Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from Pennsylvania to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: Montana accepts either the NBCC NCE or the NCMHCE for the LCPC, with proof sent directly from NBCC. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed for LCPC applicants..

Verify this exact pair in the checker

Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

A counseling license moves from Pennsylvania to Montana 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 Montana license. You apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division), which verifies your Pennsylvania license and standing, matches it to Montana's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Montana jurisprudence and background requirements.

What changes, Pennsylvania → Montana

Side-by-side: Pennsylvania vs Montana (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Pennsylvania (current)Montana (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact enacted — not yet issuingCounseling 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.)$200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretionthe Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications
Licensing authorityPennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional CounselorsMontana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a current, active LCPC-equivalent license in good standing from a state whose requirements are substantially equivalent to Montana's.
  5. Have passed the NBCC NCE or NCMHCE, with proof sent directly from NBCC.
  6. Document 3,000 hours of supervised post-degree experience meeting ARM 24.219.604.
  7. Submit fingerprints for a Montana Department of Justice and FBI background check.
  8. Provide verification of every professional license held, certified transcripts and the Academic Summary form.
  9. Pay the fees ($200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications.

Official links

Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) ↗Montana application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Montana → PennsylvaniaCounseling in PennsylvaniaCounseling in MontanaAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Montana accept a Pennsylvania counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: Montana accepts either the NBCC NCE or the NCMHCE for the LCPC, with proof sent directly from NBCC. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed for LCPC applicants..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Pennsylvania to Montana?

National exam is not retaken: Montana accepts either the NBCC NCE or the NCMHCE for the LCPC, with proof sent directly from NBCC. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed for LCPC applicants.

What does the move cost?

$200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))

How long will it take?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications.

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

Not yet. Montana had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Montana takes Montana's own authorization, normally a Montana 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]