Social Work License from New York to Colorado: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Colorado accept a New York social work license?
A social work license transfers from New York to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations), verify your New York license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. For LCSW by endorsement you attest that you passed an exam covering the general areas of social work knowledge, or a written exam testing competence to practise independent social work, or (if no exam was required when you were first licensed) that you practised at the independent level for at least 5 of the last 10 years. Colorado also requires every LCSW applicant to pass the Colorado Mental Health Professions Jurisprudence Examination (open-book, online); results are valid for one year.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Colorado has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and New York has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What's different between New York and Colorado
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Colorado. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New York to Colorado (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Colorado to New York (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from New York matter?
Coming from New York matters here: only 18 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Colorado.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Colorado has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; New York has not.
- Application fee
New York lists $294 for the reverse move; Colorado has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Colorado and New York carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Colorado (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken. For LCSW by endorsement you attest that you passed an exam covering the general areas of social work knowledge, or a written exam testing competence to practise independent social work, or (if no exam was required when you were first licensed) that you practised at the independent level for at least 5 of the last 10 years. Colorado also requires every LCSW applicant to pass the Colorado Mental Health Professions Jurisprudence Examination (open-book, online); results are valid for one year.
- New York (the reverse move): The ASWB exam is not retaken; ASWB must send the Clinical exam score directly to NYSED (scores from the candidate or other jurisdictions are not accepted). Endorsement requires that your initial clinical license was based on the ASWB clinical social work exam. No New York jurisprudence exam; New York-approved child-abuse identification and reporting coursework is required of all LCSW applicants.
What changes, New York → Colorado
| New York (current) | Colorado (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $294 ($294 fee for licensure and first registration (same fee for endorsement and standard applicants). Partial refunds may be available on withdrawal.) | The Colorado DPO social work pages and the online application preview do not state the LCSW application fee; the fee is shown only inside the DPO Online Services system. Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable |
| Processing time | NYSED publishes no processing time on the LCSW requirements page | No processing time is published on the Colorado social work application pages |
| Licensing authority | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Social Work) | Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Colorado sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Colorado's current requirements on the Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active LCSW (or equivalent) license in another state, verified by upload showing original issue date and any discipline.
- Pass the Colorado Mental Health Professions Jurisprudence Examination and upload the signed result.
- Attest that you completed the post-degree experience your original licensing state required.
- Hold a master's or doctoral degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program.
- Answer criminal-history screening questions and complete the Healthcare Professions Profile.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Colorado has enacted it and New York has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) is the route.
Will Colorado accept the supervised hours I completed in New York?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Colorado's rule, where the Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) 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.
- Colorado DPO — Social Work Applications and Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Colorado DPO — Licensed Clinical Social Worker initial application preview (linked from the Applications page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Colorado DPO — Social Work Licensing Guide (linked from the Applications page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED Office of the Professions — LCSW License Requirements (incl. Applicants Licensed in Another State) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED Office of the Professions — Licensed Clinical Social Worker profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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