Social Worker - Independent Initial Licensure

Applicants must have a Master's or Doctorate degree in Social Work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Authorization for the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam is granted upon initial review of your application.

Applicants must complete two years of supervised practice, including a minimum or 3,000 hours, while holding an Advanced Practice Social Worker credential.

Applicants who have previously held a permanent Independent Social Worker license are not eligible to submit this application.

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. You do not need to have all documents ready to submit.

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

Create or log into your LicensE account

Select Apply for a License

Category: Health

License Type: Social Worker - Independent

Application Method: Initial

You must have a Master’s or Doctoral degree in Social Work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

A degree awarded by a foreign institution of higher learning must be evaluated by CSWE and determined to be equivalent to a Master's or Doctoral degree in Social Work program accredited by CSWE. The CSWE determination letter must be sent directly to DSPS by CSWE.

Applicants whose Social Work degree was not taught in English must demonstrate proficiency in English by passing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an equivalent exam. Official scores must be sent directly to DSPS by the testing agency.

Wisconsin Statutes and Rules Exam:

• To pay for the exam, leave the checkbox for “WI Statutes and Law Exam” checked at the payment screen. Instructions to take the exam will be automatically emailed after you have completed payment and submitted your application. Please note that exam results are processed manually, so it may take some time for them to appear in your application.

ASWB Advanced Generalist Exam:

• After a credentialing team member reviews your application, you will be authorized to take the AWSB Advanced Generalist exam. Your application's due diligence checklist will be updated after you are authorized.

• If you need assistance registering or scheduling the exam after authorization, please call ASWB at 888-579-3926 or email candidateservices@aswb.org.

• Your authorization to test is valid for one year from the date of approval. If you need to be reapproved, please submit a support ticket through your LicensE account. 

• If you passed the ASWB Bachelor's exam in another state, your passing score will be accepted. Score reports must be sent directly to DSPS by ASWB. For instructions on transferring your score to Wisconsin, please visit the ASWB website.

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.