Social Work License from Pennsylvania to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Virginia accept a Pennsylvania social work license?
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to transfer your passing ASWB Clinical exam score to Virginia before applying. If you were licensed at the clinical level without taking the ASWB exam, the Board may accept evidence that the other jurisdiction required no national exam at the time. No Virginia jurisprudence exam is listed.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Virginia has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Pennsylvania has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What's different between Pennsylvania and Virginia
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Virginia. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Pennsylvania to Virginia (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Virginia 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 Virginia.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Virginia has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Pennsylvania has not.
- Application fee
Virginia lists $165 for an out-of-state applicant and Pennsylvania lists $90 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Virginia and Pennsylvania carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Virginia (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to transfer your passing ASWB Clinical exam score to Virginia before applying. If you were licensed at the clinical level without taking the ASWB exam, the Board may accept evidence that the other jurisdiction required no national exam at the time. No Virginia jurisprudence exam is listed.
- 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 → Virginia
| Pennsylvania (current) | Virginia (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.) | $165 (LCSW by Endorsement application fee per the Board's application instructions (rev. 09/2024), non-refundable and paid in the online portal. NPDB self-query costs are extra.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time | The Board says complete, fully documented applications are reviewed within 30 days of receipt (about 4 weeks to first review). Incomplete applications stay open for one year |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active, unrestricted social work license comparable to Virginia's LCSW (18VAC140-20-45).
- Upload verification of every health or mental health license you hold or have held (online verification printouts accepted).
- Upload a National Practitioner Data Bank self-query report generated within 30 days of applying.
- Have ASWB transfer your Clinical exam score to Virginia.
- Explain any criminal conviction, past action or possible impairment with supporting documents (Guidance Document 140-2).
- 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. Virginia has enacted it and Pennsylvania has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) is the route.
Will Virginia 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. Virginia's rule, where the Virginia Board of Social Work (Department of Health Professions) 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.
- Virginia Board of Social Work — LCSW Endorsement (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; dhp.virginia.gov failed DNS resolution from our fetcher on 2026-09-27) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Virginia Board of Social Work — LCSW by Endorsement Application Instructions, rev. 09/2024 (Internet Archive copy of 2026-05-10) ↗ (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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