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LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from Kansas to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Kansas to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT), verify your Kansas license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: NCE (or NCMHCE) results are sent by NBCC score transfer or submitted with the application, and the 7-year exam-age limit is waived for applicants licensed in an equivalent capacity in another state. No separate jurisprudence exam; applicants must watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Ohio is operational in the Counseling Compact, but Kansas is not, so there is no home-state license here to anchor a privilege. Once you hold an Ohio license and live in Ohio, it can anchor privileges into the other operational states. The route is endorsement through the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT): your Kansas license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Ohio's own exam rule, and Ohio applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Ohio tier corresponds to your Kansas license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.

What changes, Kansas → Ohio

Side-by-side: Kansas vs Ohio (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Kansas (current)Ohio (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact enacted — not yet issuingCounseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice
Application 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.)$100 (LPCC reciprocity application fee per OAC 4757-1-05 and the Board's out-of-state page ('$100 + $3.50 processing', re-read 2026-09-27); + $3.50 eLicense processing fee; BCI/FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Ohio charges $25 + $30 commission admin fee = $55 for a privilege, per the commission's fee table).)
Processing time4–7 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).)the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist)
Licensing authorityKansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB): Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Ohio's current requirements on the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold an active, independent-level counselor license (the Ohio LPCC equivalent) in good standing in another jurisdiction.
  5. Submit national counselor exam results (NCE or NCMHCE) via NBCC score transfer.
  6. Provide online license look-up or official verification from every jurisdiction where licensed, including disciplinary history.
  7. Complete Ohio BCI and FBI fingerprint background checks with results sent to the Board.
  8. Watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video before licensure.
  9. Pay the fees ($100 (LPCC reciprocity application fee per OAC 4757-1-05 and the Board's out-of-state page ('$100 + $3.50 processing', re-read 2026-09-27); + $3.50 eLicense processing fee; BCI/FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Ohio charges $25 + $30 commission admin fee = $55 for a privilege, per the commission's fee table).)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist).

Official links

Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) ↗Ohio application ↗Counseling Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Ohio → KansasCounseling in KansasCounseling in OhioAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Ohio accept a Kansas counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Kansas to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT), verify your Kansas license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: NCE (or NCMHCE) results are sent by NBCC score transfer or submitted with the application, and the 7-year exam-age limit is waived for applicants licensed in an equivalent capacity in another state. No separate jurisprudence exam; applicants must watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Kansas to Ohio?

National exam is not retaken: NCE (or NCMHCE) results are sent by NBCC score transfer or submitted with the application, and the 7-year exam-age limit is waived for applicants licensed in an equivalent capacity in another state. No separate jurisprudence exam; applicants must watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video.

What does the move cost?

$100 (LPCC reciprocity application fee per OAC 4757-1-05 and the Board's out-of-state page ('$100 + $3.50 processing', re-read 2026-09-27); + $3.50 eLicense processing fee; BCI/FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Ohio charges $25 + $30 commission admin fee = $55 for a privilege, per the commission's fee table).)

How long will it take?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist)

Will an Ohio license get me into other compact states?

Yes, once Ohio is your home state. Ohio is operational, so an active, unencumbered Ohio license held while you live there can anchor privileges into the other operational states through CompactConnect.

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]