Social Work License from West Virginia to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board ↗
A social work license transfers from West Virginia to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board, verify your West Virginia license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken; applicants who passed it in another state have ASWB send an official score transfer to IDFPR. Illinois also allows an 'Exam Alternative' (3,000 additional supervised professional hours after an ASWB Clinical attempt made after 2019-01-01). No Illinois jurisprudence exam is required..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only West Virginia 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 Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board by endorsement, with your West Virginia license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What changes, West Virginia → Illinois
| West Virginia (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $90 (The Board's active fee rule (25CSR3, eff. 2022-07-01) sets $90 to issue a regular LICSW biennial license and lists no separate application fee; the LICSW application form states no fee. Renewal is $76 biennially. An amended fee rule is marked 'In Progress' at the Secretary of State.) | $200 (Endorsement licensure application fee per IDFPR's Social Worker/LCSW instructions; non-refundable. The Acceptance of Examination and Examination methods cost $50 but apply only to people not currently licensed elsewhere.) |
| Processing time | The Board publishes no processing time. | IDFPR states no processing time. Its instructions ask applicants to allow 6 weeks from mailing before inquiring about status, and an application stays active for three years. |
| Licensing authority | West Virginia Board of Social Work | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active LCSW or equivalent license in another US state or jurisdiction and have each state send Certification of Licensure (form CT or its own format).
- Send an official ASWB score transfer if you passed the Clinical exam elsewhere.
- Unless licensed at the independent level for 5 consecutive years without discipline, prove a CSWE-accredited MSW or DSW and 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience (form VE-SW).
- Apply through the IDFPR CORE online portal.
- Pay the fees ($200 (Endorsement licensure application fee per IDFPR's Social Worker/LCSW instructions; non-refundable. The Acceptance of Examination and Examination methods cost $50 but apply only to people not currently licensed elsewhere.)) and allow IDFPR states no processing time. Its instructions ask applicants to allow 6 weeks from mailing before inquiring about status, and an application stays active for three years..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Illinois accept a West Virginia social work license?
A social work license transfers from West Virginia to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board, verify your West Virginia license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken; applicants who passed it in another state have ASWB send an official score transfer to IDFPR. Illinois also allows an 'Exam Alternative' (3,000 additional supervised professional hours after an ASWB Clinical attempt made after 2019-01-01). No Illinois jurisprudence exam is required..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from West Virginia to Illinois?
The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken; applicants who passed it in another state have ASWB send an official score transfer to IDFPR. Illinois also allows an 'Exam Alternative' (3,000 additional supervised professional hours after an ASWB Clinical attempt made after 2019-01-01). No Illinois 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 West Virginia-to-Illinois move cost and how long does it take?
$200 (Endorsement licensure application fee per IDFPR's Social Worker/LCSW instructions; non-refundable. The Acceptance of Examination and Examination methods cost $50 but apply only to people not currently licensed elsewhere.) Processing: IDFPR states no processing time. Its instructions ask applicants to allow 6 weeks from mailing before inquiring about status, and an application stays active for three years.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. West Virginia has enacted it and Illinois has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board is the route.
Will Illinois accept the supervised hours I completed in West Virginia?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Illinois's rule, where the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary 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.
- IDFPR — Qualifications for Licensure, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (149), effective 05/2025 ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR — Instructions, Licensed Social Worker or Licensed Clinical Social Worker application ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR — Social Work profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- WV Board of Social Work — Level D LICSW (out-of-state applicants) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- WV Board of Social Work — Application for Licensed Independent Clinical Social Work License (rev. April 2021) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- WV Board of Social Work — Regular License levels ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- WV 25CSR3 Fee Schedule, eff. 2022-07-01 (Secretary of State) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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