Social Work License from Pennsylvania to New Mexico: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) ↗
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to New Mexico by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet New Mexico's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken by out-of-state licensees on the reciprocity/expedited route (Clinical exam for the LCSW). All applicants, including reciprocity applicants, must pass New Mexico's online jurisprudence exam inside the application (70% to pass, 3 attempts)..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Pennsylvania nor New Mexico 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 New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) verifies your Pennsylvania license, accepts your ASWB score by transfer, and adds its own requirements.
What changes, Pennsylvania → New Mexico
| Pennsylvania (current) | New Mexico (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $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.) | $125 (Clinical Social Worker application for licensure fee $125, nonrefundable (Board fee page). No separate fingerprint fee is stated on the fee page.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Board's LCSW licensure snapshot nor 49 Pa. Code ch. 47 states an endorsement 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. |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Mexico sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Mexico's current requirements on the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online for the LCSW, answering 'Yes' to holding a social work license outside New Mexico so the reciprocity section opens.
- Enter your out-of-state license number, issuing state and dates, and upload the documents the portal requests for reciprocity.
- Pass the New Mexico jurisprudence exam within the application.
- Verify that you meet New Mexico's cultural-awareness requirement (the Board offers a 6-hour NM culture course).
- Pay the fees ($125 (Clinical Social Worker application for licensure fee $125, nonrefundable (Board fee page). No separate fingerprint fee is stated on the fee page.)) and allow 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..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New Mexico accept a Pennsylvania social work license?
A social work license transfers from Pennsylvania to New Mexico by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet New Mexico's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken by out-of-state licensees on the reciprocity/expedited route (Clinical exam for the LCSW). All applicants, including reciprocity applicants, must pass New Mexico's online jurisprudence exam inside the application (70% to pass, 3 attempts)..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Pennsylvania to New Mexico?
The ASWB exam is not retaken by out-of-state licensees on the reciprocity/expedited route (Clinical exam for the LCSW). All applicants, including reciprocity applicants, must pass New Mexico's online jurisprudence exam inside the application (70% to pass, 3 attempts). ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-New Mexico move cost and how long does it take?
$125 (Clinical Social Worker application for licensure fee $125, nonrefundable (Board fee page). No separate fingerprint fee is stated on the fee page.) Processing: 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.
Will New Mexico accept the supervised hours I completed in Pennsylvania?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. New Mexico's rule, where the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department) 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.
- 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)
- 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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