Social Work License from South Dakota to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) ↗
Both South Dakota and Connecticut have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — endorsement for now
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
South Dakota and Connecticut have both enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27. Shared enactment changes nothing about this move today: you apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, South Dakota → Connecticut
| South Dakota (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $210 (Application fee for Certified Social Worker-Private Independent Practice per the Board's fee schedule (non-refundable). Biennial renewal is $105.) | $0 (The Department's LCSW requirements page says 'There is no application fee', and its Social Work Licensure page lists the initial application as no fee. Renewal is $200.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published. A Board review officer approves applications. | No processing time is published on the Department's social work pages. |
| Licensing authority | South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners | Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online through Connecticut eLicense with a photograph.
- Have every state where you hold or have ever held a license send official verification directly to the Department.
- Standard route: send an official transcript and the ASWB Clinical exam result.
- Standard route: have your employer send a letter confirming three years of licensed clinical practice in another state, in place of the work-experience and supervision requirement.
- 4-year route: hold a license in good standing for at least 4 years, with no discipline, pending complaints or surrender under investigation.
- Pay the fees ($0 (The Department's LCSW requirements page says 'There is no application fee', and its Social Work Licensure page lists the initial application as no fee. Renewal is $200.)) and allow No processing time is published on the Department's social work pages..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut accept a South Dakota social work license?
Both South Dakota and Connecticut have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from South Dakota to Connecticut?
On the standard route for applicants licensed elsewhere, the ASWB Clinical exam is required but not retaken; have ASWB send the passing score. On the route for applicants licensed at least 4 years in another US state, no exam, transcript or training verification is required. No Connecticut jurisprudence exam is required. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the South Dakota-to-Connecticut move cost and how long does it take?
$0 (The Department's LCSW requirements page says 'There is no application fee', and its Social Work Licensure page lists the initial application as no fee. Renewal is $200.) Processing: No processing time is published on the Department's social work pages.
South Dakota and Connecticut are both compact states. Can I practice in Connecticut on my South Dakota license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Connecticut. You need a Connecticut license from the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work).
Will Connecticut accept the supervised hours I completed in South Dakota?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Connecticut's rule, where the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Social Work) 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.
- Connecticut DPH — LCSW Licensing Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut DPH — Social Work Licensure (fees and pathways) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Connecticut DPH — Applicants Licensed in Another US State for at Least 4 Years ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Social Work Examiners — Application instruction and checklist sheet (out-of-state PIP applicants) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Social Work Examiners — Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Social Work Examiners — Licensing Information ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-26-18 — Exemption from examination for out-of-state licensees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-26-17 — Independent practice requirements ↗ (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]