Counseling License from Michigan to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Michigan to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division), verify your Michigan license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: Montana accepts either the NBCC NCE or the NCMHCE for the LCPC, with proof sent directly from NBCC. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed for LCPC applicants..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

A counseling license moves from Michigan to Montana by endorsement. Neither state gives you a working compact route here: a state that has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not yet operational behaves like a non-member. You apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division), which verifies your Michigan license and standing, matches it to Montana's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Montana jurisprudence and background requirements.

What changes, Michigan → Montana

Side-by-side: Michigan vs Montana (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
	Michigan (current)	Montana (destination)
Counseling Compact status	Licensure by endorsement	Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee	$259.05 ('Professional Counselor By Endorsement - $259.05' per the LARA licensing guide (rev. 4/17/25). This is a combined application fee plus 3-year license fee, paid by card. Fingerprint fees are paid separately under the instructions LARA sends after the application. Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)	$200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))
Processing time	the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications	the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications
Licensing authority	Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC)	Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division)

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

Step by step

Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) website (linked below) — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) (application linked below).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Hold a current, active LCPC-equivalent license in good standing from a state whose requirements are substantially equivalent to Montana's.
Have passed the NBCC NCE or NCMHCE, with proof sent directly from NBCC.
Document 3,000 hours of supervised post-degree experience meeting ARM 24.219.604.
Submit fingerprints for a Montana Department of Justice and FBI background check.
Provide verification of every professional license held, certified transcripts and the Academic Summary form.
Pay the fees ($200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications.

Official links

Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) ↗Montana application ↗

Frequently asked questions

Does Montana accept a Michigan counseling license?

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Michigan to Montana?

National exam is not retaken: Montana accepts either the NBCC NCE or the NCMHCE for the LCPC, with proof sent directly from NBCC. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed for LCPC applicants.

What does the move cost?

$200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))

How long will it take?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications.

Montana joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?

Not yet. Montana had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Montana takes Montana's own authorization, normally a Montana license.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.

Montana Board of Behavioral Health: Licensure Checklist (LCPC options 1-4 incl. equivalent out-of-state license) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Montana Board of Behavioral Health: LCPC Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist ($200 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
MCA 37-1-304: Licensure by endorsement (substantial equivalency) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Montana Administrative Register Notice 24-219-37 (Board of Behavioral Health rules) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
LARA: Michigan Professional Counselor Licensing Guide, rev. 4/17/25 (endorsement requirements, $259.05 fee; Internet Archive capture 2026-03-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Michigan Admin. Code R 338.1751-R 338.1781, Counseling General Rules (R 338.1773 exams; R 338.1775 licensure by endorsement; Internet Archive capture 2026-02-11 of the official ARS compilation) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
LARA: Counseling licensing page (Internet Archive capture 2026-01-16) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

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