Counseling License from Florida to Kansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from Florida to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), verify your Florida license, and meet Kansas's endorsement requirements. No exam is retaken. Kansas uses the NCMHCE for clinical (LCPC) licensure, but under K.S.A. 65-5807(b) a reciprocity applicant for the LCPC shows clinical competence through at least TWO of three areas. They are: (1) a passed national clinical exam approved by the board OR 15 graduate credit hours in diagnosis and treatment; (2) three years of clinical practice diagnosing or treating mental disorders; (3) an attestation of competence from an independently licensed professional. An exam score report is needed only if the exam is used and not already reported by the licensing state. Kansas requires no jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Both states have enacted the Counseling Compact, but neither was issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. When both go operational, cross-border work between them could run on a privilege; a relocation would still need a Kansas license. The route is endorsement through the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC): your Florida license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Kansas's own exam rule, and Kansas applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Kansas tier corresponds to your Florida license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, Florida → Kansas
| Florida (current) | Kansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $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a $75 initial licensure fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee at submission ($180 total, $80 refundable if denied or withdrawn), per the Board's LMHC page and form DH-MQA 5048.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.) | $50 (Reciprocity application fee per the BSRB reciprocity packet; nonrefundable. Under K.S.A. 65-5807(c), a separate license fee is due once eligibility is confirmed. Its amount (K.A.R. 102-3-2) could not be verified because the official regulation site (rules.ks.gov / sos.ks.gov) was not machine-readable or refused access. Other-state verification fees may apply. Kansas is not yet an operational Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies.) |
| Processing time | 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 | 4–7 weeks (BSRB reciprocity packet: 'Please allow 30 days for review of your complete application' (~4 weeks). K.S.A. 48-3406(c) requires the license within 45 days of a complete application (~6.4 weeks, rounded up to 7) for applicants who have established or intend to establish Kansas residency (15 days for military servicemembers and spouses).) |
| Licensing authority | Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) | Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kansas's current requirements on the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active counselor license in another state, and either show that state's standards are substantially equivalent to Kansas's or show 12 months of licensure with a similar scope, no serious discipline and at least a master's degree in counseling or a related field.
- Demonstrate competence to diagnose and treat mental disorders through at least two of: national clinical exam or 15 graduate credit hours, three years of clinical practice, or a licensed-professional attestation.
- Have each licensing board send the License Verification (out-of-state clearance) form directly to the BSRB.
- Have transcripts sent directly to the BSRB when using the 15 graduate credit hours option.
- Submit the reciprocity application with the $50 application fee.
- Pay the fees ($50 (Reciprocity application fee per the BSRB reciprocity packet; nonrefundable. Under K.S.A. 65-5807(c), a separate license fee is due once eligibility is confirmed. Its amount (K.A.R. 102-3-2) could not be verified because the official regulation site (rules.ks.gov / sos.ks.gov) was not machine-readable or refused access. Other-state verification fees may apply. Kansas is not yet an operational Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)) and allow 4–7 weeks (BSRB reciprocity packet: 'Please allow 30 days for review of your complete application' (~4 weeks). K.S.A. 48-3406(c) requires the license within 45 days of a complete application (~6.4 weeks, rounded up to 7) for applicants who have established or intend to establish Kansas residency (15 days for military servicemembers and spouses).).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kansas accept a Florida counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Florida to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), verify your Florida license, and meet Kansas's endorsement requirements. No exam is retaken. Kansas uses the NCMHCE for clinical (LCPC) licensure, but under K.S.A. 65-5807(b) a reciprocity applicant for the LCPC shows clinical competence through at least TWO of three areas. They are: (1) a passed national clinical exam approved by the board OR 15 graduate credit hours in diagnosis and treatment; (2) three years of clinical practice diagnosing or treating mental disorders; (3) an attestation of competence from an independently licensed professional. An exam score report is needed only if the exam is used and not already reported by the licensing state. Kansas requires no jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Florida to Kansas?
No exam is retaken. Kansas uses the NCMHCE for clinical (LCPC) licensure, but under K.S.A. 65-5807(b) a reciprocity applicant for the LCPC shows clinical competence through at least TWO of three areas. They are: (1) a passed national clinical exam approved by the board OR 15 graduate credit hours in diagnosis and treatment; (2) three years of clinical practice diagnosing or treating mental disorders; (3) an attestation of competence from an independently licensed professional. An exam score report is needed only if the exam is used and not already reported by the licensing state. Kansas requires no jurisprudence exam.
What does the move cost?
$50 (Reciprocity application fee per the BSRB reciprocity packet; nonrefundable. Under K.S.A. 65-5807(c), a separate license fee is due once eligibility is confirmed. Its amount (K.A.R. 102-3-2) could not be verified because the official regulation site (rules.ks.gov / sos.ks.gov) was not machine-readable or refused access. Other-state verification fees may apply. Kansas is not yet an operational Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)
How long will it take?
4–7 weeks (BSRB reciprocity packet: 'Please allow 30 days for review of your complete application' (~4 weeks). K.S.A. 48-3406(c) requires the license within 45 days of a complete application (~6.4 weeks, rounded up to 7) for applicants who have established or intend to establish Kansas residency (15 days for military servicemembers and spouses).)
Kansas joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Kansas had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Kansas takes Kansas's own authorization, normally a Kansas license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Kansas BSRB: Instructions and Licensure Application through Reciprocity (LPC/LCPC); Internet Archive capture 2026-04-19 of the official PDF ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Kansas BSRB: Frequently Asked Questions for LPC & LCPC (reciprocity, NCMHCE, no jurisprudence exam); Internet Archive capture 2026-08-14 ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- K.S.A. 65-5807 Licensure of individuals licensed in another jurisdiction (Kansas Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- K.S.A. 48-3406 Expedited licensure for military and for individuals establishing Kansas residency (Kansas Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida 491 Board: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (License by MOBILE Endorsement requirements, courses, fees, processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida 491 Board: Application for Licensure by Endorsement, DH-MQA 5048 (rev. 2/2024; fee breakdown, course and score-report instructions) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Statutes s. 491.006 Licensure or certification by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Florida Statutes s. 456.0145 MOBILE Act licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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