Counseling License from Ohio to Washington: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Washington accept an Ohio counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Ohio to Washington by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Washington State Department of Health, Licensed Mental Health Counselor program, verify your Ohio license, and meet Washington's endorsement requirements. Applicants from a substantially equivalent state obtain the license 'without repeating education or exams already completed in another state' (DOH out-of-state page); the specific national exam Washington accepts was not stated on the pages read. No Washington jurisprudence exam is listed for out-of-state applicants.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Washington 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. The route is endorsement through the Washington State Department of Health, Licensed Mental Health Counselor program: your Ohio license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Washington's own exam rule, and Washington applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Washington tier corresponds to your Ohio license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What's different between Ohio and Washington
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Washington. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Ohio to Washington (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Washington 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 Washington.
- Counseling Compact membership
Ohio is a Counseling Compact member state; Washington 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
Washington lists $95 for an out-of-state applicant and Ohio lists $100 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Washington and Ohio carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Washington (this move): Applicants from a substantially equivalent state obtain the license 'without repeating education or exams already completed in another state' (DOH out-of-state page); the specific national exam Washington accepts was not stated on the pages read. No Washington jurisprudence exam is listed for out-of-state applicants.
- 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 → Washington
| Ohio (current) | Washington (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure 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).) | $95 (LMHC application fee per WAC 246-809-990; initial license fee $80 and UW HEAL-WA online access fee $16 are charged separately. Applicants on the reciprocity/probationary route also pay the probationary 'application and initial license' fee of $175. Washington is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.) |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist) | DOH publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state LMHC applications on the pages read |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) | Washington State Department of Health, Licensed Mental Health Counselor program |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Washington sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Washington's current requirements on the Washington State Department of Health, Licensed Mental Health Counselor program website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Washington State Department of Health, Licensed Mental Health Counselor program (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current license in a state DOH considers substantially equivalent, held for at least two years, with no history of disciplinary action (RCW 18.130.077).
- Have been first licensed in a substantially equivalent state; a later license from a universal-licensure state does not cure a non-equivalent original license (SHB 1724).
- From a state whose scope DOH found not substantially equivalent (Arkansas, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Carolina, Wisconsin), apply for both the probationary license and the full LMHC and close the gap within the probationary period.
- Use the DOH state credential search tool to confirm which out-of-state pathway applies.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Washington joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Washington had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-10-29, so counseling clients located in Washington takes Washington's own authorization, normally a Washington license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Washington DOH: Mental Health Counselor, Out-of-State Applicants (probationary license, substantial equivalency, universal licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- WAC 246-809-990, mental health counselor fees ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Out of State Applicants (counselor reciprocity steps and fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Counselors (LPC/LPCC application instructions, exam policy) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board Laws and Rules compilation (ORC 4757.18; OAC 4757-1-05, 4757-13-03, 4757-13-06) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Counseling Compact Privileges (eligibility, $25 state fee, go-live 2026-01-05) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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