Social Work License from Ohio to Idaho: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Idaho accept an Ohio social work license?
A social work license transfers from Ohio to Idaho by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses), verify your Ohio license, and meet Idaho's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken. For endorsement you must have passed the approved ASWB exam for the license type (Clinical for the LCSW) or an equivalent, unless no exam was required when you were first licensed (IDAPA 24.14.01.100.04). The general approved-exam definition requires a pass within the previous seven years, but the endorsement rule does not repeat that limit. No Idaho jurisprudence exam is named in the rules.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Ohio has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Idaho has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
Ohio calls its clinical license the LISW. Idaho knows the same tier by its own title, so apply for the Idaho license that authorizes independent clinical practice rather than one whose initials happen to match.
What's different between Ohio and Idaho
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Idaho. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Ohio to Idaho (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Idaho to Ohio (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Ohio matter?
Coming from Ohio does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Idaho.
- SW Compact membership
Ohio has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Idaho has not.
- Application fee
Idaho lists $90 for an out-of-state applicant and Ohio lists $100 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Ohio lists 2–6 weeks for the reverse move; Idaho has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Idaho and Ohio carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Idaho (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken. For endorsement you must have passed the approved ASWB exam for the license type (Clinical for the LCSW) or an equivalent, unless no exam was required when you were first licensed (IDAPA 24.14.01.100.04). The general approved-exam definition requires a pass within the previous seven years, but the endorsement rule does not repeat that limit. No Idaho jurisprudence exam is named in the rules.
- Ohio (the reverse 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.
What changes, Ohio → Idaho
| Ohio (current) | Idaho (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $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.) | $90 (Endorsement fee cap under IDAPA 24.14.01.400 (effective 2024-07-01), which lists maximum ('not to exceed') amounts: application $70, endorsement $90; the LCSW license fee is up to $70 and renewal up to $90. The DOPL site could not be reached on 2026-09-27 to confirm the amounts actually charged.) |
| Processing time | 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.) | Not verified. The Idaho DOPL website and the Idaho administrative-rules and legislature sites refused connections on 2026-09-27 |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) | Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Idaho sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Idaho's current requirements on the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Meet the endorsement requirements of Idaho Code 54-3208.
- Have passed the ASWB Clinical exam or an equivalent, unless no exam was required at your original licensure.
- Submit the notarized application and the endorsement fee to the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses.
- 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 Idaho has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) is the route.
Will Idaho accept the supervised hours I completed in Ohio?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Idaho's rule, where the Idaho State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) 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.
- IDAPA 24.14.01.100 — Licensure (Idaho Board of Social Work Examiners rules, official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDAPA 24.14.01.400 — Fees (official text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- ASWB — Look up a license (board license-search directory) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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