hampshire (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $325 (Clinical social worker (including conditional) application fee $325, which includes the mandatory $28 Professional Health Program fee; renewal $325 (active) or $105 (inactive). Criminal background check fees are paid separately (amount not stated on the pages reviewed).) | $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. Under Plc 313.07(c) OPLC may issue an 'Active-Provisional' license to an endorsement-qualified applicant while criminal-record results are pending. | 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 | New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | 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 a New Hampshire social work license?
A social work license transfers from New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire-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. New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire?
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)
- NH OPLC — New Changes for Reciprocity in New Hampshire (HB 594 license types incl. Clinical Social Worker; application process) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-08-21; oplc.nh.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — Board of Mental Health Practice License Fees (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-04-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — FAQs about new Reciprocity Rules (HB 594) (Internet Archive copy captured 2025-06-07) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NH OPLC — Instructions and Checklist, Licensure as an Independent Clinical Social Worker (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-05-18) ↗ (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]