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Transfer Your Counseling License to Pennsylvania: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors ↗

A counselor licensed elsewhere gets into Pennsylvania by endorsement through the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, subject to Pennsylvania's own rule on the national exam (see below). Pennsylvania is a Counseling Compact state on paper only for now: it had not begun issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. 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.). Processing: the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion.

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Verdict

Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing

Pennsylvania has passed the Counseling Compact into law, and its board may describe the state as having joined, but as of 2026-09-27 it was not issuing or accepting privileges. That makes Pennsylvania a non-compact state in practice: no privilege lets you see a client located here, in person or by telehealth, and a Pennsylvania license cannot yet anchor privileges elsewhere. Plan on a Pennsylvania license by endorsement, and check the commission's announcements, because states have been switching on every few weeks.

Pennsylvania licenses a single counselor tier, the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), which is independent. Three out-of-state routes exist: licensure by endorsement without examination (49 Pa. Code 49.18: 3,000 supervised hours, 5 of the last 7 years in practice, and PA's education standard are re-checked); licensure by reciprocity (49.16: qualifications at least equal to PA's, accepting the other state's exam grades, only where that state reciprocates); and Act 41 of 2019 endorsement (per the Board's snapshot page: substantially equivalent requirements, active and in good standing with no discipline or criminal conviction, and actively practicing for 2 of the last 5 years), which can include a provisional license. All re-review education or experience, so this is endorsement, not full reciprocity. Pennsylvania enacted the Counseling Compact on 2026-07-12 (40th member, effective 60 days later) but is not yet issuing or accepting privileges; compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided. The Board's snapshot page does not mention the compact.

Pennsylvania requirements at a glance

Out-of-state counseling license transfer requirements for Pennsylvania, verified 2026-09-27
ExamNo exam retake on the endorsement route: 49 Pa. Code 49.18 issues the license 'without examination'. Under the separate reciprocity rule (49.16) the Board accepts exam grades from another jurisdiction (e.g., the NCE) if the exam is similar and the passing grade at least equals Pennsylvania's, but only where that state grants reciprocity to Pennsylvania licensees. No state jurisprudence exam is required.
Additional requirements
  • Hold a professional counselor license in good standing in another state, with a letter from that state certifying licensure and reporting any disciplinary history
  • Meet Pennsylvania's educational requirement (63 P.S. 1907(f)(2) and 49 Pa. Code 49.13(a)(3), a 60-semester-hour counseling graduate degree)
  • Demonstrate at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience that conformed to the licensing state's rules
  • Demonstrate active practice of professional counseling for 5 of the last 7 years before applying (49 Pa. Code 49.18(5))
  • Complete 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training and submit two certificates of recommendation (49 Pa. Code 49.12)
Fees$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.)
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion

Step by step

  1. Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a professional counselor license in good standing in another state, with a letter from that state certifying licensure and reporting any disciplinary history.
  5. Meet Pennsylvania's educational requirement (63 P.S. 1907(f)(2) and 49 Pa. Code 49.13(a)(3), a 60-semester-hour counseling graduate degree).
  6. Demonstrate at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience that conformed to the licensing state's rules.
  7. Demonstrate active practice of professional counseling for 5 of the last 7 years before applying (49 Pa. Code 49.18(5)).
  8. Complete 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training and submit two certificates of recommendation (49 Pa. Code 49.12).
  9. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion.

Official links

Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors ↗Pennsylvania application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Pennsylvania:

Alabama → PennsylvaniaAlaska → PennsylvaniaArizona → PennsylvaniaArkansas → PennsylvaniaCalifornia → PennsylvaniaColorado → PennsylvaniaConnecticut → PennsylvaniaDelaware → PennsylvaniaDistrict of Columbia → PennsylvaniaFlorida → PennsylvaniaGeorgia → PennsylvaniaHawaii → PennsylvaniaIdaho → PennsylvaniaIllinois → PennsylvaniaIndiana → PennsylvaniaIowa → PennsylvaniaKansas → PennsylvaniaKentucky → PennsylvaniaLouisiana → PennsylvaniaMaine → Pennsylvania
All 50 origin states
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Nearby states

Counseling license transfer into the states bordering Pennsylvania:

Pennsylvania for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my counseling license transfer to Pennsylvania?

A counselor licensed elsewhere gets into Pennsylvania by endorsement through the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, subject to Pennsylvania's own rule on the national exam (see below). Pennsylvania is a Counseling Compact state on paper only for now: it had not begun issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. 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.). Processing: the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion.

Do I have to retake the NCE or NCMHCE to get licensed in Pennsylvania?

No exam retake on the endorsement route: 49 Pa. Code 49.18 issues the license 'without examination'. Under the separate reciprocity rule (49.16) the Board accepts exam grades from another jurisdiction (e.g., the NCE) if the exam is similar and the passing grade at least equals Pennsylvania's, but only where that state grants reciprocity to Pennsylvania licensees. No state jurisprudence exam is required.

How much does a Pennsylvania counseling license cost by endorsement?

$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.)

How long does Pennsylvania take to process the application?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretion.

Is Pennsylvania in the Counseling Compact?

Pennsylvania has enacted the compact but was not yet operational as of 2026-09-27, so it neither issues nor accepts privileges. For now you need Pennsylvania's own authorization, normally a Pennsylvania license, to practice with clients located in Pennsylvania.

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]