Social Work License from New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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. New Hampshire 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, New Hampshire → Pennsylvania
| New Hampshire (current) | Pennsylvania (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).) | $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 | 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. | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time. |
| Licensing authority | New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | 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 New Hampshire social work license?
A social work license transfers from New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire-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. New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire?
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)
- 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)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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