Social Work License from Pennsylvania to Iowa: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Iowa accept a Pennsylvania social work license?
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Iowa by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Iowa's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. The independent (LISW) level requires the ASWB Clinical exam (481 IAC 880.3(3)); have ASWB send your passing score. Iowa has no separate jurisprudence exam. Applicants using licensure by verification under Iowa Code 272C.12 instead attest that their license meets that statute's requirements.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only Iowa 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 Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) by endorsement, with your Pennsylvania license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What's different between Pennsylvania and Iowa
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Iowa. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Pennsylvania to Iowa (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Iowa to Pennsylvania (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Pennsylvania matter?
Coming from Pennsylvania matters here: only 18 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Iowa.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Iowa has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Pennsylvania has not.
- Application fee
Iowa lists $120–$123 for an out-of-state applicant and Pennsylvania lists $90 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Iowa and Pennsylvania carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Iowa (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken. The independent (LISW) level requires the ASWB Clinical exam (481 IAC 880.3(3)); have ASWB send your passing score. Iowa has no separate jurisprudence exam. Applicants using licensure by verification under Iowa Code 272C.12 instead attest that their license meets that statute's requirements.
- Pennsylvania (the reverse 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.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Iowa
| Pennsylvania (current) | Iowa (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| 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.) | $120–$123 (Social work license fee under 481 IAC 507.19(1): $120, non-refundable. DIAL's social work page lists the application as a '$123 fee'; the $3 difference is unexplained on the page and may be a processing charge. Fingerprint and background check costs are extra.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time | No processing time is published on DIAL's social work licensure page |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Iowa sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Iowa's current requirements on the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a license in another jurisdiction with a substantially similar scope of practice, and apply by licensure by verification (481 IAC 501.1, Iowa Code 272C.12) or by standard application with license verification.
- Submit fingerprint cards and waivers for a national DCI and FBI criminal history check, at your cost.
- Have your most recent licensing jurisdiction send license verification (web verification accepted if it shows initial date, status and discipline).
- Disclose any public or pending complaints in any jurisdiction.
- Verification route: submit a written statement of your scope of practice and copies of the other state's scope-of-practice laws.
- 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. Iowa has enacted it and Pennsylvania has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) is the route.
Will Iowa 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. Iowa's rule, where the Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — social work licensure) 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.
- Iowa DIAL — Social Work Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 481 IAC Chapter 880 — Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (IAC 9/2/26; social work licensure 880.2(7), exams 880.3(3)) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 481 IAC Chapter 501 — Licensure by verification (Iowa Code 272C.12) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 481 IAC Chapter 507 — Professional licensing division fees (507.19 social work) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ARC 9401C — consolidation of behavioral health licensing rules into 481 IAC 880 (effective 2025-08-13) ↗ (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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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