Social Work License from Ohio to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) ↗
A social work license transfers from Ohio to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry), verify your Ohio license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; ASWB sends proof of passage directly to the department. Montana's approved LCSW exam is the ASWB Clinical exam (ARM 24.219.502; a pending 2026 rule proposal keeps the Clinical exam for LCSW). Out-of-state licensees must have passed that exam. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed..
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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 Montana has not, but nothing is being issued in either, so the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry)'s endorsement process below is the whole route.
Ohio calls its clinical license the LISW. Montana knows the same tier by its own title, so apply for the Montana license that authorizes independent clinical practice rather than one whose initials happen to match.
What changes, Ohio → Montana
| Ohio (current) | Montana (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.) | $200 ($200 application fee per the Board's LCSW checklist (updated 02/16/23). The current fee rule itself could not be retrieved on 2026-09-27, so recheck on the online application. Fingerprint check fees are paid separately (amount not stated).) |
| 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 in the materials reviewed. |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) | Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Montana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, active LCSW in good standing from a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent licensing requirements.
- Show supervised post-degree work meeting ARM 24.219.504 (3,000 hours over at least 24 months); your state's documentation of those hours is accepted.
- Have ASWB send proof of passing the ASWB Clinical exam directly to the department.
- Submit fingerprints to the Montana Department of Justice for a fingerprint and background check.
- Have every state where you hold or held any professional license send official verification.
- Pay the fees ($200 ($200 application fee per the Board's LCSW checklist (updated 02/16/23). The current fee rule itself could not be retrieved on 2026-09-27, so recheck on the online application. Fingerprint check fees are paid separately (amount not stated).)) and allow No processing time is published in the materials reviewed..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Montana accept an Ohio social work license?
A social work license transfers from Ohio to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry), verify your Ohio license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken; ASWB sends proof of passage directly to the department. Montana's approved LCSW exam is the ASWB Clinical exam (ARM 24.219.502; a pending 2026 rule proposal keeps the Clinical exam for LCSW). Out-of-state licensees must have passed that exam. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed..
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Ohio to Montana?
The ASWB exam is not retaken; ASWB sends proof of passage directly to the department. Montana's approved LCSW exam is the ASWB Clinical exam (ARM 24.219.502; a pending 2026 rule proposal keeps the Clinical exam for LCSW). Out-of-state licensees must have passed that exam. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Ohio-to-Montana move cost and how long does it take?
$200 ($200 application fee per the Board's LCSW checklist (updated 02/16/23). The current fee rule itself could not be retrieved on 2026-09-27, so recheck on the online application. Fingerprint check fees are paid separately (amount not stated).) Processing: No processing time is published in the materials reviewed.
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. Ohio has enacted it and Montana has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) is the route.
Will Montana 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. Montana's rule, where the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor & Industry) 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.
- Montana Board of Behavioral Health — LCSW Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist (updated 02/16/23) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Montana Board of Behavioral Health — Licensure Checklist (last updated 7/17/2025), LCSW options 1-4 ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Montana Board of Behavioral Health — board home page (licensee lookup, apply links) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Montana Administrative Register Notice 2026-512.1 (June 19, 2026) — proposed Board of Behavioral Health rule changes ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]