Social Work License from New Mexico to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors ↗
A social work license transfers from New Mexico to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, verify your New Mexico license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: Pennsylvania requires a pass on the ASWB Clinical examination for the LCSW, and an endorsement applicant must meet the Board's examination requirement. Send the score through ASWB Score Transfer. No Pennsylvania jurisprudence exam, but 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training are required for initial licensure..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither New Mexico nor Pennsylvania has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and it is not issuing licenses anywhere in any case, so this is a plain endorsement move. The Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors verifies your New Mexico license, accepts your ASWB score by transfer, and adds its own requirements.
What changes, New Mexico → Pennsylvania
| New Mexico (current) | Pennsylvania (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.) | $90 (49 Pa. Code 47.4 sets one fee for 'licensure and original license issuance as a licensed clinical social worker': $90. Biennial renewal is $95. Any criminal-history check costs are not stated on the LCSW snapshot.) |
| 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. | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time. |
| Licensing authority | New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current clinical social work license in good standing in another state.
- Have each board where you are licensed and practicing send a letter certifying licensure and reporting any violations.
- Meet Pennsylvania's education (CSWE-accredited MSW/DSW), supervised clinical experience (3,000 hours over at least 2 years) and ASWB Clinical exam requirements.
- Complete 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training.
- Apply through the Department of State's online professional licensing system.
- Pay the fees ($90 (49 Pa. Code 47.4 sets one fee for 'licensure and original license issuance as a licensed clinical social worker': $90. Biennial renewal is $95. Any criminal-history check costs are not stated on the LCSW snapshot.)) and allow Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Pennsylvania accept a New Mexico social work license?
A social work license transfers from New Mexico to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, verify your New Mexico license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: Pennsylvania requires a pass on the ASWB Clinical examination for the LCSW, and an endorsement applicant must meet the Board's examination requirement. Send the score through ASWB Score Transfer. No Pennsylvania jurisprudence exam, but 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training are required for initial licensure..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from New Mexico to Pennsylvania?
The ASWB exam is not retaken: Pennsylvania requires a pass on the ASWB Clinical examination for the LCSW, and an endorsement applicant must meet the Board's examination requirement. Send the score through ASWB Score Transfer. No Pennsylvania jurisprudence exam, but 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training are required for initial licensure. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the New Mexico-to-Pennsylvania move cost and how long does it take?
$90 (49 Pa. Code 47.4 sets one fee for 'licensure and original license issuance as a licensed clinical social worker': $90. Biennial renewal is $95. Any criminal-history check costs are not stated on the LCSW snapshot.) Processing: Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement processing time.
Will Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania's rule, where the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors 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.
- PA Department of State — Clinical Social Worker Licensure Requirements Snapshot (endorsement and Act 41) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 49 Pa. Code 47.4 — Licensure fees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact map (PA bill pending) ↗ (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)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (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]