Transfer Your Counseling License to Indiana: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) ↗
Two routes lead into Indiana. Counselors whose home state is also operational in the Counseling Compact can buy an Indiana privilege, a full practice authorization that is not a license; counselors moving to Indiana, or coming from outside the operational group, need an Indiana license by endorsement from the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), which sets its own rule on crediting your NCE or NCMHCE score (see the exam question below). 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).). Processing: the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC reciprocity applications.
Moving to Indiana from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice
Before filing anything with the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), work out whether you are moving or just reaching across the line. A counselor who stays licensed and resident in another operational compact state can serve Indiana clients on a privilege, including by telehealth, and never needs an Indiana license. A counselor moving to Indiana changes home states, and that requires an Indiana license; if your current home state is also a compact member, the compact shortens the application.
Indiana's independent counselor license is the LMHC. The LMHCA (Mental Health Counselor Associate) is the associate tier. The Board's LMHC Reciprocity route is for applicants 'who hold an Active equivalent license in another State and have passed an equivalent National exam': application, $50 fee, criminal background check, license verification and an NCMHCE score report. The checklist does not re-collect transcripts or supervised hours. The substantive test is an active equal-level license plus an equivalent exam, which is why an NCE-only licensee cannot use this route without passing the NCMHCE. This is endorsement, not full reciprocity. Older (2015) Board LMHC endorsement instructions required a jurisprudence exam. The 2026 page lists a 30-question jurisprudence exam only under the LMFT route, not LMHC reciprocity, so no jurisprudence requirement is recorded here. Indiana has been an OPERATIONAL Counseling Compact state since 2026-06-08 (IC 25-42.5, SEA 160-2023). An LMHC-equivalent counselor whose home state is also operational can practice in Indiana on a privilege ($50 state fee + $30 commission fee, no jurisprudence exam) without this license. Relocating to Indiana still requires an Indiana license. compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided. No Indiana universal-recognition statute text could be verified. www.in.gov and secure.in.gov refused connections on 2026-09-27, and iga.in.gov code pages render only via JavaScript, so the Board page was read from an Internet Archive capture of the official page.
Indiana requirements at a glance
| Exam | 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. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $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).) |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC reciprocity applications |
Step by step
- Confirm Indiana's current requirements on the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active mental health counselor license of equal level in another state.
- Have license verification completed by each issuing state (license cards are not accepted).
- Have NBCC send an official NCMHCE score report to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency.
- Complete a criminal background check.
- Apply online with the $50 application fee.
- Pay the fees ($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).)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC reciprocity applications.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Indiana:
Nearby states
Counseling license transfer into the states bordering Indiana:
Indiana for other professions
- Nursing in Indiana
- Cosmetology / Barber in Indiana
- Real Estate in Indiana
- Contractor in Indiana
- Teaching in Indiana
- CPA / Accounting in Indiana
- Electrician in Indiana
- Plumber in Indiana
- Engineering in Indiana
- Pharmacy in Indiana
- Physical Therapy in Indiana
- Psychology in Indiana
- Social Work in Indiana
- Occupational Therapy in Indiana
Frequently asked questions
Does my counseling license transfer to Indiana?
Two routes lead into Indiana. Counselors whose home state is also operational in the Counseling Compact can buy an Indiana privilege, a full practice authorization that is not a license; counselors moving to Indiana, or coming from outside the operational group, need an Indiana license by endorsement from the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), which sets its own rule on crediting your NCE or NCMHCE score (see the exam question below). 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).). Processing: the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC reciprocity applications.
Do I have to retake the NCE or NCMHCE to get licensed in Indiana?
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.
How much does an Indiana counseling license cost by endorsement?
$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).)
How long does Indiana take to process the application?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC reciprocity applications.
Is Indiana in the Counseling Compact?
Yes. Indiana was operational as of 2026-09-27, issuing privileges to its own licensees and accepting privileges from other operational states. A counselor whose home state is also operational can practice in Indiana on a privilege; moving to Indiana still requires an Indiana license.
Can I see Indiana clients by telehealth from another state?
Yes, if your home state is also operational and you hold an Indiana privilege. The privilege covers telehealth as well as in-person work. From a home state that is not operational, you need Indiana's own authorization, normally an Indiana 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]