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LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from Arkansas to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Arkansas to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), verify your Arkansas license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: the Board's LMHC page names the NCMHCE (NBCC) as the accepted exam, and an out-of-state applicant has NBCC send an official score report directly to the Board. Section 456.0145 accepts 'a passing score on a national licensure examination or ... a national certification recognized by the board'; the Board does not state whether an NCE-only licensee qualifies. No separate jurisprudence exam, but an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course is required before licensure..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

A counseling license moves from Arkansas to Florida by endorsement. Florida has enacted the Counseling Compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so your Arkansas license cannot reach it through the compact yet. You apply to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), which verifies your Arkansas license and standing, matches it to Florida's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Florida jurisprudence and background requirements.

What changes, Arkansas → Florida

Side-by-side: Arkansas vs Florida (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Arkansas (current)Florida (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact member — compact privilege to practiceCounseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee$100 (initial LPC application fee per 17 CAR 75-1301(a)(1) (2026 Rule Revision). The Board may waive it for applicants on public assistance, recently approved for unemployment, or with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Separate fees: $250 LPC license fee (75-1302, first fee prorated), jurisprudence exam fee paid to NBCC, and background-check fees. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Arkansas charges $50 + $30 commission admin fee = $80 for a privilege, and requires the jurisprudence exam).)$100 ($100 non-refundable application fee; the endorsement application also collects a $75 initial licensure fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee at submission ($180 total, $80 refundable if denied or withdrawn), per the Board's LMHC page and form DH-MQA 5048. Livescan fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. Florida is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applicationsthe Board states only that Florida law requires an initial application to be reviewed within 30 days and that a license issues within 7 days after all documentation is received (s. 456.0145(2)(e)); no end-to-end processing range is published
Licensing authorityArkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Florida sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold an active, unencumbered mental health counseling license (similar scope of practice) in another state, DC or US territory.
  5. Have actively practiced for at least 2 of the 4 years immediately before applying, with no disciplinary action in the past 5 years and no pending disciplinary proceeding.
  6. Have NBCC send an official passing national exam score (NCMHCE) directly to the Board.
  7. Complete a Board-approved 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course and a 3-hour HIV/AIDS course (or file the HIV/AIDS affidavit).
  8. Complete a Board-approved 2-hour domestic violence course within six months after licensure.
  9. Submit electronic Livescan fingerprints through an FDLE-approved vendor for background screening.
  10. Pay the fees ($100 ($100 non-refundable application fee; the endorsement application also collects a $75 initial licensure fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee at submission ($180 total, $80 refundable if denied or withdrawn), per the Board's LMHC page and form DH-MQA 5048. Livescan fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. Florida is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)) and allow the Board states only that Florida law requires an initial application to be reviewed within 30 days and that a license issues within 7 days after all documentation is received (s. 456.0145(2)(e)); no end-to-end processing range is published.

Official links

Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) ↗Florida application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Florida → ArkansasCounseling in ArkansasCounseling in FloridaAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Florida accept an Arkansas counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Arkansas to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), verify your Arkansas license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: the Board's LMHC page names the NCMHCE (NBCC) as the accepted exam, and an out-of-state applicant has NBCC send an official score report directly to the Board. Section 456.0145 accepts 'a passing score on a national licensure examination or ... a national certification recognized by the board'; the Board does not state whether an NCE-only licensee qualifies. No separate jurisprudence exam, but an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course is required before licensure..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Arkansas to Florida?

National exam is not retaken: the Board's LMHC page names the NCMHCE (NBCC) as the accepted exam, and an out-of-state applicant has NBCC send an official score report directly to the Board. Section 456.0145 accepts 'a passing score on a national licensure examination or ... a national certification recognized by the board'; the Board does not state whether an NCE-only licensee qualifies. No separate jurisprudence exam, but an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course is required before licensure.

What does the move cost?

$100 ($100 non-refundable application fee; the endorsement application also collects a $75 initial licensure fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee at submission ($180 total, $80 refundable if denied or withdrawn), per the Board's LMHC page and form DH-MQA 5048. Livescan fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. Florida is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)

How long will it take?

the Board states only that Florida law requires an initial application to be reviewed within 30 days and that a license issues within 7 days after all documentation is received (s. 456.0145(2)(e)); no end-to-end processing range is published.

Florida joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?

Not yet. Florida had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Florida takes Florida's own authorization, normally a Florida license.

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]