Social Work License from Nevada to California: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does California accept a Nevada social work license?
A social work license transfers from Nevada to California by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), verify your Nevada license, and meet California's endorsement requirements. The national clinical exam is waived for applicants who qualify under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.17.1, so the ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken. California requires its own board-administered California Law and Ethics Examination on top of that ($150 statutory exam fee), and the applicant must pass it before licensure.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This move runs entirely through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). Your Nevada license is verified, your ASWB score is sent rather than retaken, and California's own checks follow; the Social Work Licensure Compact plays no part because neither state has enacted it.
What's different between Nevada and California
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into California. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Nevada to California (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
California to Nevada (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Nevada matter?
Coming from Nevada does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into California.
- SW Compact membership
Neither Nevada nor California has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.
- Application fee
California lists $250 for an out-of-state applicant and Nevada lists $175 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
California and Nevada carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- California (this move): The national clinical exam is waived for applicants who qualify under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.17.1, so the ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken. California requires its own board-administered California Law and Ethics Examination on top of that ($150 statutory exam fee), and the applicant must pass it before licensure.
- Nevada (the reverse move): 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.
What changes, Nevada → California
| Nevada (current) | California (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $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.) | $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.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published | Not 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 |
| Licensing authority | Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers | California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — California sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm California's current requirements on the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a clinical social work license at the highest independent-practice level in another US jurisdiction, current, active and unrestricted for at least two years immediately before applying.
- Hold the master's degree in social work that qualified you for the out-of-state license.
- Complete 12 hours of California law and professional ethics coursework plus 15 hours (one semester unit) on California cultures and socioeconomic position.
- Complete 7 hours of child abuse assessment and reporting training and 6 hours of suicide risk assessment and intervention.
- Pass the California Law and Ethics Examination.
- Meet the Live Scan fingerprint requirement (Bus. & Prof. Code 144).
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Will California accept the supervised hours I completed in Nevada?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. California's rule, where the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) 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.
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.17.1 — Licensure of out-of-state clinical social workers (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.17.2 — Out-of-state education or experience (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.3 — LCSW fees (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Look up a license (board license-search directory) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Nevada BESW — New Applicants (Endorsement information, LCSW application) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Nevada BESW — Fees for Licensure and Military Discount (Jan 2022) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Nevada BESW — Preliminary Qualifications for all Levels (2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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