Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Social Work License from Ohio to Massachusetts: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers ↗

A social work license transfers from Ohio to Massachusetts by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers, verify your Ohio license, and meet Massachusetts's endorsement requirements. No new exam if you were licensed in an ASWB member jurisdiction by passing the ASWB exam required for the level sought (258 CMR 9.07); for the LICSW that is the ASWB Clinical exam. If your state did not require an ASWB exam, the Board's Policy 06-07 requires you to take and pass the appropriate ASWB exam as a condition of reciprocity. No Massachusetts jurisprudence exam is required..

Verify this exact pair in the checker

Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Only Ohio 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 Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers by endorsement, with your Ohio license verified and your ASWB score transferred.

Ohio's LISW and Massachusetts's LICSW are the same clinical tier under different initials. Apply for the LICSW; the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers matches licenses by what they authorize.

What changes, Ohio → Massachusetts

Side-by-side: Ohio vs Massachusetts (Social Work (LCSW / LICSW)), verified 2026-09-27
Ohio (current)Massachusetts (destination)
SW Compact statusSW Compact enacted — not yet issuingLicensure 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.)$162 (LICSW reciprocity application fee $162, per the Board's fee table (archived June 2026). The same table adds a $105 vendor fee (ASWB's Application Processing Unit) and an $82 LICSW license fee, a $349 subtotal. A payment processing fee may also apply. LICSW renewal is $82 every two years.)
Processing time2–6 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 on the pages reviewed.
Licensing authorityOhio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT)Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Massachusetts sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Apply for reciprocity through the Health Professions Licensing Portal (ASWB's Application Processing Unit handles Board applications).
  5. Show your license's education and experience requirements are substantially equivalent to the LICSW (MSW; 3,500 hours of clinical social work over at least two years post-LCSW; 100 hours of individual clinical supervision).
  6. Show your license's scope of practice is substantially equivalent to the LICSW's.
  7. Hold a license in good standing that has never been revoked, suspended, surrendered, denied or restricted by discipline.
  8. Apply to MassHealth as a fully participating or non-billing provider (required of all LICSWs to be licensed or renew).
  9. Pay the fees ($162 (LICSW reciprocity application fee $162, per the Board's fee table (archived June 2026). The same table adds a $105 vendor fee (ASWB's Application Processing Unit) and an $82 LICSW license fee, a $349 subtotal. A payment processing fee may also apply. LICSW renewal is $82 every two years.)) and allow No processing time is published on the pages reviewed..

Official links

Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers ↗Massachusetts application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Massachusetts → OhioSocial Work in OhioSocial Work in MassachusettsAll social work statesThe SW Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Massachusetts accept an Ohio social work license?

A social work license transfers from Ohio to Massachusetts by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers, verify your Ohio license, and meet Massachusetts's endorsement requirements. No new exam if you were licensed in an ASWB member jurisdiction by passing the ASWB exam required for the level sought (258 CMR 9.07); for the LICSW that is the ASWB Clinical exam. If your state did not require an ASWB exam, the Board's Policy 06-07 requires you to take and pass the appropriate ASWB exam as a condition of reciprocity. No Massachusetts jurisprudence exam is required..

Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Ohio to Massachusetts?

No new exam if you were licensed in an ASWB member jurisdiction by passing the ASWB exam required for the level sought (258 CMR 9.07); for the LICSW that is the ASWB Clinical exam. If your state did not require an ASWB exam, the Board's Policy 06-07 requires you to take and pass the appropriate ASWB exam as a condition of reciprocity. No Massachusetts jurisprudence exam is required. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.

What does the Ohio-to-Massachusetts move cost and how long does it take?

$162 (LICSW reciprocity application fee $162, per the Board's fee table (archived June 2026). The same table adds a $105 vendor fee (ASWB's Application Processing Unit) and an $82 LICSW license fee, a $349 subtotal. A payment processing fee may also apply. LICSW renewal is $82 every two years.) Processing: No processing time is published on the pages reviewed.

Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?

No. Ohio has enacted it and Massachusetts has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers is the route.

Will Massachusetts 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. Massachusetts's rule, where the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers 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.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]