Social Work License from California to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) ↗
A social work license transfers from California to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry), verify your California license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; ASWB sends proof of passage directly to the department. Montana's approved LCSW exam is the ASWB Clinical exam (ARM 24.219.502; a pending 2026 rule proposal keeps the Clinical exam for LCSW). Out-of-state licensees must have passed that exam. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed..
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This move runs entirely through the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry). Your California license is verified, your ASWB score is sent rather than retaken, and Montana's own checks follow; the Social Work Licensure Compact plays no part because neither state has enacted it.
What changes, California → Montana
| California (current) | Montana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.) | $200 ($200 application fee per the Board's LCSW checklist (updated 02/16/23). The current fee rule itself could not be retrieved on 2026-09-27, so recheck on the online application. Fingerprint check fees are paid separately (amount not stated).) |
| Processing time | Not verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read. | No processing time is published in the materials reviewed. |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) | Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Montana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, active LCSW in good standing from a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent licensing requirements.
- Show supervised post-degree work meeting ARM 24.219.504 (3,000 hours over at least 24 months); your state's documentation of those hours is accepted.
- Have ASWB send proof of passing the ASWB Clinical exam directly to the department.
- Submit fingerprints to the Montana Department of Justice for a fingerprint and background check.
- Have every state where you hold or held any professional license send official verification.
- Pay the fees ($200 ($200 application fee per the Board's LCSW checklist (updated 02/16/23). The current fee rule itself could not be retrieved on 2026-09-27, so recheck on the online application. Fingerprint check fees are paid separately (amount not stated).)) and allow No processing time is published in the materials reviewed..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Montana accept a California social work license?
A social work license transfers from California to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry), verify your California license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; ASWB sends proof of passage directly to the department. Montana's approved LCSW exam is the ASWB Clinical exam (ARM 24.219.502; a pending 2026 rule proposal keeps the Clinical exam for LCSW). Out-of-state licensees must have passed that exam. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from California to Montana?
The ASWB exam is not retaken; ASWB sends proof of passage directly to the department. Montana's approved LCSW exam is the ASWB Clinical exam (ARM 24.219.502; a pending 2026 rule proposal keeps the Clinical exam for LCSW). Out-of-state licensees must have passed that exam. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the California-to-Montana move cost and how long does it take?
$200 ($200 application fee per the Board's LCSW checklist (updated 02/16/23). The current fee rule itself could not be retrieved on 2026-09-27, so recheck on the online application. Fingerprint check fees are paid separately (amount not stated).) Processing: No processing time is published in the materials reviewed.
Will Montana accept the supervised hours I completed in California?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Montana's rule, where the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) 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.
- Montana Board of Behavioral Health — LCSW Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist (updated 02/16/23) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Montana Board of Behavioral Health — Licensure Checklist (last updated 7/17/2025), LCSW options 1-4 ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Montana Board of Behavioral Health — board home page (licensee lookup, apply links) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Montana Administrative Register Notice 2026-512.1 (June 19, 2026) — proposed Board of Behavioral Health rule changes ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.17.1 — Licensure of out-of-state clinical social workers (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.17.2 — Out-of-state education or experience (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- California Business and Professions Code 4996.3 — LCSW fees (California Legislative Information) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Look up a license (board license-search directory) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]