Social Work License from New York to Utah: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board ↗
A social work license transfers from New York to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board, verify your New York license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. Utah requires the ASWB Clinical exam (or the California Clinical Social Workers Exam). Applicants from 'dual scope' jurisdictions whose single license covers generalist and clinical practice must document a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam to be deemed equivalent; Advanced Generalist holders are pointed to the Utah CSW instead. Scores may be on the license verification or sent by ASWB. No Utah law exam is listed, but endorsement applicants must document 3 hours of ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide-prevention CE from the last three years..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Utah has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and New York has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board's endorsement process below is the whole route.
What changes, New York → Utah
| New York (current) | Utah (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $294 ($294 fee for licensure and first registration (same fee for endorsement and standard applicants). Partial refunds may be available on withdrawal.) | $120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.) |
| Processing time | NYSED publishes no processing time on the LCSW requirements page. | DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time. |
| Licensing authority | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Social Work) | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Utah sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Utah's current requirements on the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an LCSW (or DOPL-designated equivalent) in good standing for at least one year in a jurisdiction DOPL deems equivalent, or document 4,000 hours of lawful practice with at least 1,000 in mental health therapy.
- Submit official primary-source verification of each license used to qualify.
- Submit official verification of a passing ASWB exam (Clinical for dual-scope jurisdictions).
- Document 3 hours of professional ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide prevention CE completed within the last three years.
- Complete the FBI and BCI fingerprint file searches billed on the fee schedule.
- Pay the fees ($120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.)) and allow DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Utah accept a New York social work license?
A social work license transfers from New York to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board, verify your New York license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. Utah requires the ASWB Clinical exam (or the California Clinical Social Workers Exam). Applicants from 'dual scope' jurisdictions whose single license covers generalist and clinical practice must document a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam to be deemed equivalent; Advanced Generalist holders are pointed to the Utah CSW instead. Scores may be on the license verification or sent by ASWB. No Utah law exam is listed, but endorsement applicants must document 3 hours of ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide-prevention CE from the last three years..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from New York to Utah?
The ASWB exam is not retaken. Utah requires the ASWB Clinical exam (or the California Clinical Social Workers Exam). Applicants from 'dual scope' jurisdictions whose single license covers generalist and clinical practice must document a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam to be deemed equivalent; Advanced Generalist holders are pointed to the Utah CSW instead. Scores may be on the license verification or sent by ASWB. No Utah law exam is listed, but endorsement applicants must document 3 hours of ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide-prevention CE from the last three years. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the New York-to-Utah move cost and how long does it take?
$120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.) Processing: DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Utah has enacted it and New York has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board is the route.
Will Utah accept the supervised hours I completed in New York?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Utah's rule, where the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing 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.
- Utah DOPL — LCSW Out-of-State Applicants Applying by Endorsement (Internet Archive copy of 2025-07-10; dopl.utah.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Endorsement to Utah: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (equivalency map; Internet Archive copy of 2025-08-12) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Licensed Clinical Social Worker Application (v20230629; Internet Archive copy) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Fee Schedule FY July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026 (Internet Archive copy of 2026-01-07) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED Office of the Professions — LCSW License Requirements (incl. Applicants Licensed in Another State) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED Office of the Professions — Licensed Clinical Social Worker profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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