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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors ↗

No — Texas has no reciprocity or endorsement path for Arkansas counseling license holders. You must apply to the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors as a new applicant and meet Texas's full licensing requirements, including any exams it requires that you have not already passed.

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Verdict

Full re-application

Texas has no endorsement path for counselors licensed in Arkansas or anywhere else, so plan for a full application to the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors. Your Arkansas license does not stand in for Texas's requirements: expect the board to review your graduate degree, national exam, and post-degree supervised experience against its own standard, as it would for a first-time applicant. Texas has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege anchored to your Arkansas license reaches it.

What changes, Arkansas → Texas

Side-by-side: Arkansas vs Texas (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Arkansas (current)Texas (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact member — compact privilege to practiceFull re-application required
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).)$165 (LPC Associate/LPC/Provisional License Application fee per 22 TAC 885.1(b) as amended in the 2026-03-13 Texas Register ($154 base + $6 Texas.gov + $5 OPP); this is the ordinary LPC application fee, since Texas has no separate endorsement fee. Jurisprudence exam $39; fingerprinting paid to the vendor. Texas has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications~6 weeks (BHEC's out-of-state LPC application guide says 'Please allow at least 6 weeks for processing before contacting BHEC for a status update'; no maximum is stated)
Licensing authorityArkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors

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

Step by step

  1. Review Texas's initial-licensure requirements on the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors website (linked below).
  2. Expect to meet Texas's education/experience requirements and pass any required exams you have not already passed — a national exam you passed often still counts, as can prior out-of-state licensure toward experience.
  3. Submit the standard (new applicant) application with fees ($165 (LPC Associate/LPC/Provisional License Application fee per 22 TAC 885.1(b) as amended in the 2026-03-13 Texas Register ($154 base + $6 Texas.gov + $5 OPP); this is the ordinary LPC application fee, since Texas has no separate endorsement fee. Jurisprudence exam $39; fingerprinting paid to the vendor. Texas has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)).
  4. Allow ~6 weeks (BHEC's out-of-state LPC application guide says 'Please allow at least 6 weeks for processing before contacting BHEC for a status update'; no maximum is stated).

Official links

Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors ↗Texas application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Texas → ArkansasCounseling in ArkansasCounseling in TexasAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Texas accept an Arkansas counseling license?

No — Texas has no reciprocity or endorsement path for Arkansas counseling license holders. You must apply to the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors as a new applicant and meet Texas's full licensing requirements, including any exams it requires that you have not already passed.

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

No endorsement route. The national exam already passed (NCE or NCMHCE) is not retaken: scores are requested from NBCC for direct submission to the Texas portal. Every applicant must also pass the Texas Jurisprudence Examination within six months before applying.

What does the move cost?

Application fee: $165 (LPC Associate/LPC/Provisional License Application fee per 22 TAC 885.1(b) as amended in the 2026-03-13 Texas Register ($154 base + $6 Texas.gov + $5 OPP); this is the ordinary LPC application fee, since Texas has no separate endorsement fee. Jurisprudence exam $39; fingerprinting paid to the vendor. Texas has not enacted the Counseling Compact.) Add the cost of documenting Texas's full requirements, such as transcripts and supervised-hour verification.

How long will it take?

~6 weeks (BHEC's out-of-state LPC application guide says 'Please allow at least 6 weeks for processing before contacting BHEC for a status update'; no maximum is stated)

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]