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LicenseReciprocity

Social Work License from California to Nevada: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers ↗

A social work license transfers from California to Nevada by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers, verify your California license, and meet Nevada's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken, but endorsement requires that you passed the equivalent ASWB exams; Nevada's LCSW requires the ASWB Masters exam AND the ASWB Clinical exam. No Nevada jurisprudence exam is listed..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Neither California nor Nevada 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 Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers verifies your California license, accepts your ASWB score by transfer, and adds its own requirements.

What changes, California → Nevada

Side-by-side: California vs Nevada (Social Work (LCSW / LICSW)), verified 2026-09-27
California (current)Nevada (destination)
SW Compact statusLicensure by endorsementLicensure by endorsement
Application fee$250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.)$175 (LCSW level: $50 application fee plus $125 endorsement fee; the $125 initial license fee is also due (Board fee schedule, Jan 2022). Annual LCSW renewal is $187.50. Eligible military members, spouses and veterans pay half the initial fee.)
Processing timeNot verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read.No processing time is published.
Licensing authorityCalifornia Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Nevada sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Nevada's current requirements on the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold a current, unrestricted clinical social work license in another state (the LCSW application is only for those currently licensed as clinical social workers elsewhere).
  5. Have the university send transcripts verifying your CSWE-accredited MSW directly to the Board.
  6. Show at least 3,000 hours of post-graduate internship/supervised experience; simply being licensed elsewhere is not sufficient.
  7. Pass state and federal background checks.
  8. Arrange written license verification from Arizona, California, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey or Utah if you were licensed there (the Board pulls other states online).
  9. Pay the fees ($175 (LCSW level: $50 application fee plus $125 endorsement fee; the $125 initial license fee is also due (Board fee schedule, Jan 2022). Annual LCSW renewal is $187.50. Eligible military members, spouses and veterans pay half the initial fee.)) and allow No processing time is published..

Official links

Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers ↗Nevada application ↗License verification ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Nevada → CaliforniaSocial Work in CaliforniaSocial Work in NevadaAll social work statesThe SW Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Nevada accept a California social work license?

A social work license transfers from California to Nevada by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers, verify your California license, and meet Nevada's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken, but endorsement requires that you passed the equivalent ASWB exams; Nevada's LCSW requires the ASWB Masters exam AND the ASWB Clinical exam. No Nevada jurisprudence exam is listed..

Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from California to Nevada?

The ASWB exam is not retaken, but endorsement requires that you passed the equivalent ASWB exams; Nevada's LCSW requires the ASWB Masters exam AND the ASWB Clinical exam. No Nevada jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.

What does the California-to-Nevada move cost and how long does it take?

$175 (LCSW level: $50 application fee plus $125 endorsement fee; the $125 initial license fee is also due (Board fee schedule, Jan 2022). Annual LCSW renewal is $187.50. Eligible military members, spouses and veterans pay half the initial fee.) Processing: No processing time is published.

Will Nevada accept the supervised hours I completed in California?

Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Nevada's rule, where the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers 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.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]