Counseling License from New York 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 New York 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 New York 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
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 Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division): your New York license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Montana's own exam rule, and Montana applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Montana tier corresponds to your New York license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, New York → Montana
| New York (current) | Montana (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.) | $200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read)) |
| Processing time | NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications |
| Licensing authority | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) | 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Montana accept a New York counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from New York 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 New York 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..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from New York 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)
- 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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]