Social Work License from North Carolina to Wyoming: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board ↗
A social work license transfers from North Carolina to Wyoming by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board, verify your North Carolina license, and meet Wyoming's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. North Carolina has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Wyoming has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board's endorsement process below is the whole route.
What changes, North Carolina → Wyoming
| North Carolina (current) | Wyoming (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $145 ($145 nonrefundable application fee per credential level, by certified check, money order or cashier's check (no personal checks). LCSW biennial renewal is $150. The Board may run a criminal or disciplinary history check; no separate fee is stated.) | $375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.) |
| Processing time | ~4 weeks (The Board says review and processing generally take at least 30 days once the application is complete and may be extended; no upper bound is published.) | 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.) |
| Licensing authority | North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) | Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Wyoming sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Wyoming's current requirements on the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Mail the signed application with the $419 payment (check, cashier's check or money order to the State of Wyoming).
- Include two FD-258 fingerprint cards taken within the last six months.
- Provide proof of lawful presence.
- Have your school send an official master's transcript, and have ASWB send your official exam score.
- Have every jurisdiction where you hold or held a license send official verification directly to the Board.
- Include a copy of the Professional Disclosure Statement you will use once licensed.
- Pay the fees ($375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.)) and allow 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Wyoming accept a North Carolina social work license?
A social work license transfers from North Carolina to Wyoming by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board, verify your North Carolina license, and meet Wyoming's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from North Carolina to Wyoming?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the North Carolina-to-Wyoming move cost and how long does it take?
$375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.) Processing: 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.)
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. North Carolina has enacted it and Wyoming has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board is the route.
Will Wyoming accept the supervised hours I completed in North Carolina?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Wyoming's rule, where the Wyoming Mental Health Professions 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.
- Wyoming MHPLB — Licensed Clinical Social Worker by Reciprocity instructions and application (linked from the Board's Application & Forms page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wyoming MHPLB — Application & Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wyoming MHPLB — Questions and Answers (reciprocity, review time) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact map ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCSWCLB — Application for Certification/Licensure packet (v2026-05-26), incl. Certification/Licensure by Substantial Equivalency (Comity) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCSWCLB — Levels and Eligibility Requirements (LCSW exam, experience, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCSWCLB — Application FAQs (processing time) ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]