California, New York, Texas and the Other Holdouts

Thirty-five states have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact. Add up the populations of the states that have not and you get a large share of the country, including the four most populous. For a social worker whose clients live in California, New York, Texas or Florida, the compact will not help, however it develops in member states, until those legislatures act.

Below is where each large holdout stood in early October 2026, and what it asks of a social worker licensed elsewhere. Bill status changes with every session; check the legislature's own site before relying on any of it.

California

Compact status. AB 427 would have joined California to the compact, operative only if the Board of Behavioral Sciences voted to implement it. BBS staff recommended opposing it, and the bill failed on February 2, 2026. BBS heard a presentation from the Council of State Governments on the compact in February 2025, so the board is aware of it; it has not supported joining.

What it requires instead. California licenses clinical social workers (LCSW) through the BBS and has two routes for out-of-state clinicians. Path A, "Licensure by Credential," requires that you have held an active clinical social work license at the highest level for independent clinical practice in another US jurisdiction for at least two years, current, active and unrestricted for the two years immediately before the board receives your application, with a CSWE-accredited MSW. Path A applicants still complete California coursework, including a 12-hour California law and ethics course and a 7-hour child abuse assessment and reporting course, and then pass the California Law and Ethics Exam. Everyone else uses Path B, which involves registering as an associate (ASW) and meeting California's education, experience and exam requirements.

Short-term option. California's temporary practice allowance lets a clinical social worker licensed at the highest independent clinical level elsewhere see an existing client who is located in California for up to 30 consecutive days in a calendar year, after giving the board the required information and telling the client the limits. See clients on vacation or at college.

New York

Compact status. We found no compact bill, and the Commission's map shows no active legislation.

What it requires instead. New York is strict. The State Education Department's social work FAQ says: "Licensure in another jurisdiction does not authorize you to practice in New York whether services are provided in-person, by telephone, over the Internet, or any other format." Endorsement is available only to LCSWs with at least 10 years of licensed clinical social work practice in the 15 years before applying, and requires verification from your education program and each state where you were licensed, colleague references and an ASWB Clinical score transfer. There is no reciprocity for the LMSW. Others apply through the full route, and the department may issue a one-year, non-renewable limited permit to someone who meets everything but the exam, tied to a specific employment setting that cannot be the permit holder's own practice.

Texas

Compact status. HB 3503 and SB 1726 died in committee. The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council says "no further actions were taken on either bill before the 89th regular session ended on June 2, 2025." The next regular session begins in January 2027.

What it requires instead. The Council's FAQ: "Texas does not have reciprocity with any other jurisdiction. All applicants must meet all licensure requirements." Every Texas social work application needs a current jurisprudence exam completion certificate; the exam is online and open-book. The LCSW requires at least 3,000 hours of supervised practice under a Texas-approved LCSW Supervisor (LCSW-S), with at least 100 hours of supervisory sessions over no less than 24 months. An LCSW licensed in another state for at least one year immediately before applying has that experience requirement waived, but still needs the ASWB Clinical exam (a score transfer is accepted) and the jurisprudence exam, whose certificate must be dated within 6 months before the application. The temporary license the Council describes is for LBSW and LMSW applicants who meet every requirement except the ASWB exam and have not yet attempted it.

Florida

Compact status. HB 13 passed the Florida House 115 to 0 on February 25, 2026, then died in the Senate Rules Committee on March 13. The Senate companion, SB 74, died in committee the same day.

What it requires instead. Florida is the one large holdout with a usable telehealth route. Under section 456.47, Florida Statutes, an out-of-state practitioner in a profession Florida regulates, including clinical social workers under chapter 491, can register to provide telehealth to patients in Florida without a Florida license, provided they hold an active, unencumbered license elsewhere and do not open an office in Florida or provide in-person care there. For in-person practice, or an office, you need the Florida license. See Florida LCSW vs. the telehealth registration.

Illinois

Compact status. HB 2473 was introduced in February 2025. We found no further action, and the Commission's map shows no active legislation. We could not reach the Illinois General Assembly's site from our server to confirm the latest status, so check it directly.

What it requires instead. Illinois licenses LSWs and LCSWs through the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Since January 1, 2022, the LSW has not required an exam. Clinical social workers from other states apply for the LCSW; plan on an ASWB Clinical score transfer and verification of your other licenses. See Illinois LCSW for out-of-state social workers.

Michigan

Compact status. No compact bill that we could find. The legislative activity in 2025 was about rewriting Michigan's own social work law, not about the compact.

What it requires instead. Michigan does not use the LCSW title. Its highest license is the LMSW, with a clinical or macro designation, so an out-of-state LCSW is mapped onto the LMSW with a clinical designation. See Michigan social work licensing for out-of-state clinicians.

Pennsylvania

Compact status. Pending, and the closest of the large states. HB 554 passed the House in June 2025 and was in the Senate's Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee in 2026. A Senate version, SB 583, was in committee.

What it requires instead. A Pennsylvania license from the State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, which issues the LBSW, LSW and LCSW. See Pennsylvania LCSW for out-of-state social workers.

Massachusetts

Compact status. Pending. H 5272 was reported favorably by the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure on March 25, 2026.

What it requires instead. A Massachusetts license. The titles are a trap: in Massachusetts, LCSW means Licensed Certified Social Worker, a master's-level license, and the independent clinical license is the LICSW. See When "LCSW" is not a clinical license.

District of Columbia

Compact status. Pending: B26-0442.

What it requires instead. A DC license, with two narrow exceptions in the DC Code (section 3-1205.02) for health professionals generally. One covers a practitioner licensed in a state who is accompanying a client visiting DC for no more than 30 days. The other covers practitioners in the adjoining states, Maryland and Virginia, who register with the DC board and pay a fee, have no DC office and come from a state that extends reciprocity to DC. Both have conditions; read the text. See DC social work licensing.

The practical upshot

• If any client of yours lives in one of these states, you need that state's license or a narrow exception, now and after the compact goes live.
• Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and DC are the nearest to joining. Even if one enacts in 2027, it would then need to be onboarded like every other member.
• Texas's next real opportunity is the session that starts in January 2027. California's board has not supported joining.

If you are deciding whether to apply now or wait, see get a second license now or wait? We prepare endorsement applications ($499 per state) and full applications ($749) for each of these states, plus jurisprudence and law exam support ($249) where a state has one. Start from the state pages, such as California, New York and Texas, or ask us.