Social Work License from Texas to Delaware: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) ↗
A social work license transfers from Texas to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation), verify your Texas license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken, but you must already have passed the national ASWB licensing exam and have ASWB send an official score verification directly to the Board through ASWB Score Transfer. No Delaware jurisprudence exam is required..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Delaware has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Texas has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What changes, Texas → Delaware
| Texas (current) | Delaware (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $120 (LCSW application fee per 22 TAC 885.1: $111 base + $4 Texas.gov + $5 OPP/eStrategy = $120 total. Fingerprinting vendor fees and the NPDB self-query fee are extra.) | $205 (LCSW license application fee per the Division of Professional Regulation fee schedule; non-refundable, payable only by card through DELPROS. Background check fees are extra. Renewal fees are announced at renewal.) |
| Processing time | 4–6 weeks (BHEC says most applications take an average of 30-40 days to fully process. Its FY2025 figures for LCSW applications were a median of 15 days, an average of 34 days, and a maximum of 428. Staff usually send a deficiency notice within a few business days.) | The Board publishes no processing time for reciprocity applications. |
| Licensing authority | Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, BHEC) | Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Delaware sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current clinical social work license in another state, US territory or DC.
- If your state's standards are not substantially similar to Delaware's, show at least five years of practice in the past seven.
- Complete a State of Delaware and FBI criminal background check through the Division's process.
- Have every jurisdiction where you hold or have held a social work license send verification directly to the Board.
- Submit the Child Protection Registry Consent Form.
- Apply online through DELPROS within six months of starting the application.
- Pay the fees ($205 (LCSW license application fee per the Division of Professional Regulation fee schedule; non-refundable, payable only by card through DELPROS. Background check fees are extra. Renewal fees are announced at renewal.)) and allow The Board publishes no processing time for reciprocity applications..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Delaware accept a Texas social work license?
A social work license transfers from Texas to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation), verify your Texas license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken, but you must already have passed the national ASWB licensing exam and have ASWB send an official score verification directly to the Board through ASWB Score Transfer. No Delaware jurisprudence exam is required..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Texas to Delaware?
The ASWB exam is not retaken, but you must already have passed the national ASWB licensing exam and have ASWB send an official score verification directly to the Board through ASWB Score Transfer. No Delaware 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 Texas-to-Delaware move cost and how long does it take?
$205 (LCSW license application fee per the Division of Professional Regulation fee schedule; non-refundable, payable only by card through DELPROS. Background check fees are extra. Renewal fees are announced at renewal.) Processing: The Board publishes no processing time for reciprocity applications.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Delaware has enacted it and Texas has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) is the route.
Will Delaware accept the supervised hours I completed in Texas?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Delaware's rule, where the Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) 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.
- Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners — Clinical Social Worker Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Delaware Board of Social Work Examiners — Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Sending your exam results to another state or province ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- BHEC — Requirements for holders of a non-Texas LCSW ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- BHEC — How to become an LCSW ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- BHEC — Consolidated Rulebook for Social Work (March 2026), 22 TAC 885.1 fees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- BHEC — Current Application Processing Timelines ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact map ↗ (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]