Social Work License from New Jersey to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Pennsylvania accept a New Jersey social work license?
A social work license transfers from New Jersey 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 Jersey 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
Only New Jersey 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 Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors by endorsement, with your New Jersey license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What's different between New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Pennsylvania. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New Jersey to Pennsylvania (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Pennsylvania to New Jersey (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from New Jersey matter?
Coming from New Jersey does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Pennsylvania.
- SW Compact membership
New Jersey has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Pennsylvania has not.
- Application fee
Pennsylvania lists $90 for an out-of-state applicant and New Jersey lists $75–$150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Pennsylvania and New Jersey carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Pennsylvania (this move): 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.
- New Jersey (the reverse move): The exam is not retaken: N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.5 exempts an out-of-state licensee from the exam if they passed an exam similar to the Board-required one (for the LCSW, the ASWB Clinical exam); submit your exam results (an ASWB score report or the score on your out-of-state license verification). No New Jersey jurisprudence exam is required.
What changes, New Jersey → Pennsylvania
| New Jersey (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $75–$150 (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1 (revision date 4/15/2024) lists a $75 application fee and a separate $75 endorsement fee. The endorsement rule (13:44G-4.5(b)(2)) names only the application fee, and whether the $75 endorsement fee is also charged could not be confirmed, hence the $75-$150 range. Initial clinical license fee is $160 (first year of the biennial cycle) or $80 (second year). Criminal history background check $18.75.) | $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 was found in the materials that could be retrieved | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time |
| Licensing authority | New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) | 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 listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. New Jersey 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 Jersey?
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)
- N.J.A.C. 13:44G State Board of Social Work Examiners, last revision 4/15/2024 (4.1 LCSW eligibility, 4.5 Endorsement, 14.1 Fees) (Internet Archive copy captured 2025-05-16; njconsumeraffairs.gov is behind an Incapsula bot-block) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NJ Board of Social Work Examiners — Application for Licensure as an LCSW (Internet Archive copy captured 2024-02-03) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NJ Board of Social Work Examiners — home page (license levels) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-09-05) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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