Social Work License from Ohio to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Michigan accept an Ohio social work license?
A social work license transfers from Ohio to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing), verify your Ohio license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; have ASWB send official score reports directly to LARA. For the master's social work license (LMSW) Michigan accepts the ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, and the exam passed goes with the designation you apply for. No Michigan jurisprudence exam is listed; one-time human-trafficking training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training are required instead.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The compact question does not arise here. Ohio has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and Michigan has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
Ohio calls its clinical license the LISW. Michigan knows the same tier by its own title, so apply for the Michigan license that authorizes independent clinical practice rather than one whose initials happen to match.
What's different between Ohio and Michigan
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Michigan. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Ohio to Michigan (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Michigan 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 Michigan.
- SW Compact membership
Ohio has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Michigan has not.
- Application fee
Michigan lists $99 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; Michigan has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Michigan and Ohio carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Michigan (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken; have ASWB send official score reports directly to LARA. For the master's social work license (LMSW) Michigan accepts the ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, and the exam passed goes with the designation you apply for. No Michigan jurisprudence exam is listed; one-time human-trafficking training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training are required instead.
- 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 → Michigan
| Ohio (current) | Michigan (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.) | $99 (Application fee plus 3-year license fee for a Master's Social Work License by Exam or Endorsement: $99.00 (Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024). Adding a second designation (specialty) is $16.50. Fingerprint/background-check vendor fee not stated in the guide.) |
| 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. All requirements must be completed within 2 years of LARA's receipt of the application (MCL 333.16307(3)), or the application is void |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) | Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply online through MiPLUS for the Master's Social Work License by endorsement.
- If licensed under 10 years, have supervisors verify 4,000 hours of post-degree supervised work experience (licensed over 10 years: presumed to meet MCL 333.16186).
- Have every licensing agency where you hold or held a license send verification showing no pending discipline.
- Complete the criminal background check using the instructions emailed after you apply.
- Complete one-time human-trafficking identification training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training within the prior 5 years.
- 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 Michigan has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) is the route.
Will Michigan 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. Michigan's rule, where the Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) 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.
- LARA — Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024 (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-04-22; michigan.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Social Work FAQs rev. 9/19/2024 (accepted ASWB exams) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-01-09) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Social Worker profession page (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-06-11) ↗ (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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