Counseling License from Pennsylvania to Maryland: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Maryland by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Maryland's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: submit NCE or NCMHCE scores. A state law exam is ALSO required: the Maryland Law Assessment (MLA), taken online through CCE, with the certificate submitted with the application. The Board may waive the examination requirement for applicants from jurisdictions granting similar endorsement to Maryland licensees who passed a Board-approved exam (COMAR 10.58.12.06)..
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 Pennsylvania to Maryland by endorsement. Both states have enacted the Counseling Compact, but neither was issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. When both go operational, cross-border work between them could run on a privilege; a relocation would still need a Maryland license. You apply to the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC), which verifies your Pennsylvania license and standing, matches it to Maryland's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Maryland jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Maryland
| Pennsylvania (current) | Maryland (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $100 (application fee for licensure and original license issuance as an LPC per 49 Pa. Code 47.4(6); no separate endorsement fee is listed. Pennsylvania is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.) | $250 (LCPC out-of-state application fee (check or money order); + separate $150 license fee due on notification of eligibility; non-refundable; Maryland Law Assessment fee paid to CCE and CHRC fingerprint fee paid separately. Maryland is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.) |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion | no approval timeframe is published; the Board determines within 30 days of receipt whether the application is complete, and applicants get 90 days to cure deficiencies before the file is closed |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maryland sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maryland's current requirements on the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current clinical professional counselor license in good standing with no past or pending discipline, verified by the other board on Maryland's out-of-state verification form.
- Show the other jurisdiction's clinical licensure requirements are equivalent to or exceed Md. Health Occ. §17-304, or qualify under the COMAR equivalency provisions.
- Submit official transcripts for a master's or doctoral counseling degree.
- Pass the Maryland Law Assessment and submit NCE or NCMHCE scores.
- Complete a criminal history records check (CHRC).
- Pay the fees ($250 (LCPC out-of-state application fee (check or money order); + separate $150 license fee due on notification of eligibility; non-refundable; Maryland Law Assessment fee paid to CCE and CHRC fingerprint fee paid separately. Maryland is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)) and allow no approval timeframe is published; the Board determines within 30 days of receipt whether the application is complete, and applicants get 90 days to cure deficiencies before the file is closed.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maryland accept a Pennsylvania counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Maryland by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Maryland's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: submit NCE or NCMHCE scores. A state law exam is ALSO required: the Maryland Law Assessment (MLA), taken online through CCE, with the certificate submitted with the application. The Board may waive the examination requirement for applicants from jurisdictions granting similar endorsement to Maryland licensees who passed a Board-approved exam (COMAR 10.58.12.06)..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Pennsylvania to Maryland?
National exam is not retaken: submit NCE or NCMHCE scores. A state law exam is ALSO required: the Maryland Law Assessment (MLA), taken online through CCE, with the certificate submitted with the application. The Board may waive the examination requirement for applicants from jurisdictions granting similar endorsement to Maryland licensees who passed a Board-approved exam (COMAR 10.58.12.06).
What does the move cost?
$250 (LCPC out-of-state application fee (check or money order); + separate $150 license fee due on notification of eligibility; non-refundable; Maryland Law Assessment fee paid to CCE and CHRC fingerprint fee paid separately. Maryland is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)
How long will it take?
no approval timeframe is published; the Board determines within 30 days of receipt whether the application is complete, and applicants get 90 days to cure deficiencies before the file is closed.
Maryland joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Maryland had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Maryland takes Maryland's own authorization, normally a Maryland license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Maryland BOPCT: LCPC Out of State Applicants application and instructions ($250 + $150, MLA, CHRC) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- COMAR 10.58.12.06 Licensure Eligibility: Out-of-State Applicants ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Maryland BOPCT: LCPC out-of-state instructions (legacy form; experience tiers) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Pennsylvania Code 49 Pa. Code 49.18, Licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Pennsylvania Code 49 Pa. Code 49.16, Application for licensure by reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Pennsylvania Code 49 Pa. Code 49.12, General qualifications (child abuse training, recommendations) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Pennsylvania Code 49 Pa. Code 47.4, Licensure fees ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- PA Department of State: Professional Counselor Licensure Snapshot (endorsement and Act 41) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- PA State Board: LPC application FAQs (Act 41 provisional license) ↗ (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]