Getting licensed as a social worker in Texas

Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners / Behavioral Health Executive Council, read .

Your first license

Licensed Master Social Worker (accrues LCSW hours under an LCSW-S)

LMSW

Exam required before the license

The ASWB Masters exam is required before the license.

Known fees

Fees the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners / Behavioral Health Executive Council publishes for the LMSW
Texas LMSW application$109
Texas Social Worker Jurisprudence Examination$39
ASWB Masters examination$230
Known total$378

What else it takes

Supervised hours
3,000 hours, 100 supervision
ASWB exam level
Masters
Licensure compact
Not a member
Last checked
1

Next step

Meet LMSW education requirements under 22 TAC Chapter 781. Pass ASWB Masters examination.

The ladder

Texas has 4 rungs. 4 of them need an ASWB exam.

  1. bachelors

    LBSW

    ASWB Bachelors

    Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker.

  2. masters

    LMSW

    ASWB Masters

    Licensed Master Social Worker (accrues LCSW hours under an LCSW-S). Practice is supervised at this rung.

  3. advanced

    LMSW-AP

    ASWB Advanced Generalist

    LMSW Advanced Practitioner (non-clinical independent).

  4. clinical

    LCSW

    ASWB Clinical

    Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Requirements change

Nothing on our law calendar changes Texas's exam requirement today. The change that does touch you is national: ASWB launched the 2026 exams on August 3, 2026 with three content areas and 122 items, and held fees at $230 Masters and $260 Clinical. ASWB's announcement.

Law calendar read . If Texas moves, this page moves with it.

Sources

We read the board's own pages. Nothing here is a guess.

See your path inside the app

Pick your state once. We keep the fees, the hours and the next step in front of you while you study.