Social Work License from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors ↗
A social work license transfers from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, verify your Rhode Island license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. 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..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only Rhode Island 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 Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors by endorsement, with your Rhode Island license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What changes, Rhode Island → Pennsylvania
| Rhode Island (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $70 (Application fee per the Board's LCSW/LICSW application (rev. 12/19/2025). A framed license certificate is an optional $30. The application lists no background-check 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.) |
| Processing time | RIDOH states no processing time and says it will not speed up any one applicant at others' expense. Applications stay valid for one year from receipt. | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time. |
| Licensing authority | Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current clinical social work license in good standing in another state.
- Have each board where you are licensed and practicing send a letter certifying licensure and reporting any violations.
- Meet Pennsylvania's education (CSWE-accredited MSW/DSW), supervised clinical experience (3,000 hours over at least 2 years) and ASWB Clinical exam requirements.
- Complete 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training.
- Apply through the Department of State's online professional licensing system.
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Pennsylvania accept a Rhode Island social work license?
A social work license transfers from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, verify your Rhode Island license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. 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..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania?
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. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Rhode Island-to-Pennsylvania move cost and how long does it take?
$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.) Processing: Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Rhode Island has enacted it and Pennsylvania has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors is the route.
Will Pennsylvania accept the supervised hours I completed in Rhode Island?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Pennsylvania's rule, where the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors 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.
- 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)
- RIDOH — Instructions and Application for License as LCSW / LICSW, rev. 12/19/2025 (Internet Archive copy of 2026-06-08; health.ri.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- RIDOH — Social Work licensing page (Internet Archive copy of 2026-06-10; June 2025 statute change, verification link) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (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]