Counseling License from Louisiana to Indiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) ↗
Yes, for working in Indiana — both Louisiana and Indiana are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Louisiana is your primary state of residence and your Louisiana license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Indiana without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Indiana, you will need a Indiana license once Indiana becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Louisiana and Indiana are both operational in the Counseling Compact, so the first question is whether you are moving. If you are staying in Louisiana and want to see clients located in Indiana, in person or by telehealth, you do not need an Indiana license: with an active, unencumbered independent-level Louisiana license and Louisiana as your primary residence, you buy an Indiana privilege through CompactConnect and meet any Indiana jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating, the privilege does not carry you. Indiana becomes your home state and you must obtain an Indiana license from the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC); because both states are members, the compact streamlines that application, but it is still required.
What changes, Louisiana → Indiana
| Louisiana (current) | Indiana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice | Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice |
| Application fee | $300 (non-refundable out-of-state licensure application, license and seal fee (Board fee schedule item 2; also stated on the LPC endorsement application); optional $60 expedited processing; fingerprint background check costs separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Louisiana charges $130 + $30 commission fee = $160 total, no jurisprudence exam.) | $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 | 6–8 weeks (Board states 'allow 2-3 weeks for milestones to be updated and at least 6-8 weeks for application approval once the application is completed'; expedited processing ($60) gets a staff response within 5 business days, but files referred for Board review wait for the next meeting) | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC reciprocity applications |
| Licensing authority | Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners (LPC) | Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Indiana 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 Indiana: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Indiana through the compact commission and complete any Indiana jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Indiana: apply for a Indiana license with the Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency): Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Indiana accept a Louisiana counseling license?
Yes, for working in Indiana — both Louisiana and Indiana are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Louisiana is your primary state of residence and your Louisiana license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Indiana without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Indiana, you will need a Indiana license once Indiana becomes your home state.
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Louisiana to 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.
What does the move cost?
To work in Indiana while living in Louisiana: a $30 commission fee plus Indiana's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take an Indiana license: $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 will it take?
A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Indiana jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. A Indiana license for a relocation: the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC reciprocity applications.
Can I see Indiana clients by telehealth while living in Louisiana?
Yes, on an Indiana privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Indiana, as long as your Louisiana license stays active and unencumbered and Louisiana remains your primary residence.
If I move from Louisiana to Indiana, does my privilege keep me covered?
No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Indiana is your home state and you need an Indiana license. Because both states are compact members, Indiana 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.
- 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)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Louisiana LPC Board: Application Information (endorsement applications, background checks, 6-8 week processing; Internet Archive capture 2026-02-19) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Louisiana LPC Board: Application for Licensure by Endorsement as LPC ($300, NCE/NCMHCE, 5-year practice rule; Internet Archive capture 2026-06-16) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Louisiana LPC Board: Fee Schedule (Internet Archive capture 2026-04-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Louisiana LPC Board: FAQ (LPC by endorsement, 40 CE hours; Internet Archive capture 2026-05-19) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Louisiana Register Notice of Intent: LAC 46:LX.1101 Endorsement (Act 253 of 2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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