Counseling License from Idaho 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 Idaho 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 Idaho 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 Idaho 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. Neither Idaho nor Texas is operational in the Counseling Compact, so it plays no part in this move.
What changes, Idaho → Texas
| Idaho (current) | Texas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Full re-application required |
| 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.) | $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 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 | ~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 authority | Idaho State Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | 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
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.)).
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Texas accept an Idaho counseling license?
No — Texas has no reciprocity or endorsement path for Idaho 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 Idaho 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.
- BHEC: Applying for an LPC License, Licensed in Another Jurisdiction (no reciprocity, endorsement or temporary licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- BHEC: How to Apply for an LPC License from Out of State (online application guide, 6-week processing note) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Texas Register 2026-03-13: Figure 22 TAC 885.1(b), BHEC fee schedule ↗ (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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