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LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from Illinois to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Illinois to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division), verify your Illinois license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: Montana accepts either the NBCC NCE or the NCMHCE for the LCPC, with proof sent directly from NBCC. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed for LCPC applicants..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

A counseling license moves from Illinois to Montana 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. You apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division), which verifies your Illinois license and standing, matches it to Montana's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Montana jurisprudence and background requirements.

What changes, Illinois → Montana

Side-by-side: Illinois vs Montana (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Illinois (current)Montana (destination)
Counseling Compact statusLicensure by endorsementCounseling 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.)$200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))
Processing timeIDFPR 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.the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications
Licensing authorityIllinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation: Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a current, active LCPC-equivalent license in good standing from a state whose requirements are substantially equivalent to Montana's.
  5. Have passed the NBCC NCE or NCMHCE, with proof sent directly from NBCC.
  6. Document 3,000 hours of supervised post-degree experience meeting ARM 24.219.604.
  7. Submit fingerprints for a Montana Department of Justice and FBI background check.
  8. Provide verification of every professional license held, certified transcripts and the Academic Summary form.
  9. Pay the fees ($200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications.

Official links

Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) ↗Montana application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Montana → IllinoisCounseling in IllinoisCounseling in MontanaAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Montana accept an Illinois counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Illinois to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division), verify your Illinois license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: Montana accepts either the NBCC NCE or the NCMHCE for the LCPC, with proof sent directly from NBCC. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed for LCPC applicants..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Illinois to Montana?

National exam is not retaken: Montana accepts either the NBCC NCE or the NCMHCE for the LCPC, with proof sent directly from NBCC. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed for LCPC applicants.

What does the move cost?

$200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))

How long will it take?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications.

Montana joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?

Not yet. Montana had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Montana takes Montana's own authorization, normally a Montana license.

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]