Social Work License from Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia 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
Only Georgia has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and since the compact is not issuing multistate licenses anywhere, that difference does not affect this move. You apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) by endorsement, with your Georgia license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What changes, Georgia → Montana
| Georgia (current) | Montana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $100 (The Board's fee schedule (04/18/2023) lists a $100 application fee for CSW applications, plus a $10 processing fee on mail-in applications. The Board no longer accepts paper applications, and GOALS shows the current fee schedule. The schedule's separate $350 licensure-by-endorsement fee is marked 'NOT APPLICABLE TO SOCIAL WORKERS'.) | $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 | ~4 weeks (The Board says applications are generally processed within 20 business days of receipt (about 4 weeks). The count restarts after a deficiency letter. Complete applications then go to the next Board meeting and must arrive at least 15 days before it.) | No processing time is published in the materials reviewed. |
| Licensing authority | Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists | 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 Georgia social work license?
A social work license transfers from Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia-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.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Georgia has enacted it and Montana has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) is the route.
Will Montana accept the supervised hours I completed in Georgia?
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)
- Georgia Secretary of State — How to Guide: Clinical Social Worker ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Composite Board — Fee Schedule (04/18/2023) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-5-.04 — Clinical Social Workers (official rule text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-3-.04 — Licensure by Endorsement (PC and MFT only) (official rule text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Georgia Composite Board — Clinical Social Worker Form N (verification of licensure) ↗ (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]