Counseling License from Indiana to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Tennessee accept an Indiana counseling license?
Yes, for working in Tennessee — both Indiana and Tennessee 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 Tennessee without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Tennessee, you will need a Tennessee license once Tennessee becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Indiana and Tennessee are both operational in the Counseling Compact, so the first question is whether you are moving. If you are staying in Indiana and want to see clients located in Tennessee, in person or by telehealth, you do not need a Tennessee license: with an active, unencumbered independent-level Indiana license and Indiana as your primary residence, you buy a Tennessee privilege through CompactConnect and meet any Tennessee jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating, the privilege does not carry you. Tennessee becomes your home state and you must obtain a Tennessee license from the Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists; because both states are members, the compact streamlines that application, but it is still required.
What's different between Indiana and Tennessee
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Tennessee. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Indiana to Tennessee (this page): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
Tennessee to Indiana (the reverse move): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Indiana matter?
Coming from Indiana matters here: only 10 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Tennessee.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (38) and reciprocity agreement (2).
- Reciprocity agreements
Tennessee's reciprocity agreement list names 2 states (Kentucky and North Carolina), not including Indiana.
Indiana's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
- Counseling Compact membership
Indiana and Tennessee are both Counseling Compact member states.
A compact privilege lets you practice in Tennessee while Indiana is your home state; it is not a license, and a move to Tennessee needs a Tennessee license.
- Application fee
Tennessee lists $200 for an out-of-state applicant and Indiana lists $50 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Tennessee and Indiana carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Tennessee (this move): National exams are not retaken on the reciprocity route: the reciprocity rule (0450-01-.04(5)) and the Board's 2019 reciprocity policy require only the Tennessee Jurisprudence Exam, whose results are sent to the Board by NBCC. Exam-route applicants must pass the NCE and NCMHCE.
- Indiana (the reverse move): National exam is not retaken if the applicant passed the NCMHCE or an equivalent state-constructed exam at the same or higher level for the other-state license. NBCC sends the official NCMHCE score report to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. The NCE is NOT equivalent to the NCMHCE, so NCE-only licensees must take the NCMHCE in Indiana. Other exams are reviewed for equivalency by the Board. The Board's current LMHC reciprocity checklist lists no jurisprudence exam.
What changes, Indiana → Tennessee
| Indiana (current) | Tennessee (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) | Reciprocity with 2 states · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) |
| 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).) | $200 (LPC/MHSP application fee per Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0450-01-.06(4)(c) and the application checklist; + $10 state regulatory fee ($210 total at application); background-check vendor fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Tennessee's total privilege cost is $210 including the $30 commission fee, and it requires a jurisprudence exam, per the commission's fee table).) |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC reciprocity applications | no timeframe published; files completed at least 30 days before a Board meeting are ordinarily processed at that meeting (0450-01-.05(5)(c)), and the application asks applicants to allow 14 working days for mailed documents to be filed |
| Licensing authority | Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) | Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee 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 Tennessee: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Tennessee through the compact commission and complete any Tennessee jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Tennessee: apply for a Tennessee license with the Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists; a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What does the move cost?
To work in Tennessee while living in Indiana: a $30 commission fee plus Tennessee's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take a Tennessee license: $200 (LPC/MHSP application fee per Tenn.
How long will it take?
A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Tennessee jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. A Tennessee license for a relocation: no timeframe published; files completed at least 30 days before a Board meeting are ordinarily processed at that meeting (0450-01-.05(5)(c)), and the application asks applicants to allow 14 working days for mailed documents to be filed.
Can I see Tennessee clients by telehealth while living in Indiana?
Yes, on a Tennessee privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Tennessee, as long as your Indiana license stays active and unencumbered and Indiana remains your primary residence.
If I move from Indiana to Tennessee, does my privilege keep me covered?
No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Tennessee is your home state and you need a Tennessee license. Because both states are compact members, Tennessee 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 2026-10-29.
- Tennessee Board: Policy Statement Regarding Licensure by Reciprocity (adopted 2019-12-06, amended 2020-01-03) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Board: LPC application packet PH-2722 (file revised 8/2023; LPC/MHSP by reciprocity checklist, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Rules of the Tennessee Board for Professional Counselors ch. 0450-01 (April 2020 revision; 0450-01-.04(5), .05(5), .06) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Board page: policies list incl. TN/NC and TN/KY reciprocity agreements, Counseling Compact status (privilege applications accepted from 2026-09-01) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Board: Reciprocity Agreement between Tennessee and North Carolina ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Indiana PLA: Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Information (LMHC Reciprocity checklist, exam policy, Counseling Compact); Internet Archive capture 2026-10-10 ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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