Counseling License from Indiana to Arizona: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) ↗
Yes, for working in Arizona — both Indiana and Arizona are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Indiana is your primary state of residence and your Indiana license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Arizona without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Arizona, you will need a Arizona license once Arizona becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Working in Arizona and moving to Arizona are two different transactions here. Cross-border practice, whether a telehealth caseload or in-person sessions, runs on an Arizona privilege bought through CompactConnect and anchored to your Indiana license, which must stay active, unencumbered, and at the independent level. A move of residence needs a new home-state license from the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Both states being compact members shortens that license application, since Arizona verifies you through the compact's data system, but you still complete its background checks and any jurisprudence requirement.
What changes, Indiana → Arizona
| Indiana (current) | Arizona (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice | Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice |
| Application fee | $50 (LMHC reciprocity application fee, paid by card online; nonrefundable. Criminal background check paid separately to the vendor; other-state verification fees may apply; NBCC score-report fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Indiana charges a $50 state fee + $30 commission administrative fee = $80 for a privilege; no jurisprudence exam required for the privilege).) | $250 (nonrefundable license-by-endorsement application fee per the Board's Licensed in Another State page and R4-6-215(A)(2); the Board's rules compilation also lists a separate $250 issuance fee for an independent-level license (LPC) and a $40 criminal-history background-check charge paid separately. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Arizona charges $250 + $30 commission admin fee = $280 for a privilege, plus the Statutes/Regulations tutorial).) |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC reciprocity applications | the Board publishes no typical processing time. Its licensing time-frame rule (R4-6-302, Table 1) sets a 270-day overall legal maximum for a license by endorsement (90-day administrative completeness plus 180-day substantive review), which is a ceiling, not an expected time |
| Licensing authority | Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) | Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arizona sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your home-state license is active and unencumbered and that your home state is your primary state of residence.
- To work in Arizona: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Arizona through the compact commission and complete any Arizona jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Arizona: apply for a Arizona license with the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Arizona accept an Indiana counseling license?
Yes, for working in Arizona — both Indiana and Arizona are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Indiana is your primary state of residence and your Indiana license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Arizona without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Arizona, you will need a Arizona license once Arizona becomes your home state.
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Indiana to Arizona?
National exam is not retaken: applicants must show they passed the required national exam for the discipline, not a state-level exam (R4-6-304(A)(11)). Arizona's counselor rule approves the NCE, NCMHCE and CRC exam (R4-6-502). Since 2026-05-14, endorsement and universal-recognition applicants who have not yet passed it are automatically approved to test while their application is under review. No jurisprudence exam, but applicants must submit a completion certificate for the Board's online Arizona Statutes/Regulations Tutorial.
What does the move cost?
To work in Arizona while living in Indiana: a $30 commission fee plus Arizona's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take an Arizona license: $250 (nonrefundable license-by-endorsement application fee per the Board's Licensed in Another State page and R4-6-215(A)(2); the Board's rules compilation also lists a separate $250 issuance fee for an independent-level license (LPC) and a $40 criminal-history background-check charge paid separately. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Arizona charges $250 + $30 commission admin fee = $280 for a privilege, plus the Statutes/Regulations tutorial).)
How long will it take?
A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Arizona jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. A Arizona license for a relocation: the Board publishes no typical processing time. Its licensing time-frame rule (R4-6-302, Table 1) sets a 270-day overall legal maximum for a license by endorsement (90-day administrative completeness plus 180-day substantive review), which is a ceiling, not an expected time.
Can I see Arizona clients by telehealth while living in Indiana?
Yes, on an Arizona privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Arizona, as long as your Indiana license stays active and unencumbered and Indiana remains your primary residence.
If I move from Indiana to Arizona, does my privilege keep me covered?
No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Arizona is your home state and you need an Arizona license. Because both states are compact members, Arizona verifies you through the compact's data system, and you complete its background checks and any jurisprudence requirement.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- AZBBHE: Licensed in Another State (license by endorsement requirements, $250 fee, fingerprints, tutorial) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-3274, Licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- AZBBHE: Universal Recognition (A.R.S. 32-4302, Arizona residency required) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- AZBBHE: Automatic Exam Approval for License by Endorsement and Universal Recognition Applicants (effective 2026-05-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- AZBBHE Board Rules compilation (R4-6-215 fees, R4-6-302 time frames, R4-6-502 counselor exams) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- AZBBHE Notice of Final Rulemaking, May 2025 (R4-6-304 endorsement, universal recognition and compact-privilege applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Indiana PLA: Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Information (LMHC Reciprocity checklist, exam policy, Counseling Compact); Internet Archive capture 2026-07-08 ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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