Social Work License from Pennsylvania to Washington: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program ↗
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Washington by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Washington's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: the LICSW requires the ASWB Clinical exam, and the score must be sent directly by ASWB or verified by another state where you were credentialed. No Washington jurisprudence exam is listed..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only Washington 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 Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program by endorsement, with your Pennsylvania license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
In Washington the clinical license is the LICSW. Apply for it under that name, whatever your Pennsylvania license is called; boards match by scope, meaning independent diagnosis and treatment, not by initials.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Washington
| Pennsylvania (current) | Washington (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.) | $170 (LICSW original application and initial license fee under WAC 246-809-990, plus a $16 UW online access (HEAL-WA) fee. The WAC 246-809-990(4) probationary-license fee schedule is separate (the LICSW row was not captured cleanly). Renewal is $70 plus $16 HEAL-WA.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time. | DOH's social worker pages state no processing time. |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Washington sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Washington's current requirements on the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Have each jurisdiction where you are or were credentialed send the DOH verification form directly to the department.
- Have your school send an official transcript showing a CSWE-accredited MSW or social work doctorate.
- Have ASWB send your Clinical exam score, or have another state verify it.
- Document supervised experience (3,000 hours over at least 2 years) unless you have been licensed in good standing, with no disqualifying criminal history, for over five years.
- Answer the personal data questions, with records for any professional liability claim.
- Pay the fees ($170 (LICSW original application and initial license fee under WAC 246-809-990, plus a $16 UW online access (HEAL-WA) fee. The WAC 246-809-990(4) probationary-license fee schedule is separate (the LICSW row was not captured cleanly). Renewal is $70 plus $16 HEAL-WA.)) and allow DOH's social worker pages state no processing time..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Washington accept a Pennsylvania social work license?
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Washington by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Washington's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: the LICSW requires the ASWB Clinical exam, and the score must be sent directly by ASWB or verified by another state where you were credentialed. No Washington jurisprudence exam is listed..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Pennsylvania to Washington?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: the LICSW requires the ASWB Clinical exam, and the score must be sent directly by ASWB or verified by another state where you were credentialed. No Washington jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Washington move cost and how long does it take?
$170 (LICSW original application and initial license fee under WAC 246-809-990, plus a $16 UW online access (HEAL-WA) fee. The WAC 246-809-990(4) probationary-license fee schedule is separate (the LICSW row was not captured cleanly). Renewal is $70 plus $16 HEAL-WA.) Processing: DOH's social worker pages state no processing time.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Washington has enacted it and Pennsylvania has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program is the route.
Will Washington 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. Washington's rule, where the Washington State Department of Health — Social Worker program 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.
- Washington DOH — Social Worker Out-of-State Applicants (probationary license, substantial equivalency, universal licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Washington DOH — Social Worker Licensing Requirements (LICSW) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- WAC 246-809-990 — Fees ↗ (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]