Counseling License from New York to Nebraska: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP) ↗
A counseling license transfers from New York to Nebraska by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP), verify your New York license, and meet Nebraska's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken. On the 1-year-practice route, official NCE or NCMHCE scores must be sent directly from the testing agency or another licensing board. On the 5-year-practice route the exam section is not required, but the applicant must pass the online Nebraska Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from New York to Nebraska 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. You apply to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP), which verifies your New York license and standing, matches it to Nebraska's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Nebraska jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, New York → Nebraska
| New York (current) | Nebraska (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.) | $155 (initial LIMHP license fee per the DHHS LIMHP and 5-year reciprocity applications; $38.75 if issued March-August of an even-numbered year; $205 for both LIMHP and LMHP; optional Certified Professional Counselor certificate (needed to use that title) + $50; Nebraska State Patrol fingerprint fee $55; payment by check or money order) |
| Processing time | NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications | DHHS notifies the applicant within about 10 days (LIMHP application) or about 30 business days (5-year reciprocity application) after review whether the license issued or the file is incomplete; FBI check may take up to 30 days; no board-stated end-to-end range |
| Licensing authority | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) | Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Nebraska sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Nebraska's current requirements on the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an out-of-state independent-level license that allows diagnosis of major mental illnesses or disorders (otherwise apply for the LMHP).
- Show at least 1 year of active practice under the equivalent credential within the 3 years before applying, or at least 5 years of practice after initial licensure.
- Pass the online Nebraska Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination (5-year-practice route).
- Complete an FBI fingerprint-based criminal background check through the Nebraska State Patrol.
- Submit verification of every health-related credential ever held, plus proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence.
- Pay the fees ($155 (initial LIMHP license fee per the DHHS LIMHP and 5-year reciprocity applications; $38.75 if issued March-August of an even-numbered year; $205 for both LIMHP and LMHP; optional Certified Professional Counselor certificate (needed to use that title) + $50; Nebraska State Patrol fingerprint fee $55; payment by check or money order)) and allow DHHS notifies the applicant within about 10 days (LIMHP application) or about 30 business days (5-year reciprocity application) after review whether the license issued or the file is incomplete; FBI check may take up to 30 days; no board-stated end-to-end range.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Nebraska accept a New York counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from New York to Nebraska by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit, Board of Mental Health Practice (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, LIMHP), verify your New York license, and meet Nebraska's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken. On the 1-year-practice route, official NCE or NCMHCE scores must be sent directly from the testing agency or another licensing board. On the 5-year-practice route the exam section is not required, but the applicant must pass the online Nebraska Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from New York to Nebraska?
National exam is not retaken. On the 1-year-practice route, official NCE or NCMHCE scores must be sent directly from the testing agency or another licensing board. On the 5-year-practice route the exam section is not required, but the applicant must pass the online Nebraska Mental Health Jurisprudence Examination.
What does the move cost?
$155 (initial LIMHP license fee per the DHHS LIMHP and 5-year reciprocity applications; $38.75 if issued March-August of an even-numbered year; $205 for both LIMHP and LMHP; optional Certified Professional Counselor certificate (needed to use that title) + $50; Nebraska State Patrol fingerprint fee $55; payment by check or money order)
How long will it take?
DHHS notifies the applicant within about 10 days (LIMHP application) or about 30 business days (5-year reciprocity application) after review whether the license issued or the file is incomplete; FBI check may take up to 30 days; no board-stated end-to-end range.
Nebraska joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Nebraska had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Nebraska takes Nebraska's own authorization, normally a Nebraska license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Nebraska DHHS: LIMHP Application Information incl. 1-year and 5-year reciprocity options, exams, fees (Internet Archive capture 2026-06-15 of the official PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Nebraska DHHS: 5-year Reciprocity Application LIMHP/LMHP (Internet Archive capture 2026-01-16 of the official PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Nebraska DHHS: 2025 Statutes Relating to Mental Health Practice Act (Internet Archive capture 2025-10-31) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Nebraska DHHS: Mental Health and Social Work Practice licensure page (Internet Archive capture 2026-09-10) ↗ (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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