Social work licensure in Ohio

Requirements last verified August 16, 2026 against the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board.

License levels

LSWLicensed Social Worker
The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.
Issued to holders of a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in social work who have passed an ASWB exam at Bachelors, Masters, Clinical or Advanced Generalist level. An LSW must be supervised when diagnosing and treating mental and emotional disorders.
LISWLicensed Independent Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.
Requires the LSW and an MSW first, then 24 full months of post-LSW, post-MSW supervised experience including at least 3,000 hours in a social work setting and at least 150 hours of face-to-face training supervision with an LISW-S.

Worth knowing about Ohio

Two things about Ohio that catch people out, and one of them changed last month. In the Board’s own words: “Starting July 10, 2026, an LISW can only be obtained by passing the ASWB Clinical Exam.” The Advanced Generalist exam was discontinued as a qualifying exam for the LISW on 10 July 2025 to align Ohio with the Social Work Compact, and that change is now in force — so if you are studying Advanced Generalist for an Ohio LISW, stop and speak to the Board. It says it “will consider exceptions for individuals who have started training supervision as of this date with the intention of taking the Advanced Generalist exam”, and that anyone approved to do so must acknowledge it “may limit their ability to obtain a multi-state license through the Social Work Compact”. Existing LISWs who qualified via Advanced Generalist are unaffected. Separately: “There is no LMSW license in Ohio. An Ohio social worker is either an LSW or LISW.”

Common questions about Ohio

Which ASWB exam do I need for Ohio?: LISW requires the ASWB Clinical exam. Your board tells ASWB which category you are approved to take, so confirm with them before you register — registration fees are nonrefundable.
What social work licenses does Ohio issue?: LSW (Licensed Social Worker); LISW (Licensed Independent Social Worker).
How many supervised hours does Ohio require?: LISW: 3,000 hours. The board sets the conditions on those hours — who may supervise, over what period — so read its own rules before you begin accruing them.
Is this information current?: These requirements were last checked against Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.

Which exam will you sit?

Whatever Ohio calls its license levels, the exam behind them is one of five.

License levels

LSWLicensed Social Worker

The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.

Issued to holders of a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in social work who have passed an ASWB exam at Bachelors, Masters, Clinical or Advanced Generalist level. An LSW must be supervised when diagnosing and treating mental and emotional disorders.

LISWLicensed Independent Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.

Requires the LSW and an MSW first, then 24 full months of post-LSW, post-MSW supervised experience including at least 3,000 hours in a social work setting and at least 150 hours of face-to-face training supervision with an LISW-S.

Worth knowing about Ohio

Common questions about Ohio

Which ASWB exam do I need for Ohio?

LISW requires the ASWB Clinical exam. Your board tells ASWB which category you are approved to take, so confirm with them before you register — registration fees are nonrefundable.

What social work licenses does Ohio issue?

LSW (Licensed Social Worker); LISW (Licensed Independent Social Worker).

How many supervised hours does Ohio require?

LISW: 3,000 hours. The board sets the conditions on those hours — who may supervise, over what period — so read its own rules before you begin accruing them.

Is this information current?

These requirements were last checked against Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.