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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors ↗

A counseling license transfers from Arkansas to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, verify your Arkansas license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. No exam retake on the endorsement route: 49 Pa. Code 49.18 issues the license 'without examination'. Under the separate reciprocity rule (49.16) the Board accepts exam grades from another jurisdiction (e.g., the NCE) if the exam is similar and the passing grade at least equals Pennsylvania's, but only where that state grants reciprocity to Pennsylvania licensees. No state jurisprudence exam is required..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Pennsylvania 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. The route is endorsement through the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors: your Arkansas license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Pennsylvania's own exam rule, and Pennsylvania applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Pennsylvania tier corresponds to your Arkansas license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.

What changes, Arkansas → Pennsylvania

Side-by-side: Arkansas vs Pennsylvania (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Arkansas (current)Pennsylvania (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 (application fee for licensure and original license issuance as an LPC per 49 Pa. Code 47.4(6); no separate endorsement fee is listed. Pennsylvania is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applicationsthe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion
Licensing authorityArkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a professional counselor license in good standing in another state, with a letter from that state certifying licensure and reporting any disciplinary history.
  5. Meet Pennsylvania's educational requirement (63 P.S. 1907(f)(2) and 49 Pa. Code 49.13(a)(3), a 60-semester-hour counseling graduate degree).
  6. Demonstrate at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience that conformed to the licensing state's rules.
  7. Demonstrate active practice of professional counseling for 5 of the last 7 years before applying (49 Pa. Code 49.18(5)).
  8. Complete 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training and submit two certificates of recommendation (49 Pa. Code 49.12).
  9. Pay the fees ($100 (application fee for licensure and original license issuance as an LPC per 49 Pa. Code 47.4(6); no separate endorsement fee is listed. Pennsylvania is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion.

Official links

Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors ↗Pennsylvania application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Pennsylvania → ArkansasCounseling in ArkansasCounseling in PennsylvaniaAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Pennsylvania accept an Arkansas counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Arkansas to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, verify your Arkansas license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. No exam retake on the endorsement route: 49 Pa. Code 49.18 issues the license 'without examination'. Under the separate reciprocity rule (49.16) the Board accepts exam grades from another jurisdiction (e.g., the NCE) if the exam is similar and the passing grade at least equals Pennsylvania's, but only where that state grants reciprocity to Pennsylvania licensees. No state jurisprudence exam is required..

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

No exam retake on the endorsement route: 49 Pa. Code 49.18 issues the license 'without examination'. Under the separate reciprocity rule (49.16) the Board accepts exam grades from another jurisdiction (e.g., the NCE) if the exam is similar and the passing grade at least equals Pennsylvania's, but only where that state grants reciprocity to Pennsylvania licensees. No state jurisprudence exam is required.

What does the move cost?

$100 (application fee for licensure and original license issuance as an LPC per 49 Pa. Code 47.4(6); no separate endorsement fee is listed. Pennsylvania is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)

How long will it take?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion.

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

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