Counseling License from Idaho to New York: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from Idaho to New York by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), verify your Idaho license, and meet New York's endorsement requirements. NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Idaho nor New York is operational in the Counseling Compact, so it plays no part in this move. The route is endorsement through the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC): your Idaho license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under New York's own exam rule, and New York applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which New York tier corresponds to your Idaho license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, Idaho → New York
| Idaho (current) | New York (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $300 (LPC and LCPC 'Initial Application' fee as published on the Board's fee table (Internet Archive capture of dopl.idaho.gov/cou/, 2026-09-14). CONFLICT: the current rule IDAPA 24.15.01.400 lists a $100 application fee plus a $100 license fee ($200), and so did the Board's older endorsement form. The live Board site was unreachable, so the $300 figure could not be confirmed live. Fingerprint background-check fee and NBCC score-report fee are separate. Idaho is not a Counseling Compact state, so there is no privilege fee.) | $371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.) |
| Processing time | no processing timeframe found on the Board page or in the rules; dopl.idaho.gov refused connections on 2026-09-27, so only archived copies could be read | NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Idaho State Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New York sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New York's current requirements on the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Show at least 5 years of licensed mental health counseling practice within the 10 years before applying, attested on Forms 4E/4F.
- Have NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to the Office of the Professions.
- Have every jurisdiction where you are or were licensed submit Form 3 license verification directly to NYSED.
- Have your graduate school submit Form 2 (Certification of Professional Education).
- Complete NYSED-approved coursework or training in identifying and reporting child abuse (or document an exemption).
- Pay the fees ($371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)) and allow NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New York accept an Idaho counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Idaho to New York by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), verify your Idaho license, and meet New York's endorsement requirements. NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Idaho to New York?
NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam.
What does the move cost?
$371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)
How long will it take?
NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- NYSED Office of the Professions: Mental Health Counseling License Requirements (licensure by endorsement, NCMHCE only, $371 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED: Form 4E Endorsement Applicant Experience Record ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED: Commissioner's Regulations Subpart 79-9 (79-9.7 licensure by endorsement; diagnostic privilege) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Idaho DOPL: Board of Professional Counselors and MFTs home (fee table, exam info, FAQ); Internet Archive capture 2026-09-14 of the official page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDAPA 24.15.01 Rules of the Idaho Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and MFTs (100.02 LCPC exam; 400 fees), official state rules file ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Idaho Code Title 67 Chapter 94 incl. 67-9409 Universal Licensure (Idaho Legislature PDF; Internet Archive capture 2025-05-25) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Idaho Code 54-3405 Qualifications for licensure (fingerprint check); Internet Archive capture 2026-03-24 of the Idaho Legislature page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Idaho DOPL: Application for License by Endorsement (counselors, rev. 7/2021); Internet Archive capture 2024-07-15 ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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