Social Work License from Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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
This move runs entirely through the New Mexico Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation & Licensing Department). Your Texas license is verified, your ASWB score is sent rather than retaken, and New Mexico's own checks follow; the Social Work Licensure Compact plays no part because neither state has enacted it.
What changes, Texas → New Mexico
| Texas (current) | New Mexico (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| 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.) | $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 | 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.) | 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 | Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, BHEC) | 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 Texas social work license?
A social work license transfers from Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas-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 Texas?
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)
- 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
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