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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) ↗

A social work license transfers from Texas to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT), verify your Texas license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. 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..

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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 Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) by endorsement, with your Texas license verified and your ASWB score transferred.

In Ohio the clinical license is the LISW. Apply for it under that name, whatever your Texas license is called; boards match by scope, meaning independent diagnosis and treatment, not by initials.

What changes, Texas → Ohio

Side-by-side: Texas vs Ohio (Social Work (LCSW / LICSW)), verified 2026-09-27
Texas (current)Ohio (destination)
SW Compact statusLicensure by endorsementSW Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee$120 (LCSW application fee per 22 TAC 885.1: $111 base + $4 Texas.gov + $5 OPP/eStrategy = $120 total. Fingerprinting vendor fees and the NPDB self-query fee are extra.)$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 time4–6 weeks (BHEC says most applications take an average of 30-40 days to fully process. Its FY2025 figures for LCSW applications were a median of 15 days, an average of 34 days, and a maximum of 428. Staff usually send a deficiency notice within a few business days.)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 authorityTexas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, BHEC)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

  1. Confirm Ohio's current requirements on the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. 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.
  5. Submit an online license look-up or have each current licensing board send verification of your active license.
  6. Submit ASWB exam results or request an ASWB score transfer to the Board.
  7. Complete Ohio BCI and FBI fingerprint background checks (valid for one year).
  8. Watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video.
  9. Apply online through Ohio eLicense.
  10. 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

Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) ↗Ohio application ↗License verification ↗Social Work Licensure Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Ohio → TexasSocial Work in TexasSocial Work in OhioAll social work statesThe SW Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Ohio accept a Texas social work license?

A social work license transfers from Texas to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT), verify your Texas license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. 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..

Do I retake the ASWB exam moving from Texas 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 Texas-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.)

Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?

No. Ohio has enacted it and Texas has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) is the route.

Will Ohio accept the supervised hours I completed in Texas?

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.

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

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