Texas licenses independent clinical social workers as the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), through the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council). Texas is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member. Below: what Texas asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Texas Social Work License Requirements
Texas licenses social workers at 3 levels: the LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker), the LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) and the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
LBSW: ASWB Bachelors. May earn non-clinical Independent Practice Recognition (LBSW-IPR) after 3,000 supervised hours with 100 hours of supervision.
LMSW: ASWB Masters. May earn non-clinical Independent Practice Recognition (LMSW-IPR). The older LMSW-AP (Advanced Practitioner) is no longer issued; existing holders keep it.
LCSW: ASWB Clinical. An LCSW may add Supervisor status (LCSW-S) to supervise LMSWs toward the LCSW or toward IPR. LCSW-S is a specialty recognition on the license, not a separate license.
Independent clinical practice requires the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
3,000 hours of post-master's supervised experience for the clinical license, including 100 hours of direct supervision.
Texas requires a state law or jurisprudence exam.
Licensed elsewhere: A clinical social worker who held an equivalent license in good standing for the year immediately before applying is deemed to meet the experience requirement (22 TAC 781.401(a)); the ASWB Clinical exam, the Texas jurisprudence exam, an NPDB self-query and fingerprints are still required. With less than a year, the other state must verify supervision.
How Much Does a Texas Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a Texas figure yet
We have not verified Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council)
We handle the Texas application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingWhere Texas Applications Get Delayed
The endorsement route expects 1 year of licensure elsewhere, counted at the level you are applying for.
Every applicant must complete the Texas Social Worker Jurisprudence Exam, an online open-book test, dated no more than six months before the application.
Texas is one of the states where ASWB handles exam eligibility directly (texas@aswb.org); the Council only reviews the license application after the exam is passed.
Texas is not in the Social Work Licensure Compact. The 2025 compact bills (HB 3503 and SB 1726) died in committee; the next regular session is in 2027.
Supervisor attestations and verifications from other boards take the longest. Request them the week you decide to apply, not the week you file.
Renewing Your Texas Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
30 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and Texas
Texas is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member, so a multistate license will not cover practice here even once the Compact opens. Seeing clients located in Texas takes a Texas license, by endorsement where the state offers it or a full application where it does not.
Keeping it current
Texas renews social work licenses every 2 years, with 30 hours of continuing education per cycle. 30 hours per two-year period with 6 in ethics and 3 in cultural diversity or competency; LCSW-S holders need 6 hours in supervision within the 30 (22 TAC 781.501). An HHSC-approved human trafficking prevention course is required at every renewal. Renewal falls on the last day of the birth month. Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Texas Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does Texas issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for Texas?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Texas?
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How many supervised hours does Texas require for the clinical license?
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Where these facts come from
Checked against primary sources. Boards change rules between sessions, so we confirm the current process again before anything is filed.
- board name and Council — checked 2026-10-08
- LBSW/LMSW/LCSW, IPR, LCSW-S and other supervisor statuses, LMSW-AP no longer offered, birth-month renewal — checked 2026-10-08
- 3,000 hours over 24 months, 100 hours of supervision, ASWB Clinical, jurisprudence exam — checked 2026-10-08
- out-of-state LCSW: one year of equivalent licensure deems experience met — checked 2026-10-08
- jurisprudence exam format and six-month window — checked 2026-10-08
- ASWB performs pre-exam eligibility for Texas — checked 2026-10-08
- biennial renewal, human trafficking course — checked 2026-10-08
- licensure requirements, one-year equivalency rule, jurisprudence exam — checked 2026-10-08
What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. Board, exam and fingerprinting fees are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
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