Social Work License from Ohio to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure (Tennessee Department of Health) ↗
Both Ohio and Tennessee have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — endorsement for now
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
Ohio and Tennessee have both enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27. Shared enactment changes nothing about this move today: you apply to the Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure (Tennessee Department of Health) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
Ohio calls its clinical license the LISW. Tennessee knows the same tier by its own title, so apply for the Tennessee license that authorizes independent clinical practice rather than one whose initials happen to match.
What changes, Ohio → Tennessee
| Ohio (current) | Tennessee (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| 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.) | $100 (Clinical social worker application fee under Rule 1365-01-.05(3). The same rule requires a separate $125 license fee and a $10 state regulatory fee (biennial). The endorsement/verification fee is $0. Background-check vendor fees are extra. The only license fee refundable on written request is the $125.) |
| 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.) | The Board's page and rules publish no processing time. |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) | Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure (Tennessee Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure (Tennessee Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure (Tennessee Department of Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Reside or be employed in Tennessee (a condition of licensure by reciprocity).
- Have the Board's vendor send your criminal background check results directly to the Board.
- Submit a letter of good standing from another state's licensing board.
- Prove that you have not previously failed the Board's required exam.
- Submit a photocopy of your original license and your current renewal certificate, plus a passport-style photo taken within the last 12 months.
- Disclose any criminal convictions, licensure discipline, and civil judgments or settlements.
- Pay the fees ($100 (Clinical social worker application fee under Rule 1365-01-.05(3). The same rule requires a separate $125 license fee and a $10 state regulatory fee (biennial). The endorsement/verification fee is $0. Background-check vendor fees are extra. The only license fee refundable on written request is the $125.)) and allow The Board's page and rules publish no processing time..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee accept an Ohio social work license?
Both Ohio and Tennessee have enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-09-27). Until the compact activates, transfer your social work license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Ohio to Tennessee?
The ASWB exam is not retaken. By-exam LCSW applicants need the ASWB clinical exam (Rule 1365-01-.04(4)). The reciprocity rule (1365-01-.04(5)) names no ASWB category but requires proof that you have NOT previously failed the Board's required exam. No Tennessee 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-Tennessee move cost and how long does it take?
$100 (Clinical social worker application fee under Rule 1365-01-.05(3). The same rule requires a separate $125 license fee and a $10 state regulatory fee (biennial). The endorsement/verification fee is $0. Background-check vendor fees are extra. The only license fee refundable on written request is the $125.) Processing: The Board's page and rules publish no processing time.
Ohio and Tennessee are both compact states. Can I practice in Tennessee on my Ohio license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Tennessee. You need a Tennessee license from the Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure (Tennessee Department of Health).
Will Tennessee 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. Tennessee's rule, where the Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure (Tennessee Department of Health) 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.
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. ch. 1365-01 (rev. Sept. 2024), incl. 1365-01-.04(5) Licensure by Reciprocity and 1365-01-.05 Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Tennessee Department of Health — Board of Social Workers ↗ (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]