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Counseling License from Ohio to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Updated · Data verified · source: Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) ↗
Generated from a source-cited dataset with AI-assisted research; facts checked against official sources · How these pages are made

Does Florida accept an Ohio counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Ohio to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), verify your Ohio license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: the Board's LMHC page names the NCMHCE (NBCC) as the accepted exam, and an out-of-state applicant has NBCC send an official score report directly to the Board. Section 456.0145 accepts 'a passing score on a national licensure examination or ... a national certification recognized by the board'; the Board does not state whether an NCE-only licensee qualifies. No separate jurisprudence exam, but an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course is required before licensure.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

A counseling license moves from Ohio to Florida by endorsement. Florida has enacted the Counseling Compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-10-29, so your Ohio license cannot reach it through the compact yet. You apply to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), which verifies your Ohio license and standing, matches it to Florida's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Florida jurisprudence and background requirements.

What's different between Ohio and Florida

Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Florida. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.

Route, each way

Ohio to Florida (this page): Licensure by endorsement.

Florida to Ohio (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.

The route is the same in both directions.

Does coming from Ohio matter?

Coming from Ohio does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Florida.

Counseling Compact membership

Ohio is a Counseling Compact member state; Florida has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing under it yet.

Because they are not both active members, the Counseling Compact does not cover this move.

Application fee

Florida lists $100 for an out-of-state applicant and Ohio lists $100 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.

Exam rules on record

Florida and Ohio carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.

  • Florida (this move): National exam is not retaken: the Board's LMHC page names the NCMHCE (NBCC) as the accepted exam, and an out-of-state applicant has NBCC send an official score report directly to the Board. Section 456.0145 accepts 'a passing score on a national licensure examination or ... a national certification recognized by the board'; the Board does not state whether an NCE-only licensee qualifies. No separate jurisprudence exam, but an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course is required before licensure.
  • Ohio (the reverse move): National exam is not retaken: NCE (or NCMHCE) results are sent by NBCC score transfer or submitted with the application, and the 7-year exam-age limit is waived for applicants licensed in an equivalent capacity in another state. No separate jurisprudence exam; applicants must watch the Board's online Laws and Rules video.

What changes, Ohio → Florida

Side-by-side: Ohio vs Florida (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-10-29
Ohio (current)Florida (destination)
Counseling Compact statusLicensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license)Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee$100 (LPCC reciprocity application fee per OAC 4757-1-05 and the Board's out-of-state page ('$100 + $3.50 processing', re-read 2026-09-27); + $3.50 eLicense processing fee; BCI/FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Ohio charges $25 + $30 commission admin fee = $55 for a privilege, per the commission's fee table).)$100 ($100 non-refundable application fee; the endorsement application also collects a $75 initial licensure fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee at submission ($180 total, $80 refundable if denied or withdrawn), per the Board's LMHC page and form DH-MQA 5048. Livescan fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-report fee separate. Florida is not an operational compact state, so no privilege fee applies.)
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist)the Board's MOBILE Endorsement section asks applicants to 'allow up to 30 business days for initial review of new applications' and says the license issues within 7 days once all requirements are met (s. 456.0145(2)(e)); no end-to-end processing range is published
Licensing authorityOhio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT)Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Florida sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold an active, unencumbered mental health counseling license (similar scope of practice) in another state, DC or US territory.
  5. Have actively practiced for at least 2 of the 4 years immediately before applying, with no disciplinary action in the past 5 years and no pending disciplinary proceeding. A National Practitioner Data Bank report makes you ineligible unless it was removed on appeal; if the reported conduct would not violate Florida law, the Board decides case by case (approve, approve with restrictions or probation, or deny).
  6. Have NBCC send an official passing national exam score (NCMHCE) directly to the Board.
  7. Complete a Board-approved 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course and a 3-hour HIV/AIDS course (or file the HIV/AIDS affidavit).
  8. Complete a Board-approved 2-hour domestic violence course within six months after licensure.
  9. Submit electronic Livescan fingerprints through an FDLE-approved vendor for background screening.
  10. Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.

Official links

Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Florida Department of Health), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) ↗Florida application ↗

Related guides

Counseling in OhioCounseling in FloridaAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Florida joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?

Not yet. Florida had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-10-29, so counseling clients located in Florida takes Florida's own authorization, normally a Florida license.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.

Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29

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