Counseling License from New York to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from New York to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), verify your New York license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores come with the certified copy of the out-of-state licensure file. Applicants must ALSO submit a certificate of completion of the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam (Board Rule 4.7(I))..
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Verdict
Licensure 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. The route is endorsement through the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC): your New York license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Mississippi's own exam rule, and Mississippi applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Mississippi tier corresponds to your New York license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, New York → Mississippi
| New York (current) | Mississippi (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| 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.) | $100 (Board Rule 2.1 'Application for Full Licensure Fee' (effective 2023-01-01); no comity-specific fee is named in Rule 4.7. + $220 Initial LPC License Fee on licensure. Fingerprint card and jurisprudence exam costs are paid separately (amounts not published on the pages read).) |
| Processing time | NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications | the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications |
| Licensing authority | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) | Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Mississippi sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a valid LPC or equivalent independent counseling license in good standing in another state, with no substantiated complaints or disciplinary action ever.
- Show at least 5 years of professional counseling work experience since initial licensure, with the license maintained continuously.
- Have the other state send certified copies of your licensure file directly to the Board.
- Submit a curriculum vitae and three work references.
- Pass the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam.
- Complete a fingerprint-based Mississippi and FBI criminal history records check.
- Pay the fees ($100 (Board Rule 2.1 'Application for Full Licensure Fee' (effective 2023-01-01); no comity-specific fee is named in Rule 4.7. + $220 Initial LPC License Fee on licensure. Fingerprint card and jurisprudence exam costs are paid separately (amounts not published on the pages read).)) and allow the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Mississippi accept a New York counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from New York to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), verify your New York license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores come with the certified copy of the out-of-state licensure file. Applicants must ALSO submit a certificate of completion of the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam (Board Rule 4.7(I))..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from New York to Mississippi?
National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores come with the certified copy of the out-of-state licensure file. Applicants must ALSO submit a certificate of completion of the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam (Board Rule 4.7(I)).
What does the move cost?
$100 (Board Rule 2.1 'Application for Full Licensure Fee' (effective 2023-01-01); no comity-specific fee is named in Rule 4.7. + $220 Initial LPC License Fee on licensure. Fingerprint card and jurisprudence exam costs are paid separately (amounts not published on the pages read).)
How long will it take?
the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications.
Mississippi joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Mississippi had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Mississippi takes Mississippi's own authorization, normally a Mississippi license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Mississippi LPC Board Rules and Regulations, Part 2201, effective 2023-01-01 (Rule 2.1 fees; Rule 4.6 reciprocity; Rule 4.7 comity; Rule 4.10 universal licensing) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Mississippi LPC Board: LPC by Comity ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Mississippi LPC Board: LPC by Universal (Miss. Code 73-50-2) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Mississippi LPC Board: Licensure overview (LPC by Comity: 5 years independent practice; Internet Archive capture 2025-05-27) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED Office of the Professions: Mental Health Counseling License Requirements (licensure by endorsement, NCMHCE only, $371 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED: Form 4E Endorsement Applicant Experience Record ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED: Commissioner's Regulations Subpart 79-9 (79-9.7 licensure by endorsement; diagnostic privilege) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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