Social Work License from Louisiana 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) ↗
Both Louisiana and New Jersey have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — endorsement for now
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
Louisiana and New Jersey have both enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27. Shared enactment changes nothing about this move today: you apply to the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
What changes, Louisiana → New Jersey
| Louisiana (current) | New Jersey (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $103 (LCSW application fee shown at online payment as $103 (the $100 LCSW application fee in LAC 46:XXV.313 plus the $3 e-commerce fee). Fingerprinting is paid separately to IdentoGO (amount on the vendor's schedule, not stated by the Board). LCSW renewal fee is $100 per LAC 46:XXV.313 as amended October 2025.) | $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 | ~2 weeks (The Board says applications are processed within 10-15 business days of receipt and milestones take about 2 weeks to update; the Board then reviews complete files at its meetings (all requirements, including background-check results, are due 7 days before a meeting) and posts its decision 7-10 business days after the meeting. No overall end-to-end time is published. Applicants with complete endorsement files are eligible for a 90-day temporary practice permit issued within 21 calendar days (per the October 2025 LAC 46:XXV rule amendments).) | No processing time was found in the materials that could be retrieved. |
| Licensing authority | Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners (LABSWE) | New 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
- 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.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a license in a U.S. jurisdiction whose education and experience requirements are substantially the same as New Jersey's.
- 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.
- Submit the application with exam results and an official license verification for any out-of-state social work credential.
- Sign the consent for a criminal history background check (fingerprinting unless already fingerprinted for a NJ Division of Consumer Affairs board since November 2003).
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New Jersey accept a Louisiana social work license?
Both Louisiana and New Jersey have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Louisiana 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 Louisiana-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.
Louisiana and New Jersey are both compact states. Can I practice in New Jersey on my Louisiana license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in New Jersey. You need a New Jersey license from the New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs).
Will New Jersey accept the supervised hours I completed in Louisiana?
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.
- N.J.A.C. 13:44G State Board of Social Work Examiners, last revision 4/15/2024 (4.1 LCSW eligibility, 4.5 Endorsement, 14.1 Fees) (Internet Archive copy captured 2025-05-16; njconsumeraffairs.gov is behind an Incapsula bot-block) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NJ Board of Social Work Examiners — Application for Licensure as an LCSW (Internet Archive copy captured 2024-02-03) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NJ Board of Social Work Examiners — home page (license levels) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-09-05) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LABSWE — Application Information (license types, endorsement applications, open-book exam, background check) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LABSWE — How to complete the online application (application fees, processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LABSWE — Endorsement Applications instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Louisiana Register Vol. 51 No. 10 (2025-10-20) — LAC 46:XXV rule changes incl. §313 Fees and §319 Reciprocity and Endorsement (posted by LABSWE) ↗ (accessed 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]