Social Work License from Texas to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Rhode Island accept a Texas social work license?
A social work license transfers from Texas to Rhode Island by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health), verify your Texas license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. For the LICSW, the ASWB score (the application names the Clinical exam) must come directly from ASWB or on the verification from your original licensing state. There is no separate Rhode Island law or ethics exam in the application instructions.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Rhode Island has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Texas has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
What's different between Texas and Rhode Island
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Rhode Island. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Texas to Rhode Island (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Rhode Island to Texas (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Texas matter?
Coming from Texas matters here: only 18 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Rhode Island.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Rhode Island has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Texas has not.
- Application fee
Rhode Island lists $70 for an out-of-state applicant and Texas lists $120 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Texas lists 4–6 weeks for the reverse move; Rhode Island has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Rhode Island and Texas carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Rhode Island (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken. For the LICSW, the ASWB score (the application names the Clinical exam) must come directly from ASWB or on the verification from your original licensing state. There is no separate Rhode Island law or ethics exam in the application instructions.
- Texas (the reverse move): The ASWB exam is not retaken: Texas requires a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam, sent by ASWB score transfer or verified by your current board on the Verification of Licensure form. You must ALSO complete the Texas Social Work Jurisprudence Examination (an online open-book module) within six months before BHEC receives your application.
What changes, Texas → Rhode Island
| Texas (current) | Rhode Island (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.) | $70 (Application fee per the Board's LCSW/LICSW application (rev. 12/19/2025). A framed license certificate is an optional $30. The application lists no background-check fee.) |
| 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.) | RIDOH states no processing time and says it will not speed up any one applicant at others' expense. Applications stay valid for one year from receipt |
| Licensing authority | Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, BHEC) | Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Rhode Island sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Rhode Island's current requirements on the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Mail the paper application with the $70 non-refundable fee payable to the RI General Treasurer.
- Have each state where you hold or held a license send a verification directly (Interstate Verification Form), including your ASWB score.
- Have the school of social work send an official MSW or doctoral transcript directly to the Board.
- Submit the Supervised Practice Form, unless your endorsing state's verification confirms the supervised-practice prerequisite.
- Submit a valid photo ID and a certified birth record or naturalization or immigration papers.
- 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. Rhode Island has enacted it and Texas has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) is the route.
Will Rhode Island 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. Rhode Island's rule, where the Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health) 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.
- RIDOH — Instructions and Application for License as LCSW / LICSW, rev. 12/19/2025 (Internet Archive copy of 2026-06-08; health.ri.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- RIDOH — Social Work licensing page (Internet Archive copy of 2026-06-10; June 2025 statute change, verification link) ↗ (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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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