Social Work License from Pennsylvania to Idaho: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) ↗
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Idaho by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Idaho's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. For endorsement you must have passed the approved ASWB exam for the license type (Clinical for the LCSW) or an equivalent, unless no exam was required when you were first licensed (IDAPA 24.14.01.100.04). The general approved-exam definition requires a pass within the previous seven years, but the endorsement rule does not repeat that limit. No Idaho jurisprudence exam is named in the rules..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Pennsylvania nor Idaho has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and it is not issuing licenses anywhere in any case, so this is a plain endorsement move. The Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) verifies your Pennsylvania license, accepts your ASWB score by transfer, and adds its own requirements.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Idaho
| Pennsylvania (current) | Idaho (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $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.) | $90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time. | Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27. |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Idaho sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Idaho's current requirements on the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Meet the endorsement requirements of Idaho Code 54-3208.
- Have passed the ASWB Clinical exam or an equivalent, unless no exam was required at your original licensure.
- Submit the notarized application and the endorsement fee to the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses.
- Pay the fees ($90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.)) and allow Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Idaho accept a Pennsylvania social work license?
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Idaho by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Idaho's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. For endorsement you must have passed the approved ASWB exam for the license type (Clinical for the LCSW) or an equivalent, unless no exam was required when you were first licensed (IDAPA 24.14.01.100.04). The general approved-exam definition requires a pass within the previous seven years, but the endorsement rule does not repeat that limit. No Idaho jurisprudence exam is named in the rules..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Pennsylvania to Idaho?
The ASWB exam is not retaken. For endorsement you must have passed the approved ASWB exam for the license type (Clinical for the LCSW) or an equivalent, unless no exam was required when you were first licensed (IDAPA 24.14.01.100.04). The general approved-exam definition requires a pass within the previous seven years, but the endorsement rule does not repeat that limit. No Idaho jurisprudence exam is named in the rules. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Idaho move cost and how long does it take?
$90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.) Processing: Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27.
Will Idaho accept the supervised hours I completed in Pennsylvania?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Idaho's rule, where the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) 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.
- IDAPA 24.14.01.100 — Licensure (Idaho Board of Social Work Examiners rules, official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDAPA 24.14.01.400 — Fees (official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Look up a license (board license-search directory) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]