Montana licenses independent clinical social workers as the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), through the Montana Board of Behavioral Health, Department of Labor and Industry. Montana is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member. Below: what Montana asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Montana Social Work License Requirements
Montana licenses social workers at 3 levels: the LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker), the LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) and the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
LBSW: ASWB Bachelors. Requires 500 supervised hours over at least 18 months, with 50 hours of supervision (ARM 24.219.504(2)).
LMSW: ASWB Masters. Requires 1,500 supervised hours over at least 18 months, with 75 hours of supervision (ARM 24.219.504(3)).
LCSW: ASWB Clinical. The independent-practice license. Graduates who have not finished supervised hours practice on a candidate license with a board-approved training and supervision plan (MCA 37-39-307).
Independent clinical practice requires the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
3,000 hours of post-master's supervised experience for the clinical license, including 100 hours of direct supervision.
Licensed elsewhere: A social worker with an active license in good standing from a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements can be licensed by endorsement; if the other state is not equivalent, the board weighs actual qualifications and work experience (MCA 37-1-304). There is no minimum number of years licensed.
How Much Does a Montana Social Work License Cost?
We have not published a Montana figure yet
We have not verified Montana Board of Behavioral Health, Department of Labor and Industry's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: Montana Board of Behavioral Health, Department of Labor and Industry
We handle the Montana application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingWhere Montana Applications Get Delayed
Montana requires supervised experience at every level, not only for the LCSW: 500 hours for the LBSW and 1,500 hours for the LMSW (ARM 24.219.504).
LCSW supervision: at least 100 hours, 50 of them individual and face-to-face with an LCSW, including 10 hours of direct observation; supervisors give at least 2 hours per 160 hours of practice.
The Social Work Licensure Compact bill (SB 140, 2025) did not pass, and the legislature does not meet in regular session in 2026.
Supervisor attestations and verifications from other boards take the longest. Request them the week you decide to apply, not the week you file.
Renewing Your Montana Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every year
CE Requirement
20 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and Montana
Montana is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member, so a multistate license will not cover practice here even once the Compact opens. Seeing clients located in Montana takes a Montana license, by endorsement where the state offers it or a full application where it does not.
Keeping it current
Montana renews social work licenses every year, with 20 hours of continuing education per cycle. 20 CE hours every year, including 2 hours of suicide prevention at the first renewal and every two years after; up to 20 extra hours carry forward (ARM 24.219.435). Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Montana Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does Montana issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for Montana?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Montana?
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How many supervised hours does Montana require for the clinical license?
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Where these facts come from
Checked against primary sources. Boards change rules between sessions, so we confirm the current process again before anything is filed.
- MCA 37-39-308: LBSW, LMSW and clinical license qualifications; 3,000 supervised hours and exam for the clinical license — checked 2026-10-08
- MCA 37-39-307: candidate licensure while completing supervised experience — checked 2026-10-08
- ARM 24.219.504: 3,000 LCSW hours with 100 supervision hours; LBSW 500 and LMSW 1,500 hours — checked 2026-10-08
- ARM 24.219.403: ASWB clinical, master's and bachelor's exams; three-attempt limit — checked 2026-10-08
- ARM 24.219.435: 20 CE hours annually, suicide prevention — checked 2026-10-08
- MCA 37-1-304: licensure by endorsement, no minimum years — checked 2026-10-08
- board name and URL — checked 2026-10-08
- LCSW checklist (updated 2/16/23): out-of-state route, ASWB clinical exam, no state law exam listed — checked 2026-10-08
What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. Board, exam and fingerprinting fees are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
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