Social Work License from New Mexico to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board ↗
A social work license transfers from New Mexico to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board, verify your New Mexico license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken; applicants who passed it in another state have ASWB send an official score transfer to IDFPR. Illinois also allows an 'Exam Alternative' (3,000 additional supervised professional hours after an ASWB Clinical attempt made after 2019-01-01). No Illinois jurisprudence exam is required..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This move runs entirely through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board. Your New Mexico license is verified, your ASWB score is sent rather than retaken, and Illinois's own checks follow; the Social Work Licensure Compact plays no part because neither state has enacted it.
What changes, New Mexico → Illinois
| New Mexico (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $125 (Clinical Social Worker application for licensure fee $125, nonrefundable (Board fee page). No separate fingerprint fee is stated on the fee page.) | $200 (Endorsement licensure application fee per IDFPR's Social Worker/LCSW instructions; non-refundable. The Acceptance of Examination and Examination methods cost $50 but apply only to people not currently licensed elsewhere.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published; the Board says it will decide whether a file goes through Expedited Licensure or Reciprocity and emails status letters listing required documents. | IDFPR states no processing time. Its instructions ask applicants to allow 6 weeks from mailing before inquiring about status, and an application stays active for three years. |
| Licensing authority | New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active LCSW or equivalent license in another US state or jurisdiction and have each state send Certification of Licensure (form CT or its own format).
- Send an official ASWB score transfer if you passed the Clinical exam elsewhere.
- Unless licensed at the independent level for 5 consecutive years without discipline, prove a CSWE-accredited MSW or DSW and 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience (form VE-SW).
- Apply through the IDFPR CORE online portal.
- Pay the fees ($200 (Endorsement licensure application fee per IDFPR's Social Worker/LCSW instructions; non-refundable. The Acceptance of Examination and Examination methods cost $50 but apply only to people not currently licensed elsewhere.)) and allow IDFPR states no processing time. Its instructions ask applicants to allow 6 weeks from mailing before inquiring about status, and an application stays active for three years..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Illinois accept a New Mexico social work license?
A social work license transfers from New Mexico to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board, verify your New Mexico license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken; applicants who passed it in another state have ASWB send an official score transfer to IDFPR. Illinois also allows an 'Exam Alternative' (3,000 additional supervised professional hours after an ASWB Clinical attempt made after 2019-01-01). No Illinois jurisprudence exam is required..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from New Mexico to Illinois?
The ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken; applicants who passed it in another state have ASWB send an official score transfer to IDFPR. Illinois also allows an 'Exam Alternative' (3,000 additional supervised professional hours after an ASWB Clinical attempt made after 2019-01-01). No Illinois 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 New Mexico-to-Illinois move cost and how long does it take?
$200 (Endorsement licensure application fee per IDFPR's Social Worker/LCSW instructions; non-refundable. The Acceptance of Examination and Examination methods cost $50 but apply only to people not currently licensed elsewhere.) Processing: IDFPR states no processing time. Its instructions ask applicants to allow 6 weeks from mailing before inquiring about status, and an application stays active for three years.
Will Illinois accept the supervised hours I completed in New Mexico?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Illinois's rule, where the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board 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.
- IDFPR — Qualifications for Licensure, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (149), effective 05/2025 ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR — Instructions, Licensed Social Worker or Licensed Clinical Social Worker application ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR — Social Work profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NM Board of Social Work Examiners — LCSW Application Manual (July 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NM Board of Social Work Examiners — FAQs (out-of-state licensees: expedited licensure or reciprocity) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NM Board of Social Work Examiners — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NM Board of Social Work Examiners — Licensing, Registration, and Renewal ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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