Counseling License from New York to Massachusetts: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Massachusetts accept a New York counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from New York to Massachusetts by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), verify your New York license, and meet Massachusetts's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken, but the NCMHCE (the regulation's 'Board Examination') is the only exam accepted; an NCE-only licensee does not qualify. A reciprocal-recognition applicant submits evidence of a passing NCMHCE score (262 CMR 2.03(3)(c), as amended 2026-10-09), with an official NBCC score report. No Massachusetts jurisprudence exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from New York to Massachusetts by endorsement. Neither New York nor Massachusetts is operational in the Counseling Compact, so it plays no part in this move. You apply to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), which verifies your New York license and standing, matches it to Massachusetts's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Massachusetts jurisprudence and background requirements.
What's different between New York and Massachusetts
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Massachusetts. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New York to Massachusetts (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Massachusetts to New York (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from New York matter?
Coming from New York does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Massachusetts.
- Counseling Compact membership
Neither New York nor Massachusetts is in the Counseling Compact.
- Application fee
Massachusetts lists $117 for an out-of-state applicant and New York lists $371 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Massachusetts and New York carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Massachusetts (this move): National exam is not retaken, but the NCMHCE (the regulation's 'Board Examination') is the only exam accepted; an NCE-only licensee does not qualify. A reciprocal-recognition applicant submits evidence of a passing NCMHCE score (262 CMR 2.03(3)(c), as amended 2026-10-09), with an official NBCC score report. No Massachusetts jurisprudence exam.
- New York (the reverse move): NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam.
What changes, New York → Massachusetts
| New York (current) | Massachusetts (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.) | $117 (non-refundable LMHC application fee paid online (LMHC Application Guide); + $155 license fee paid after staff find the application complete and eligible. Massachusetts has not enacted the Counseling Compact. Fee amounts were not re-read on 2026-10-29 (mass.gov blocked; no recent capture of the guide).) |
| Processing time | NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications | no processing timeframe published; if the application is incomplete, staff re-review it 30 days after notifying the applicant and close it if still incomplete |
| Licensing authority | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) | Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Massachusetts sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a mental health counselor license, certification or registration (or the equivalent, as determined by the Board) issued by another state or jurisdiction (262 CMR 2.03(3)).
- Provide written proof that the out-of-state license has been in good standing for the three years before applying (262 CMR 2.03(3)(d)).
- Show a passing NCMHCE score via an official NBCC score report.
- Have a final graduate transcript sent showing 60 semester (80 quarter) credits and the required coursework.
- Have official license verification sent from every jurisdiction where you hold or held a license.
- Submit a signed, notarized CORI form and complete Board-approved domestic and sexual violence training.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified New York 2026-10-29, Massachusetts 2026-09-27.
- 262 CMR 2.00 Requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor, as amended (Mass. Register #1584, 2026-10-09; reciprocal recognition, 2.03(3); Internet Archive capture 2026-10-10 of the official mass.gov PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Mass.gov: 262 CMR 2.00 regulation page (dated 10/09/2026; Internet Archive capture 2026-10-10 of the official page) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Mass. Board: Licensed Mental Health Counselor Application Guide ($117 application, $155 license, reciprocal recognition; Internet Archive capture 2026-01-16) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Mass. DPH: Am I Eligible for MA LMHC? Triage and application instructions, Nov 2024 (reciprocity requirements; Internet Archive capture 2026-02-13) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED Office of the Professions: Mental Health Counseling License Requirements (licensure by endorsement, NCMHCE only, $371 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NYSED: Form 4E Endorsement Applicant Experience Record ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NYSED: Commissioner's Regulations Subpart 79-9 (79-9.7 licensure by endorsement; diagnostic privilege) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources New York 2026-10-29, Massachusetts 2026-09-27
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