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Counseling License from Georgia to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists ↗

Yes, for working in Tennessee — both Georgia and Tennessee are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Georgia is your primary state of residence and your Georgia license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Tennessee without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Tennessee, you will need a Tennessee license once Tennessee becomes your home state.

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Verdict

Compact privilege — work there without a second license

Georgia and Tennessee are both operational in the Counseling Compact, so the first question is whether you are moving. If you are staying in Georgia and want to see clients located in Tennessee, in person or by telehealth, you do not need a Tennessee license: with an active, unencumbered independent-level Georgia license and Georgia as your primary residence, you buy a Tennessee privilege through CompactConnect and meet any Tennessee jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating, the privilege does not carry you. Tennessee becomes your home state and you must obtain a Tennessee license from the Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists; because both states are members, the compact streamlines that application, but it is still required.

What changes, Georgia → Tennessee

Side-by-side: Georgia vs Tennessee (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Georgia (current)Tennessee (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact member — compact privilege to practiceCounseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice
Application fee$100 ($100 non-refundable LPC endorsement application fee; the 05/02/2023 paper form lists $110, which includes a $10 mail-in processing fee. The current online GOALS fee schedule (goals.sos.ga.gov) returned HTTP 403 and could not be checked. Fingerprint background check paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Georgia charges $100 + $30 commission admin fee = $130 for a privilege; no jurisprudence exam).)$200 (LPC/MHSP application fee per Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0450-01-.06(4)(c) and the application checklist; + $10 state regulatory fee ($210 total at application); background-check vendor fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Tennessee's total privilege cost is $210 including the $30 commission fee, and it requires a jurisprudence exam, per the commission's fee table).)
Processing time~5 weeks (the endorsement application form says to allow up to 25 business days (about 5 weeks) to process a complete application. The Board may also take up the file at a meeting, and an application must be complete 15 days before a meeting to be placed on its agenda. Incomplete applications are withdrawn after 60 days.)no timeframe published; files completed at least 30 days before a Board meeting are ordinarily processed at that meeting (0450-01-.05(5)(c)), and the application asks applicants to allow 14 working days for mailed documents to be filed
Licensing authorityGeorgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists (Secretary of State), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm your home-state license is active and unencumbered and that your home state is your primary state of residence.
  2. To work in Tennessee: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Tennessee through the compact commission and complete any Tennessee jurisprudence requirement.
  3. Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
  4. If you are moving your primary residence to Tennessee: apply for a Tennessee license with the Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists; a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.

Official links

Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists ↗Tennessee application ↗Counseling Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Tennessee → GeorgiaCounseling in GeorgiaCounseling in TennesseeAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Tennessee accept a Georgia counseling license?

Yes, for working in Tennessee — both Georgia and Tennessee are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Georgia is your primary state of residence and your Georgia license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Tennessee without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Tennessee, you will need a Tennessee license once Tennessee becomes your home state.

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Georgia to Tennessee?

National exams are not retaken on the reciprocity route: the reciprocity rule (0450-01-.04(5)) and the Board's 2019 reciprocity policy require only the Tennessee Jurisprudence Exam, whose results are sent to the Board by NBCC. Exam-route applicants must pass the NCE and NCMHCE.

What does the move cost?

To work in Tennessee while living in Georgia: a $30 commission fee plus Tennessee's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take a Tennessee license: $200 (LPC/MHSP application fee per Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0450-01-.06(4)(c) and the application checklist; + $10 state regulatory fee ($210 total at application); background-check vendor fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Tennessee's total privilege cost is $210 including the $30 commission fee, and it requires a jurisprudence exam, per the commission's fee table).)

How long will it take?

A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Tennessee jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. A Tennessee license for a relocation: no timeframe published; files completed at least 30 days before a Board meeting are ordinarily processed at that meeting (0450-01-.05(5)(c)), and the application asks applicants to allow 14 working days for mailed documents to be filed.

Can I see Tennessee clients by telehealth while living in Georgia?

Yes, on a Tennessee privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Tennessee, as long as your Georgia license stays active and unencumbered and Georgia remains your primary residence.

If I move from Georgia to Tennessee, does my privilege keep me covered?

No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Tennessee is your home state and you need a Tennessee license. Because both states are compact members, Tennessee verifies you through the compact's data system, and you complete its background checks and any jurisprudence requirement.

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]