Counseling License from Minnesota to Indiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Indiana accept a Minnesota counseling license?
Yes, for working in Indiana — both Minnesota and Indiana are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Minnesota is your primary state of residence and your Minnesota 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 an Indiana license once Indiana becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Minnesota and Indiana are both operational in the Counseling Compact, so the first question is whether you are moving. If you are staying in Minnesota 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 Minnesota license and Minnesota 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's different between Minnesota and Indiana
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Indiana. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Minnesota to Indiana (this page): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
Indiana to Minnesota (the reverse move): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Minnesota matter?
Coming from Minnesota matters here: only 10 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Indiana.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (40).
- Counseling Compact membership
Minnesota and Indiana are both Counseling Compact member states.
A compact privilege lets you practice in Indiana while Minnesota is your home state; it is not a license, and a move to Indiana needs an Indiana license.
- Application fee
Indiana lists $50 for an out-of-state applicant and Minnesota lists $150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Indiana and Minnesota carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Indiana (this 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.
- Minnesota (the reverse move): No exam is retaken for reciprocity. Minn. Stat. 148B.56 sets no exam condition: the Board rules on substantial similarity (licensed under 5 years) or 5+ years of active practice, then decides whether to grant the LPC or the LPCC. Minnesota-route LPCC applicants must pass the NCMHCE (148B.5301). The reciprocity application asks for license verification, transcripts and the other state's laws and rules, not a separate score transfer. No Minnesota jurisprudence exam.
What changes, Minnesota → Indiana
| Minnesota (current) | Indiana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) |
| Application fee | $150 (non-refundable LPCC application fee (Minn. Stat. 148B.53 subd. 3); the reciprocity application also requires the $250 initial license fee and a $35 criminal background check fee, paid together as $435 ($400 if exempt from the check). NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Minnesota charges $50 + $30 commission fee = $80, 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 | the Board's reciprocity application (updated 2026-10-01) states no processing timeframe | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC reciprocity applications |
| Licensing authority | Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (BBHT) (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) | 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 an 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
What does the move cost?
To work in Indiana while living in Minnesota: 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.
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. An 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 Minnesota?
Yes, on an Indiana privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Indiana, as long as your Minnesota license stays active and unencumbered and Minnesota remains your primary residence.
If I move from Minnesota 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 2026-10-29.
- 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)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota BBHT: LPC/LPCC Reciprocity Application, updated 2026-10-01 (instructions, $435 fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minn. Stat. 148B.56 Reciprocity (Revisor of Statutes, 2025 chapter 148B) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minn. Stat. 148B.53 subd. 3 Fees (Revisor of Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota BBHT: Reciprocity Licenses by State (updated 2024-03-15) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Minnesota BBHT: LPC and LPCC Reciprocity page (Internet Archive capture 2026-04-21) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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