Counseling License from Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois 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
Neither state gives you a working compact route here: a state that has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not yet operational behaves like a non-member. The route is endorsement through the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC): your Illinois 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 Illinois license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, Illinois → Kansas
| Illinois (current) | Kansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $150 (LCPC application fee (all methods, incl. endorsement) per 68 IAC 1375.205(a)(1) and the IDFPR LPC/LCPC instruction packet; nonrefundable. No separate license-issuance fee listed. Other-state certification fees are charged by those boards. Illinois is not a Counseling Compact state, so there is no privilege fee.) | $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 | IDFPR publishes no processing timeframe. The instruction packet only says to allow 6 weeks from mailing before asking about status. Applications are valid for 3 years. | 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 | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation: Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | 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 an Illinois counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois 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)
- IDFPR: Professional Counselor (license types, CORE online applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR: LPC/LCPC application instruction sheet (Examination, Acceptance of Examination, Endorsement; packet updated 8/1/24) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 68 IAC 1375.160 Licensure by Endorsement as a Clinical Professional Counselor (ILGA JCAR; Internet Archive capture 2025-03-30) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 68 IAC 1375.205 Fees (ILGA JCAR; Internet Archive capture 2025-03-26) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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