Counseling License from Ohio to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from Ohio to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC), verify your Ohio license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. No exam is retaken. Endorsement applicants with 5+ years of licensed experience are exempt by statute from the examination requirement (KRS 335.527(2)(b)), and the Board FAQ confirms no NCE or NCMHCE scores are required. North Carolina reciprocity-agreement applicants must also complete a 3-hour Board-approved Kentucky Professional Counselor Law course. No separate jurisprudence exam on the endorsement path..
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from Ohio to Kentucky by endorsement. Kentucky has enacted the Counseling Compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so your Ohio license cannot reach it through the compact yet. You apply to the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC), which verifies your Ohio license and standing, matches it to Kentucky's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Kentucky jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, Ohio → Kentucky
| Ohio (current) | Kentucky (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice | 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).) | $150 (application fee for licensure as a professional counselor per 201 KAR 36:020 Section 1(1), which 201 KAR 36:072 applies to reciprocity applicants; non-refundable; FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; annual renewal also $150. Kentucky is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.) |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist) | no processing timeframe is published; the Board FAQ says complete applications go to the monthly Board meeting's Applications Committee |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) | Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kentucky sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active, valid professional counselor license in good standing in another state, with at least 5 years' experience as a licensed or certified professional counselor.
- Hold a qualifying degree: 60 graduate hours in counseling or a related field covering the nine KRS 335.527 content areas (CACREP-accredited if the program began Summer 2015 or later).
- Submit a letter of good standing from every jurisdiction where a license or certificate is held.
- Submit an FBI criminal background check performed within 90 days of the application.
- Pay the fees ($150 (application fee for licensure as a professional counselor per 201 KAR 36:020 Section 1(1), which 201 KAR 36:072 applies to reciprocity applicants; non-refundable; FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; annual renewal also $150. Kentucky is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)) and allow no processing timeframe is published; the Board FAQ says complete applications go to the monthly Board meeting's Applications Committee.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kentucky accept an Ohio counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Ohio to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC), verify your Ohio license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. No exam is retaken. Endorsement applicants with 5+ years of licensed experience are exempt by statute from the examination requirement (KRS 335.527(2)(b)), and the Board FAQ confirms no NCE or NCMHCE scores are required. North Carolina reciprocity-agreement applicants must also complete a 3-hour Board-approved Kentucky Professional Counselor Law course. No separate jurisprudence exam on the endorsement path..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Ohio to Kentucky?
No exam is retaken. Endorsement applicants with 5+ years of licensed experience are exempt by statute from the examination requirement (KRS 335.527(2)(b)), and the Board FAQ confirms no NCE or NCMHCE scores are required. North Carolina reciprocity-agreement applicants must also complete a 3-hour Board-approved Kentucky Professional Counselor Law course. No separate jurisprudence exam on the endorsement path.
What does the move cost?
$150 (application fee for licensure as a professional counselor per 201 KAR 36:020 Section 1(1), which 201 KAR 36:072 applies to reciprocity applicants; non-refundable; FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; annual renewal also $150. Kentucky is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)
How long will it take?
no processing timeframe is published; the Board FAQ says complete applications go to the monthly Board meeting's Applications Committee.
Kentucky joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Kentucky had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Kentucky takes Kentucky's own authorization, normally a Kentucky license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Kentucky LPC Board FAQ (Endorsement and Reciprocity FAQs, reciprocity-agreement states) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- KRS 335.527 Licensing reciprocity requirements (endorsement: 5 years; exam and supervision exemption; Internet Archive capture of the official LRC page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 201 KAR 36:072 Reciprocity requirements (Board-published amendment text) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 201 KAR 36:020 Fees (Internet Archive capture 2026-06-11 of the official LRC page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Kentucky LPC Board: laws and regulations page (KRS 335.527, 201 KAR 36:072, Counseling Compact KRS 335.560) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Out of State Applicants (counselor reciprocity steps and fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Counselors (LPC/LPCC application instructions, exam policy) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board Laws and Rules compilation (ORC 4757.18; OAC 4757-1-05, 4757-13-03, 4757-13-06) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Counseling Compact Privileges (eligibility, $25 state fee, go-live 2026-01-05) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (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]