Counseling License from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling and Social Work Examining Board (Professional Counselor Section), Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) ↗
A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling and Social Work Examining Board (Professional Counselor Section), Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Wisconsin's endorsement requirements. The DSPS reciprocal key-steps form asks only for license verification and the Wisconsin Jurisprudence Exam, an open-book exam on Wisconsin statutes and code for which access is provided once the application is submitted ($75). It asks for no new national-exam score..
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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 Wisconsin license. The route is endorsement through the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling and Social Work Examining Board (Professional Counselor Section), Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS): your Pennsylvania license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Wisconsin's own exam rule, and Wisconsin applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Wisconsin tier corresponds to your Pennsylvania license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Wisconsin
| Pennsylvania (current) | Wisconsin (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.) | $60 (LPC reciprocal application fee per DSPS form #12503 (V1. 5/19/2023); Wisconsin Jurisprudence Exam $75 paid separately in LicensE; license-verification fees charged by the other state. Wisconsin 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 | DSPS publishes no processing timeframe for LPC reciprocal applications on the pages read |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling and Social Work Examining Board (Professional Counselor Section), Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Wisconsin sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Wisconsin's current requirements on the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling and Social Work Examining Board (Professional Counselor Section), Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling and Social Work Examining Board (Professional Counselor Section), Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current LPC or substantially equivalent credential in good standing in another state or jurisdiction whose licensure requirements are substantially equivalent to Wisconsin's.
- Apply and pay online through LicensE.
- Have a license verification sent from the jurisdiction where currently licensed.
- Pass the Wisconsin Jurisprudence Exam.
- Pay the fees ($60 (LPC reciprocal application fee per DSPS form #12503 (V1. 5/19/2023); Wisconsin Jurisprudence Exam $75 paid separately in LicensE; license-verification fees charged by the other state. Wisconsin is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)) and allow DSPS publishes no processing timeframe for LPC reciprocal applications on the pages read.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Wisconsin accept a Pennsylvania counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling and Social Work Examining Board (Professional Counselor Section), Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Wisconsin's endorsement requirements. The DSPS reciprocal key-steps form asks only for license verification and the Wisconsin Jurisprudence Exam, an open-book exam on Wisconsin statutes and code for which access is provided once the application is submitted ($75). It asks for no new national-exam score..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin?
The DSPS reciprocal key-steps form asks only for license verification and the Wisconsin Jurisprudence Exam, an open-book exam on Wisconsin statutes and code for which access is provided once the application is submitted ($75). It asks for no new national-exam score.
What does the move cost?
$60 (LPC reciprocal application fee per DSPS form #12503 (V1. 5/19/2023); Wisconsin Jurisprudence Exam $75 paid separately in LicensE; license-verification fees charged by the other state. Wisconsin is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)
How long will it take?
DSPS publishes no processing timeframe for LPC reciprocal applications on the pages read.
Wisconsin joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Wisconsin had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Wisconsin takes Wisconsin's own authorization, normally a Wisconsin license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- DSPS form #12503: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) Reciprocal License key steps (V1. 5/19/2023) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- DSPS: Professional Counselor profession page (reciprocity and temporary credential) ↗ (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]