Social Work License from Indiana to Texas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Texas accept an Indiana social work license?
A social work license transfers from Indiana to Texas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, BHEC), verify your Indiana license, and meet Texas's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: Texas requires a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam, sent by ASWB score transfer or verified by your current board on the Verification of Licensure form. You must ALSO complete the Texas Social Work Jurisprudence Examination (an online open-book module) within six months before BHEC receives your application.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This move runs entirely through the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, BHEC). Your Indiana license is verified, your ASWB score is sent rather than retaken, and Texas's own checks follow; the Social Work Licensure Compact plays no part because neither state has enacted it.
What's different between Indiana and Texas
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Texas. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Indiana to Texas (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Texas to Indiana (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Indiana matter?
Coming from Indiana does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Texas.
- SW Compact membership
Neither Indiana nor Texas has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.
- Application fee
Texas lists $120 for an out-of-state applicant and Indiana lists $50 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Texas lists 4–6 weeks; Indiana has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Texas and Indiana carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Texas (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken: Texas requires a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam, sent by ASWB score transfer or verified by your current board on the Verification of Licensure form. You must ALSO complete the Texas Social Work Jurisprudence Examination (an online open-book module) within six months before BHEC receives your application.
- Indiana (the reverse move): The ASWB exam is not retaken: reciprocity applicants have ASWB send an official score report showing a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam directly to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (only the Clinical exam qualifies for the LCSW; 839 IAC 1-2-1(c)). If your out-of-state license was not based on an ASWB exam at the same or a higher level, you must apply by examination instead. The Board's reciprocity instructions (archived February 2024) also require LSW and LCSW reciprocity applicants to pass a 30-question Indiana jurisprudence exam (statutes and rules, 75% to pass) emailed after Board approval; the current online LCSW reciprocity checklist (archived July 2026) does not list it, so confirm with the Board.
What changes, Indiana → Texas
| Indiana (current) | Texas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $50 ($50 nonrefundable application/issuance fee for a clinical social worker license (839 IAC 1-2-5(b), readopted 2024; the Board's July 2026 LCSW reciprocity checklist also lists $50). Fingerprint background-check vendor fees are extra and not stated by the Board. Renewal is $50 every two years; licenses expire April 1 of even years.) | $120 (LCSW application fee per 22 TAC 885.1: $111 base + $4 Texas.gov + $5 OPP/eStrategy = $120 total. Fingerprinting vendor fees and the NPDB self-query fee are extra.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published for LCSW reciprocity. The Board says only that it takes 7-10 business days to process exam results once received. Applications are abandoned if not completed within one year | 4–6 weeks (BHEC says most applications take an average of 30-40 days to fully process. Its FY2025 figures for LCSW applications were a median of 15 days, an average of 34 days, and a maximum of 428. Staff usually send a deficiency notice within a few business days.) |
| Licensing authority | Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) | Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, BHEC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Texas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Texas's current requirements on the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, BHEC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, BHEC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Complete the Texas Social Work Jurisprudence Examination no more than six months before applying.
- Submit a certified National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) self-query report.
- Complete the fingerprint-based criminal background check (instructions emailed after you submit).
- Have every jurisdiction where you hold or held a social work license complete the Verification of Licensure form.
- Have your school email an official transcript showing a CSWE-accredited MSW or doctorate.
- Provide proof of U.S. citizenship or eligibility (e.g. REAL ID-compliant license, birth certificate, passport).
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Will Texas accept the supervised hours I completed in Indiana?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Texas's rule, where the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, BHEC) 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.
- BHEC — Requirements for holders of a non-Texas LCSW ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- BHEC — How to become an LCSW ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- BHEC — Consolidated Rulebook for Social Work (March 2026), 22 TAC 885.1 fees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- BHEC — Current Application Processing Timelines ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact map ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Indiana PLA — Behavioral Health and Human Services licensing information: LCSW reciprocity checklist (Internet Archive copy of the official page, captured 2026-07-08) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Indiana PLA — LBSW, LSW and LCSW application for licensure by reciprocity: information and instructions (Internet Archive copy of the official PDF, captured 2024-02-18) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 839 IAC 1-2-5 — Fees (official rule text via Cornell LII; readopted 2024-06-24) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 839 IAC 1-2-1 — Application by examination; clinical social workers take the ASWB clinical exam (official rule text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com