Social Work License from Pennsylvania to Vermont: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers ↗
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: an out-of-state LICSW from a substantially equivalent jurisdiction is licensed by endorsement without re-examination (CVR Social Work Rule 3.3). By-exam applicants need the ASWB clinical exam. Every route ALSO requires the Vermont jurisprudence examination..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only Vermont 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 Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers by endorsement, with your Pennsylvania license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Vermont
| Pennsylvania (current) | Vermont (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.) | $180 (Initial fee for the Clinical Social Worker license (OPR code 089) on OPR's fee chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; outside.vermont.gov returned 403 to automated fetches). Biennial renewal is $120, due January 31 of even years.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time. | OPR publishes no processing time for social work applications. Under its 90-day policy, a license issued within 90 days of the renewal date runs through the next full two-year cycle. |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Vermont sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Vermont's current requirements on the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active independent clinical social work license (or equivalent) in a U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially equivalent to Vermont's.
- Pass the Vermont jurisprudence examination.
- Have your other licensing jurisdiction(s) complete OPR's Verification of Licensure form.
- Apply through OPR's online licensing system.
- Pay the fees ($180 (Initial fee for the Clinical Social Worker license (OPR code 089) on OPR's fee chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; outside.vermont.gov returned 403 to automated fetches). Biennial renewal is $120, due January 31 of even years.)) and allow OPR publishes no processing time for social work applications. Under its 90-day policy, a license issued within 90 days of the renewal date runs through the next full two-year cycle..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Vermont accept a Pennsylvania social work license?
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: an out-of-state LICSW from a substantially equivalent jurisdiction is licensed by endorsement without re-examination (CVR Social Work Rule 3.3). By-exam applicants need the ASWB clinical exam. Every route ALSO requires the Vermont jurisprudence examination..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Pennsylvania to Vermont?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: an out-of-state LICSW from a substantially equivalent jurisdiction is licensed by endorsement without re-examination (CVR Social Work Rule 3.3). By-exam applicants need the ASWB clinical exam. Every route ALSO requires the Vermont jurisprudence examination. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Vermont move cost and how long does it take?
$180 (Initial fee for the Clinical Social Worker license (OPR code 089) on OPR's fee chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; outside.vermont.gov returned 403 to automated fetches). Biennial renewal is $120, due January 31 of even years.) Processing: OPR publishes no processing time for social work applications. Under its 90-day policy, a license issued within 90 days of the renewal date runs through the next full two-year cycle.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Vermont has enacted it and Pennsylvania has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers is the route.
Will Vermont 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. Vermont's rule, where the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) — Social Workers 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.
- Vermont OPR — Social Worker Forms & Instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Vermont OPR — Social Work Administrative Rules, eff. 2017-07-01, Part 3 LICSW routes (Internet Archive copy of 2025-05-02) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Vermont OPR — Initial licensing and renewal fees chart (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Vermont OPR — Fast Track Endorsement (3 V.S.A. 136a) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Vermont OPR — Social Worker FAQs ↗ (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]