Texas licenses social workers at three levels (LBSW, LMSW and LCSW) through the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners, part of the Behavioral Health Executive Council. Texas is one of the states where you register for the exam directly with ASWB, which checks your eligibility. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. Social Work Ticket is a study aid. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) or any state social work board; ASWB is their mark, used here only to name the exam. Laws on confidentiality, reporting and licensing differ by state; follow your state's law, your agency and your supervisor.
Texas at a glance
License
ASWB exam
What it takes
LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker)
Bachelors
A CSWE-accredited BSW, the Bachelors exam, the Texas jurisprudence exam. $109 application.
LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker)
Masters
A CSWE-accredited MSW or doctorate, the Masters exam (a Clinical or Advanced Generalist pass does not count), the jurisprudence exam. $109 application.
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
Clinical
3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience over at least 24 months, with at least 100 hours of supervision, the Clinical exam, the jurisprudence exam. $24 to upgrade from LMSW.
Texas no longer issues the LMSW-AP (Advanced Practitioner); a few people still hold it. An LBSW or LMSW can add non-clinical Independent Practice Recognition, and an LCSW can add Supervisor status (LCSW-S).
Texas, step by step
Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council)
Exam first, through ASWB: Texas partners with ASWB, so you apply for the exam on ASWB's Texas registration page and ASWB staff handle eligibility ([email protected]). Students in a qualifying BSW or MSW program may sit for the Bachelors or Masters exam in their last semester; you apply for the license only after you pass and your degree is conferred. For the Clinical exam, register once you have finished, or are within six months of finishing, two years of supervised clinical experience.
Jurisprudence exam: an online, open-book, no-fail exam on Texas social work law and rules, about two hours with no time limit, $39. The certificate must be dated no more than six months before you submit your license application.
Apply online: apply in BHEC's online licensing system and upload the jurisprudence certificate; have your school email an official transcript to [email protected]. You also need a certified self-query from the National Practitioner Data Bank and a fingerprint background check (the system emails instructions after you apply), plus proof of citizenship or eligibility. ASWB releases your score to the board automatically.
Fees (22 TAC 885.1): LBSW or LMSW application $109; a new LCSW application $120; upgrading LBSW to LMSW or LMSW to LCSW $24; renewal $108 every two years, due the last day of your birth month. Fees are non-refundable, including fees paid for the wrong license type or before you pass and graduate.
LCSW: as an LMSW, complete at least 3,000 hours of supervised professional clinical experience over at least 24 months, with at least 100 hours of supervisory sessions, under an LCSW-Supervisor, with a Clinical Supervision Plan on file from the start. Then pass the ASWB Clinical exam, take a fresh jurisprudence exam and apply to upgrade.
The steps that hold nearly everywhere: a CSWE-accredited degree, your board's approval (or ASWB's, in a few states), the ASWB exam at the level your license needs, then the license. Every ASWB level has 122 questions (110 scored) in 4 hours; Bachelors and Masters cost $230, Advanced Generalist and Clinical $260, and you wait at least 90 days to retake (ASWB Examination Guidebook, August 2026). A passing score counts in every state for the same exam level. The full walk-through: How to get your social work license.