Social Work License from Ohio to Indiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) ↗
A social work license transfers from Ohio to Indiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency), verify your Ohio license, and meet Indiana's endorsement requirements. 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..
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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 Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
Ohio calls its clinical license the LISW. Indiana knows the same tier by its own title, so apply for the Indiana license that authorizes independent clinical practice rather than one whose initials happen to match.
What changes, Ohio → Indiana
| Ohio (current) | Indiana (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.) | $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.) |
| 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.) | 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. |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) | Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Indiana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Indiana's current requirements on the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active clinical social work license of equal level in another state with no pending disciplinary proceeding (IC 25-23.6-5-10.5, as cited by the Board).
- Have ASWB send an official score report showing you passed the Clinical exam directly to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency.
- Have each state that licenses you send verification of your license (copies of license cards are not accepted).
- Complete a national fingerprint-based criminal background check at your cost, after you submit the application.
- Apply online and pay the $50 application fee.
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Indiana accept an Ohio social work license?
A social work license transfers from Ohio to Indiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency), verify your Ohio license, and meet Indiana's endorsement requirements. 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..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Ohio to Indiana?
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. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Ohio-to-Indiana move cost and how long does it take?
$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.) Processing: 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.
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 Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) is the route.
Will Indiana 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. Indiana's rule, where the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Professional Licensing Agency) 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.
- 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)
- 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 Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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