How to get a social work license in Ohio

Ohio licenses Licensed Social Workers (LSW) at the bachelor's or master's level and Licensed Independent Social Workers (LISW) for independent and clinical practice, through the Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.

Check with your board. Social Work Ticket is a study aid. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) or any state social work board; ASWB is their mark, used here only to name the exam. Laws on confidentiality, reporting and licensing differ by state; follow your state's law, your agency and your supervisor.

Ohio at a glance

LicenseASWB examWhat it takes
LSW (Licensed Social Worker)Bachelors (BSW) or Masters (MSW)A BSW, a CSWE-accredited MSW or a social work doctorate; BCI and FBI background checks. $80.
LISW (Licensed Independent Social Worker)ClinicalAn MSW, two years and 3,000 hours of supervised work as an LSW with 150 hours of training supervision. $100.

Ohio stopped accepting the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam for the LISW on July 10, 2026; the Clinical exam is now the route. Ohio also registers social work assistants and trainees.

Ohio, step by step

Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT)

  1. Degree: a bachelor's in social work (BSW, BSSW, BASW), a CSWE-accredited master's (MSW, MSSA) or a doctorate in social work. Degrees in other fields are no longer eligible. You can apply in your final semester with a letter of good standing.
  2. Apply for the LSW: apply on eLicense Ohio and pay $80 plus a $3.50 processing fee, and pick your exam: the Bachelors exam for a bachelor's degree, the Masters exam for a master's. The board emails an exam pre-approval (valid 12 months), and you register with ASWB. You also complete BCI and FBI background checks (valid one year), watch the board's Laws and Rules video, and have your official transcript sent once the degree is conferred. Ohio has no separate jurisprudence exam.
  3. LISW experience: as an LSW, at least two full years (24 months) and 3,000 hours of supervised social work after the MSW, with supervision averaging one hour for every 20 hours worked and at least 150 hours of training supervision from an LISW-S. No more than 1,500 hours count in any 12 months. Your last supervisor submits the hours through eLicense.
  4. LISW exam and license: apply on eLicense ($100 plus $3.50), get exam pre-approval (valid 12 months) and pass the ASWB Clinical exam. The exam must have been passed within seven years of applying. Renewal costs the same as the initial fee, every two years.

Sources: CSWMFT: social worker and LISW license instructions, OAC 4757-19-01 (LSW), OAC 4757-19-02 (LISW), OAC 4757-19-04 (exam approval), OAC 4757-1-05 (fees). Checked October 18, 2026.

Practice for the Bachelors exam, freeThe Bachelors level: generalist practice, benefits programs and task-centered work, on the 2026 Bachelors outline. Practice for the Masters exam, freeVignette questions on the 2026 Masters outline, every answer sourced. Practice for the Clinical exam, freeDSM-5-TR diagnosis, psychotherapy models, clinical ethics and supervision, on the 2026 Clinical outline.

The national steps, briefly

The steps that hold nearly everywhere: a CSWE-accredited degree, your board's approval (or ASWB's, in a few states), the ASWB exam at the level your license needs, then the license. Every ASWB level has 122 questions (110 scored) in 4 hours; Bachelors and Masters cost $230, Advanced Generalist and Clinical $260, and you wait at least 90 days to retake (ASWB Examination Guidebook, August 2026). A passing score counts in every state for the same exam level. The full walk-through: How to get your social work license.

Official pages