Social Work License from Indiana to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Ohio accept an Indiana social work license?
A social work license transfers from Indiana to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT), verify your Indiana license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; submit the score or have ASWB send it via ASWB Score Transfer. Ohio's out-of-state LISW instructions accept ASWB Clinical or Advanced Generalist results (older than seven years only if actively licensed elsewhere). No separate Ohio jurisprudence exam; applicants must watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Ohio has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Indiana has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
In Ohio the clinical license is the LISW. Apply for it under that name, whatever your Indiana license is called; boards match by scope, meaning independent diagnosis and treatment, not by initials.
What's different between Indiana and Ohio
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Ohio. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Indiana to Ohio (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Ohio to Indiana (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Indiana matter?
Coming from Indiana matters here: only 18 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Ohio.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
Ohio has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Indiana has not.
- Application fee
Ohio lists $100 for an out-of-state applicant and Indiana lists $50 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Ohio lists 2–6 weeks; Indiana has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Ohio and Indiana carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Ohio (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken; submit the score or have ASWB send it via ASWB Score Transfer. Ohio's out-of-state LISW instructions accept ASWB Clinical or Advanced Generalist results (older than seven years only if actively licensed elsewhere). No separate Ohio jurisprudence exam; applicants must watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video.
- Indiana (the reverse move): The ASWB exam is not retaken: reciprocity applicants have ASWB send an official score report showing a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam directly to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (only the Clinical exam qualifies for the LCSW; 839 IAC 1-2-1(c)). If your out-of-state license was not based on an ASWB exam at the same or a higher level, you must apply by examination instead. The Board's reciprocity instructions (archived February 2024) also require LSW and LCSW reciprocity applicants to pass a 30-question Indiana jurisprudence exam (statutes and rules, 75% to pass) emailed after Board approval; the current online LCSW reciprocity checklist (archived July 2026) does not list it, so confirm with the Board.
What changes, Indiana → Ohio
| Indiana (current) | Ohio (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $50 ($50 nonrefundable application/issuance fee for a clinical social worker license (839 IAC 1-2-5(b), readopted 2024; the Board's July 2026 LCSW reciprocity checklist also lists $50). Fingerprint background-check vendor fees are extra and not stated by the Board. Renewal is $50 every two years; licenses expire April 1 of even years.) | $100 (LISW reciprocal application fee per the Board's Out of State Applicants page; + $3.50 eLicense processing fee; + BCI/FBI fingerprinting fees paid to the vendor (amount not published by the Board). LISW then renews every two years at $103.50 including the eLicense fee.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published for LCSW reciprocity. The Board says only that it takes 7-10 business days to process exam results once received. Applications are abandoned if not completed within one year | 2–6 weeks (The Board says to allow at least 10 business days for LISW application processing; out-of-state fingerprint checks can take 4-6 weeks, so applicants fingerprinted outside Ohio should expect the longer end. Files with a criminal history may need Board review, and the Board meets every 60 days.) |
| Licensing authority | Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Ohio sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Ohio's current requirements on the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an out-of-state license (e.g. LCSW) that authorizes diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders without clinical supervision to qualify for the LISW.
- Submit an online license look-up or have each current licensing board send verification of your active license.
- Submit ASWB exam results or request an ASWB score transfer to the Board.
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI fingerprint background checks (valid for one year).
- Watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video.
- Apply online through Ohio eLicense.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Ohio has enacted it and Indiana has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) is the route.
Will Ohio accept the supervised hours I completed in Indiana?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Ohio's rule, where the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) 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.
- Ohio CSWMFT Board — Out-of-State Social Workers ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board — Out of State Applicants (reciprocity steps and fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board — Social Workers (LISW exam change, July 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board — Licensed Independent Social Worker FAQs ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board — BCI and FBI background checks ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board — General Renewal Instructions (renewal fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Sending your exam results to another state or province ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Indiana PLA — Behavioral Health and Human Services licensing information: LCSW reciprocity checklist (Internet Archive copy of the official page, captured 2026-07-08) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Indiana PLA — LBSW, LSW and LCSW application for licensure by reciprocity: information and instructions (Internet Archive copy of the official PDF, captured 2024-02-18) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 839 IAC 1-2-5 — Fees (official rule text via Cornell LII; readopted 2024-06-24) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 839 IAC 1-2-1 — Application by examination; clinical social workers take the ASWB clinical exam (official rule text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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