Social Work License from Tennessee to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) ↗
Both Tennessee and Ohio 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.
Tennessee and Ohio 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 Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) through its standard out-of-state process below, and your ASWB score is transferred, not retaken.
In Ohio the clinical license is the LISW. Apply for it under that name, whatever your Tennessee license is called; boards match by scope, meaning independent diagnosis and treatment, not by initials.
What changes, Tennessee → Ohio
| Tennessee (current) | Ohio (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application 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.) | $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.) |
| Processing time | The Board's page and rules publish no 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.) |
| Licensing authority | Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure (Tennessee Department of Health) | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Ohio sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Ohio's current requirements on the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an out-of-state license (e.g. LCSW) that authorizes diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders without clinical supervision to qualify for the LISW.
- Submit an online license look-up or have each current licensing board send verification of your active license.
- Submit ASWB exam results or request an ASWB score transfer to the Board.
- Complete Ohio BCI and FBI fingerprint background checks (valid for one year).
- Watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video.
- Apply online through Ohio eLicense.
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Ohio accept a Tennessee social work license?
Both Tennessee and Ohio 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 Tennessee to Ohio?
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. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
What does the Tennessee-to-Ohio move cost and how long does it take?
$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.) Processing: 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.)
Tennessee and Ohio are both compact states. Can I practice in Ohio on my Tennessee license?
No. The Social Work Licensure Compact was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so it authorizes no practice in Ohio. You need an Ohio license from the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT).
Will Ohio accept the supervised hours I completed in Tennessee?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. Ohio's rule, where the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) 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.
- 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)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]