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LicenseReciprocity

Social Work License from Florida to New Jersey: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) ↗

A social work license transfers from Florida to New Jersey by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs), verify your Florida license, and meet New Jersey's endorsement requirements. The exam is not retaken: N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.5 exempts an out-of-state licensee from the exam if they passed an exam similar to the Board-required one (for the LCSW, the ASWB Clinical exam); submit your exam results (an ASWB score report or the score on your out-of-state license verification). No New Jersey jurisprudence exam is required..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

The compact question does not arise here. New Jersey has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Florida has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.

What changes, Florida → New Jersey

Side-by-side: Florida vs New Jersey (Social Work (LCSW / LICSW)), verified 2026-09-27
Florida (current)New Jersey (destination)
SW Compact statusLicensure by endorsementSW Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee$180 ($180 total: $100 non-refundable application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee. $80 is refunded if the application is denied or withdrawn. Livescan fingerprint fees are paid to the vendor. Florida may reduce fees for military members, veterans and their spouses.)$75–$150 (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1 (revision date 4/15/2024) lists a $75 application fee and a separate $75 endorsement fee. The endorsement rule (13:44G-4.5(b)(2)) names only the application fee, and whether the $75 endorsement fee is also charged could not be confirmed, hence the $75-$150 range. Initial clinical license fee is $160 (first year of the biennial cycle) or $80 (second year). Criminal history background check $18.75.)
Processing time~6 weeks (The Board says to allow up to 30 business days for the initial review of new applications (about 6 weeks). Under Fla. Stat. 456.0145 the Board must issue the license within 7 days once all documentation, including background screening, is received.)No processing time was found in the materials that could be retrieved.
Licensing authorityFlorida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health CounselingNew Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm New Jersey's current requirements on the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a license in a U.S. jurisdiction whose education and experience requirements are substantially the same as New Jersey's.
  5. Document the LCSW education and experience: CSWE MSW, 12 semester hours of clinical coursework, and 3,000 supervised post-MSW clinical hours over 2-4 years.
  6. Submit the application with exam results and an official license verification for any out-of-state social work credential.
  7. Sign the consent for a criminal history background check (fingerprinting unless already fingerprinted for a NJ Division of Consumer Affairs board since November 2003).
  8. Pay the fees ($75–$150 (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1 (revision date 4/15/2024) lists a $75 application fee and a separate $75 endorsement fee. The endorsement rule (13:44G-4.5(b)(2)) names only the application fee, and whether the $75 endorsement fee is also charged could not be confirmed, hence the $75-$150 range. Initial clinical license fee is $160 (first year of the biennial cycle) or $80 (second year). Criminal history background check $18.75.)) and allow No processing time was found in the materials that could be retrieved..

Official links

New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) ↗New Jersey application ↗Social Work Licensure Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: New Jersey → FloridaSocial Work in FloridaSocial Work in New JerseyAll social work statesThe SW Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does New Jersey accept a Florida social work license?

A social work license transfers from Florida to New Jersey by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs), verify your Florida license, and meet New Jersey's endorsement requirements. The exam is not retaken: N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.5 exempts an out-of-state licensee from the exam if they passed an exam similar to the Board-required one (for the LCSW, the ASWB Clinical exam); submit your exam results (an ASWB score report or the score on your out-of-state license verification). No New Jersey jurisprudence exam is required..

Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Florida to New Jersey?

The exam is not retaken: N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.5 exempts an out-of-state licensee from the exam if they passed an exam similar to the Board-required one (for the LCSW, the ASWB Clinical exam); submit your exam results (an ASWB score report or the score on your out-of-state license verification). No New Jersey 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 Florida-to-New Jersey move cost and how long does it take?

$75–$150 (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1 (revision date 4/15/2024) lists a $75 application fee and a separate $75 endorsement fee. The endorsement rule (13:44G-4.5(b)(2)) names only the application fee, and whether the $75 endorsement fee is also charged could not be confirmed, hence the $75-$150 range. Initial clinical license fee is $160 (first year of the biennial cycle) or $80 (second year). Criminal history background check $18.75.) Processing: No processing time was found in the materials that could be retrieved.

Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?

No. New Jersey has enacted it and Florida has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) is the route.

Will New Jersey accept the supervised hours I completed in Florida?

Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. New Jersey's rule, where the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) 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]