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LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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

A counseling license moves from Ohio to Mississippi by endorsement. Mississippi 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 Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), which verifies your Ohio license and standing, matches it to Mississippi's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Mississippi jurisprudence and background requirements.

What changes, Ohio → Mississippi

Side-by-side: Ohio vs Mississippi (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Ohio (current)Mississippi (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact member — compact privilege to practiceCounseling 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 (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 timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist)the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications
Licensing authorityOhio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT)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

  1. 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.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a valid LPC or equivalent independent counseling license in good standing in another state, with no substantiated complaints or disciplinary action ever.
  5. Show at least 5 years of professional counseling work experience since initial licensure, with the license maintained continuously.
  6. Have the other state send certified copies of your licensure file directly to the Board.
  7. Submit a curriculum vitae and three work references.
  8. Pass the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam.
  9. Complete a fingerprint-based Mississippi and FBI criminal history records check.
  10. 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

Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) ↗Mississippi application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Mississippi → OhioCounseling in OhioCounseling in MississippiAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Mississippi accept an Ohio counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]