Transfer Your Counseling License to Idaho: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Idaho State Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) ↗

To practice in Idaho you need an Idaho license: the state is outside the Counseling Compact, and the route in is endorsement through the Idaho State Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), which verifies your existing license and accepts your national exam score. 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.). Processing: 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.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Idaho has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so the planning is simple, if slower. There is no compact privilege to fall back on, including for telehealth: you cannot lawfully counsel a client located in Idaho until Idaho authorizes you, which for most counselors means a license from the Idaho State Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) (check the notes below for any telehealth-only registration). Start the application before you need the income.

Idaho's independent counselor license is the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC). The LPC is the entry tier. The out-of-state route is universal licensure under Idaho Code 67-9409 (added 2020, amended 2023). A licensing authority must license a person who holds current, valid and unrestricted licensure in another state and shows competency by the Board's methods. The applicant completes the same application and background checks as other applicants and pays the same fees. The Board may require all or part of its exam, may not impose a jurisprudence exam, and may issue a limited license where Idaho's scope is broader. The statute sets no residency condition. The Board's older counselor endorsement form cited a board Rule 300, which no longer appears in the rules rewritten effective 2024-07-01, and a 2023 LCPC form sent applicants licensed more than five years to the endorsement application. The Board's current web page (archived 2026-09-14) does not describe the out-of-state route, so the current in-portal steps are unconfirmed. LCPC standards re-checked for Idaho-trained applicants: 2,000 direct client contact hours with supervision and the NCMHCE (IDAPA 24.15.01.100.02). The Board also offers a non-renewable $35 Interstate Mental or Behavioral Telehealth Registration, which is not a license. The Board moved to biennial licensure starting 2025-10-14. Idaho has not enacted the Counseling Compact (assembler-provided non_member), so no privilege route exists. dopl.idaho.gov, adminrules.idaho.gov and legislature.idaho.gov all refused connections on 2026-09-27. Board pages and statutes were read from Internet Archive captures of the official pages, and the rule from the official state rules file that adminrules.idaho.gov redirects to.

Idaho requirements at a glance

Out-of-state counseling license transfer requirements for Idaho, verified 2026-09-27
Exam	The national exam is not retaken when the applicant already passed it. Idaho requires the NCMHCE (NBCC) for the LCPC under IDAPA 24.15.01.100.02.b, and scores are sent to the Board by NBCC. Idaho Code 67-9409(4) lets the Board require all or part of its exam only where needed to show competence, and it bars a jurisprudence exam for universal-licensure applicants. The Board publishes no jurisprudence exam or exam-age limit for counselors.
Additional requirements	Hold current, valid and unrestricted counselor licensure at the independent (LCPC-equivalent) level in another U.S. state, district or territory Submit certification of licensure sent directly from every state where you hold or have held a license Have NBCC send national exam results (NCMHCE for the LCPC) directly to the Board Complete a fingerprint-based criminal history background check (Idaho Code 54-3405 and 67-9411A) Submit the application with fees through DOPL (notarized affidavit on the paper form)
Fees	$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.)
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

Step by step

Confirm Idaho's current requirements on the Idaho State Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Idaho State Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Hold current, valid and unrestricted counselor licensure at the independent (LCPC-equivalent) level in another U.S. state, district or territory.
Submit certification of licensure sent directly from every state where you hold or have held a license.
Have NBCC send national exam results (NCMHCE for the LCPC) directly to the Board.
Complete a fingerprint-based criminal history background check (Idaho Code 54-3405 and 67-9411A).
Submit the application with fees through DOPL (notarized affidavit on the paper form).
Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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.

Official links

Idaho State Licensing Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Idaho:

California → Idaho Florida → Idaho Georgia → Idaho Illinois → Idaho Michigan → Idaho New York → Idaho North Carolina → Idaho Ohio → Idaho Pennsylvania → Idaho Texas → Idaho

Nearby states

Counseling license transfer into the states bordering Idaho:

Idaho for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my counseling license transfer to Idaho?

Do I have to retake the NCE or NCMHCE to get licensed in Idaho?

The national exam is not retaken when the applicant already passed it. Idaho requires the NCMHCE (NBCC) for the LCPC under IDAPA 24.15.01.100.02.b, and scores are sent to the Board by NBCC. Idaho Code 67-9409(4) lets the Board require all or part of its exam only where needed to show competence, and it bars a jurisprudence exam for universal-licensure applicants. The Board publishes no jurisprudence exam or exam-age limit for counselors.

How much does an Idaho counseling license cost by endorsement?

$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.)

How long does Idaho take to process the application?

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.

Is Idaho in the Counseling Compact?

No. Idaho had not enacted the compact as of 2026-09-27. No privilege reaches Idaho, including for telehealth, so an Idaho license is required to counsel clients located there.

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]