Social Work License from Pennsylvania to Wyoming: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board ↗
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Wyoming by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Wyoming's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Pennsylvania nor Wyoming 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 Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board verifies your Pennsylvania license, accepts your ASWB score by transfer, and adds its own requirements.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Wyoming
| Pennsylvania (current) | Wyoming (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.) | $375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time. | 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.) |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Wyoming sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Wyoming's current requirements on the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Mail the signed application with the $419 payment (check, cashier's check or money order to the State of Wyoming).
- Include two FD-258 fingerprint cards taken within the last six months.
- Provide proof of lawful presence.
- Have your school send an official master's transcript, and have ASWB send your official exam score.
- Have every jurisdiction where you hold or held a license send official verification directly to the Board.
- Include a copy of the Professional Disclosure Statement you will use once licensed.
- Pay the fees ($375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.)) and allow 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Wyoming accept a Pennsylvania social work license?
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to Wyoming by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Wyoming's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Pennsylvania to Wyoming?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: ask ASWB to send your official score report to the Wyoming Board. The reciprocity packet names no required ASWB category and lists no state jurisprudence exam. Reciprocity is based on whether your state's current requirements are substantially similar to Wyoming's. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Wyoming move cost and how long does it take?
$375 (The LCSW by Reciprocity application lists a $419 total: $375 application fee + $39 background check + $5 NPDB continuous query. All fees are non-refundable.) Processing: 5–8 weeks (The Board says Application Review Committee review 'generally takes 2-3 weeks in addition to the 3-5 weeks for the background check', and receipt is confirmed within 7-10 business days. The Board sets no strict timeframe and warns review can run longer in busy periods.)
Will Wyoming 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. Wyoming's rule, where the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board 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.
- Wyoming MHPLB — Licensed Clinical Social Worker by Reciprocity instructions and application (linked from the Board's Application & Forms page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wyoming MHPLB — Application & Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Wyoming MHPLB — Questions and Answers (reciprocity, review time) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact map ↗ (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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]