Counseling License from Missouri to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Tennessee accept a Missouri counseling license?
Yes, for working in Tennessee — both Missouri and Tennessee are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Missouri is your primary state of residence and your Missouri license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Tennessee without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Tennessee, you will need a Tennessee license once Tennessee becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Missouri and Tennessee are both operational in the Counseling Compact, so the first question is whether you are moving. If you are staying in Missouri and want to see clients located in Tennessee, in person or by telehealth, you do not need a Tennessee license: with an active, unencumbered independent-level Missouri license and Missouri as your primary residence, you buy a Tennessee privilege through CompactConnect and meet any Tennessee jurisprudence requirement. If you are relocating, the privilege does not carry you. Tennessee becomes your home state and you must obtain a Tennessee license from the Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists; because both states are members, the compact streamlines that application, but it is still required.
What's different between Missouri and Tennessee
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Tennessee. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Missouri to Tennessee (this page): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
Tennessee to Missouri (the reverse move): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Missouri matter?
Coming from Missouri matters here: only 10 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Tennessee.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (38) and reciprocity agreement (2).
- Reciprocity agreements
Tennessee's reciprocity agreement list names 2 states (Kentucky and North Carolina), not including Missouri.
Missouri's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
- Counseling Compact membership
Missouri and Tennessee are both Counseling Compact member states.
A compact privilege lets you practice in Tennessee while Missouri is your home state; it is not a license, and a move to Tennessee needs a Tennessee license.
- Application fee
Tennessee lists $200 for an out-of-state applicant and Missouri lists $100 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Tennessee and Missouri carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Tennessee (this move): National exams are not retaken on the reciprocity route: the reciprocity rule (0450-01-.04(5)) and the Board's 2019 reciprocity policy require only the Tennessee Jurisprudence Exam, whose results are sent to the Board by NBCC. Exam-route applicants must pass the NCE and NCMHCE.
- Missouri (the reverse move): No national exam is retaken. The Committee's LPC reciprocity checklist (RSMo 324.009 path) does not require NCE/NCMHCE score submission; eligibility rests on at least 1 year of full licensure in another state. Reciprocity applicants must pass the open-book online Missouri Jurisprudence (Legal and Ethical Responsibilities) Exam.
What changes, Missouri → Tennessee
| Missouri (current) | Tennessee (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) | Reciprocity with 2 states · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) |
| Application fee | $100 (LPC Application for Licensure by Reciprocity fee (form MO 375-1100, rev. 7-2026); waived with proof of military service; MACHS fingerprint fee paid separately to the vendor (amount not stated on the pages read). NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Missouri charges $100 + $30 commission fee = $130, with the Missouri jurisprudence exam.) | $200 (LPC/MHSP application fee per Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0450-01-.06(4)(c) and the application checklist; + $10 state regulatory fee ($210 total at application); background-check vendor fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Tennessee's total privilege cost is $210 including the $30 commission fee, and it requires a jurisprudence exam, per the commission's fee table).) |
| Processing time | the Committee publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications | no timeframe published; files completed at least 30 days before a Board meeting are ordinarily processed at that meeting (0450-01-.05(5)(c)), and the application asks applicants to allow 14 working days for mailed documents to be filed |
| Licensing authority | Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors (Division of Professional Registration) | Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee 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 Tennessee: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Tennessee through the compact commission and complete any Tennessee jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Tennessee: apply for a Tennessee license with the Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists; 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 Tennessee while living in Missouri: a $30 commission fee plus Tennessee's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take a Tennessee license: $200 (LPC/MHSP application fee per Tenn.
How long will it take?
A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Tennessee jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. A Tennessee license for a relocation: no timeframe published; files completed at least 30 days before a Board meeting are ordinarily processed at that meeting (0450-01-.05(5)(c)), and the application asks applicants to allow 14 working days for mailed documents to be filed.
Can I see Tennessee clients by telehealth while living in Missouri?
Yes, on a Tennessee privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Tennessee, as long as your Missouri license stays active and unencumbered and Missouri remains your primary residence.
If I move from Missouri to Tennessee, does my privilege keep me covered?
No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Tennessee is your home state and you need a Tennessee license. Because both states are compact members, Tennessee 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.
- Tennessee Board: Policy Statement Regarding Licensure by Reciprocity (adopted 2019-12-06, amended 2020-01-03) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Board: LPC application packet PH-2722 (file revised 8/2023; LPC/MHSP by reciprocity checklist, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Rules of the Tennessee Board for Professional Counselors ch. 0450-01 (April 2020 revision; 0450-01-.04(5), .05(5), .06) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Board page: policies list incl. TN/NC and TN/KY reciprocity agreements, Counseling Compact status (privilege applications accepted from 2026-09-01) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Board: Reciprocity Agreement between Tennessee and North Carolina ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors: Application Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors: LPC Reciprocity Qualifications checklist ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors: Application for Licensure by Reciprocity ($100 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors: Counselor Compact Update ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Missouri Division of Professional Registration: Section 324.009 RSMo reciprocity requirements summary ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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