Social Work License from Texas to North Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) ↗
A social work license transfers from Texas to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB), verify your Texas license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; provide certified proof of passing the ASWB exam required for your level (the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW), sent directly by the jurisdiction's regulatory board or ASWB. Applicants licensed elsewhere by exam exemption must pass the ASWB exam before licensure. No North Carolina jurisprudence exam; applicants affirm they have reviewed G.S. 90B and 21 NCAC 63..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only North Carolina has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and since the compact is not issuing multistate licenses anywhere, that difference does not affect this move. You apply to the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) by endorsement, with your Texas license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What changes, Texas → North Carolina
| Texas (current) | North Carolina (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.) | $145 ($145 nonrefundable application fee per credential level, by certified check, money order or cashier's check (no personal checks). LCSW biennial renewal is $150. The Board may run a criminal or disciplinary history check; no separate fee is stated.) |
| 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.) | ~4 weeks (The Board says review and processing generally take at least 30 days once the application is complete and may be extended; no upper bound is published.) |
| Licensing authority | Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, BHEC) | North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Carolina's current requirements on the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply by substantial equivalency with the standard notarized Application for Certification/Licensure packet.
- Provide your state's law showing the qualifications in force when you were first licensed, or have your board complete a License Verification documenting them.
- Provide verification of your current active credential and certified proof of passing the ASWB Clinical exam.
- Submit three Professional Reference forms in sealed envelopes and an official sealed or electronic transcript.
- Complete and submit Form SSA-89 for Social Security number verification.
- Pay the fees ($145 ($145 nonrefundable application fee per credential level, by certified check, money order or cashier's check (no personal checks). LCSW biennial renewal is $150. The Board may run a criminal or disciplinary history check; no separate fee is stated.)) and allow ~4 weeks (The Board says review and processing generally take at least 30 days once the application is complete and may be extended; no upper bound is published.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does North Carolina accept a Texas social work license?
A social work license transfers from Texas to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB), verify your Texas license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; provide certified proof of passing the ASWB exam required for your level (the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW), sent directly by the jurisdiction's regulatory board or ASWB. Applicants licensed elsewhere by exam exemption must pass the ASWB exam before licensure. No North Carolina jurisprudence exam; applicants affirm they have reviewed G.S. 90B and 21 NCAC 63..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Texas to North Carolina?
The ASWB exam is not retaken; provide certified proof of passing the ASWB exam required for your level (the ASWB Clinical exam for the LCSW), sent directly by the jurisdiction's regulatory board or ASWB. Applicants licensed elsewhere by exam exemption must pass the ASWB exam before licensure. No North Carolina jurisprudence exam; applicants affirm they have reviewed G.S. 90B and 21 NCAC 63. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Texas-to-North Carolina move cost and how long does it take?
$145 ($145 nonrefundable application fee per credential level, by certified check, money order or cashier's check (no personal checks). LCSW biennial renewal is $150. The Board may run a criminal or disciplinary history check; no separate fee is stated.) Processing: ~4 weeks (The Board says review and processing generally take at least 30 days once the application is complete and may be extended; no upper bound is published.)
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. North Carolina has enacted it and Texas has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) is the route.
Will North Carolina 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. North Carolina's rule, where the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) 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.
- NCSWCLB — Application for Certification/Licensure packet (v2026-05-26), incl. Certification/Licensure by Substantial Equivalency (Comity) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCSWCLB — Levels and Eligibility Requirements (LCSW exam, experience, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCSWCLB — Application FAQs (processing time) ↗ (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]