Counseling License from Pennsylvania to South Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists ↗
A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken but must have been passed: applicants indicate the NCE, CRC or NCMHCE passed and have the official score released to the Board through the NBCC online results portal; applicants who never passed a national exam are 'not eligible for a license by endorsement'. No state jurisprudence exam is required; the applicant signs that they have read South Dakota's laws and rules..
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Verdict
Licensure 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 South Dakota license. The route is endorsement through the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists: your Pennsylvania license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under South Dakota's own exam rule, and South Dakota applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which South Dakota tier corresponds to your Pennsylvania license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, Pennsylvania → South Dakota
| Pennsylvania (current) | South Dakota (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.) | $100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee per the Board's fee schedule and the endorsement application (9/2023); the $225 biennial license fee must be paid with the application and is refunded if the application is denied. A temporary endorsement costs a $100 application fee plus $50 temporary license fee. South Dakota is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.) |
| 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 timeframe published; the Board's FAQ says complete files go to a Board member reviewer 'on a rolling basis' |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Dakota's current requirements on the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a license at the highest level of independent practice in another state or territory for at least 3 years (SDCL 36-32-67).
- Show active practice of at least 1,500 hours of clinical experience in the 3 years before applying (affidavit, calendars or other proof on request).
- Have the issuing state send a letter of verification directly to the Board.
- Have an official national exam score (NCE, CRC or NCMHCE) sent to the Board.
- Submit a notarized application with a color headshot photograph.
- Pay the fees ($100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee per the Board's fee schedule and the endorsement application (9/2023); the $225 biennial license fee must be paid with the application and is refunded if the application is denied. A temporary endorsement costs a $100 application fee plus $50 temporary license fee. South Dakota is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)) and allow no timeframe published; the Board's FAQ says complete files go to a Board member reviewer 'on a rolling basis'.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Dakota accept a Pennsylvania counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken but must have been passed: applicants indicate the NCE, CRC or NCMHCE passed and have the official score released to the Board through the NBCC online results portal; applicants who never passed a national exam are 'not eligible for a license by endorsement'. No state jurisprudence exam is required; the applicant signs that they have read South Dakota's laws and rules..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Pennsylvania to South Dakota?
National exam is not retaken but must have been passed: applicants indicate the NCE, CRC or NCMHCE passed and have the official score released to the Board through the NBCC online results portal; applicants who never passed a national exam are 'not eligible for a license by endorsement'. No state jurisprudence exam is required; the applicant signs that they have read South Dakota's laws and rules.
What does the move cost?
$100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee per the Board's fee schedule and the endorsement application (9/2023); the $225 biennial license fee must be paid with the application and is refunded if the application is denied. A temporary endorsement costs a $100 application fee plus $50 temporary license fee. South Dakota is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)
How long will it take?
no timeframe published; the Board's FAQ says complete files go to a Board member reviewer 'on a rolling basis'.
South Dakota joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. South Dakota had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in South Dakota takes South Dakota's own authorization, normally a South Dakota license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- SD Board of Examiners for Counselors & MFTs: Application for Licensure by Endorsement (9/2023) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Examiners for Counselors & MFTs: Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Examiners for Counselors & MFTs: Applications ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Examiners for Counselors & MFTs: Frequently Asked Questions ↗ (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
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