Social Work License from New York to Oklahoma: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Oklahoma accept a New York social work license?
A social work license transfers from New York to Oklahoma by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers (OSBLSW), verify your New York license, and meet Oklahoma's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: 59 O.S. 1261.4 requires a passing score on the designated licensure exam, and the Board's forms page tells transfer applicants to request an ASWB score transfer to the Board. OAC 675:10-1-10 lists the ASWB exams the Board accepts (Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Generalist, Clinical) but does not say which category the LCSW needs. No Oklahoma jurisprudence exam was found.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Oklahoma has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and New York has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers (OSBLSW)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What's different between New York and Oklahoma
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Oklahoma. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New York to Oklahoma (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Oklahoma has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; New York has not.
- Application fee
Oklahoma lists $150 for an out-of-state applicant and New York lists $294 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Oklahoma and New York carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Oklahoma (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken: 59 O.S. 1261.4 requires a passing score on the designated licensure exam, and the Board's forms page tells transfer applicants to request an ASWB score transfer to the Board. OAC 675:10-1-10 lists the ASWB exams the Board accepts (Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Generalist, Clinical) but does not say which category the LCSW needs. No Oklahoma jurisprudence exam was found.
- 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 → Oklahoma
| New York (current) | Oklahoma (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.) | $150 ('Application processing fee' on the Board's current fee schedule (xlsx). The criminal background check is billed separately 'at cost' and paid apart from the application fee (OAC 675:10-1-9(b)). Renewal is $100 and licenses renew every calendar year.) |
| Processing time | NYSED publishes no processing time on the LCSW requirements page | The Board only says it 'strives to process an application for licensure within a reasonable amount of time'; no figure is published |
| Licensing authority | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Social Work) | Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers (OSBLSW) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Oklahoma sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Oklahoma's current requirements on the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers (OSBLSW) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers (OSBLSW) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Complete the online application and the Affidavit of Legal Status (U.S. citizenship or qualified alien status).
- Complete the Board's state and national criminal history background check.
- Have every state where you hold or held a license verify it (Board form, or upload that state's online verification).
- Request an ASWB score transfer to the Oklahoma Board.
- Show that you met Oklahoma's education and supervised-experience requirements when you were first licensed (59 O.S. 1261.4(C)).
- 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. Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers (OSBLSW) is the route.
Will Oklahoma 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. Oklahoma's rule, where the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers (OSBLSW) 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.
- OSBLSW — Agency Forms (licensure transfer from another state) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OSBLSW — Social Work Practice Act, Title 59 (board PDF, rev. 10/23/2025), 59 O.S. 1261.4 Reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OSBLSW — Agency Rules revised 2026 (OAC 675:10-1-9, -10, -15) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OSBLSW — Fee schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OSBLSW — Home page (registry, contact) ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com