Social Work License from Pennsylvania to Oregon: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers (BLSW) ↗
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Oregon by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers (BLSW), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Oregon's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: the Board lists the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW and requires the score to be transferred via ASWB Score Transfer before the application is complete. Every applicant must ALSO pass the Oregon rules and laws exam (a downloadable open-book PDF; OAR 877-020-0008 sets a 90% pass mark)..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Pennsylvania nor Oregon 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 Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers (BLSW) verifies your Pennsylvania license, accepts your ASWB score by transfer, and adds its own requirements.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Oregon
| Pennsylvania (current) | Oregon (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.) | $150 (LCSW application fee under OAR 877-001-0020(1)(d), non-refundable and due before approval. A separate $260 LCSW license issuance fee applies (OAR 877-001-0020(2)(d)). Fingerprinting vendor fees are extra. Active LCSW renewal is $343 per year.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time. | The Board publishes no overall processing time. Background check and fingerprint results alone 'may take 2-6 weeks' to reach the Board. Review starts only when the application is complete. |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers (BLSW) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Oregon sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Oregon's current requirements on the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers (BLSW) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers (BLSW) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Upload an official license verification from every state where you hold or held a license.
- Have your ASWB Clinical exam score transferred to the Oregon BLSW.
- Take and pass the Oregon rules and laws exam and upload the signed answer sheet.
- Complete the fingerprint-based background check through Fieldprint (code FPORSocialWorkersDAS).
- Have your school send an official transcript.
- Submit the Experience Affidavit (licensed as an LCSW for more than one year) or the Previous Hours Form (less than one year).
- Pay the fees ($150 (LCSW application fee under OAR 877-001-0020(1)(d), non-refundable and due before approval. A separate $260 LCSW license issuance fee applies (OAR 877-001-0020(2)(d)). Fingerprinting vendor fees are extra. Active LCSW renewal is $343 per year.)) and allow The Board publishes no overall processing time. Background check and fingerprint results alone 'may take 2-6 weeks' to reach the Board. Review starts only when the application is complete..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Oregon accept a Pennsylvania social work license?
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Oregon by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers (BLSW), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Oregon's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: the Board lists the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW and requires the score to be transferred via ASWB Score Transfer before the application is complete. Every applicant must ALSO pass the Oregon rules and laws exam (a downloadable open-book PDF; OAR 877-020-0008 sets a 90% pass mark)..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Pennsylvania to Oregon?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: the Board lists the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW and requires the score to be transferred via ASWB Score Transfer before the application is complete. Every applicant must ALSO pass the Oregon rules and laws exam (a downloadable open-book PDF; OAR 877-020-0008 sets a 90% pass mark). ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Oregon move cost and how long does it take?
$150 (LCSW application fee under OAR 877-001-0020(1)(d), non-refundable and due before approval. A separate $260 LCSW license issuance fee applies (OAR 877-001-0020(2)(d)). Fingerprinting vendor fees are extra. Active LCSW renewal is $343 per year.) Processing: The Board publishes no overall processing time. Background check and fingerprint results alone 'may take 2-6 weeks' to reach the Board. Review starts only when the application is complete.
Will Oregon 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. Oregon's rule, where the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers (BLSW) 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.
- Oregon BLSW — Apply for a License (licensure history, out-of-state hours, background check, rules and laws exam, ASWB exams) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OAR 877-001-0020 — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OAR 877-020-0008 — Licensed Clinical Social Worker requirements ↗ (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]