Counseling License Reciprocity by State (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27
9 of 51 US jurisdictions are operational in the Counseling Compact, issuing and accepting privileges between each other; 31 more have enacted it but are not yet operational, and 11 have not enacted it (as of 2026-09-27). A privilege lets you practice across operational state lines without a second license. For a license itself, the route is endorsement: 49 of 51 jurisdictions license an out-of-state counselor by endorsement; Hawaii, Texas have no endorsement path and require a full application.
Check your exact transfer pathway
Pathway, requirements, fees, and board links for your specific state pair.
The pathways, applied to counseling
Compact privilege (practice in another operational state without moving)
If your home state is operational in the Counseling Compact, it is your primary state of residence, you hold an active independent-level license there with no encumbrance in the past two years, and the state where your client is located is also operational, you can buy a privilege for that state through CompactConnect. It covers in-person and telehealth counseling there, costs the $30 commission fee plus the state's fee, and may require the state's jurisprudence exam first. It is the right tool for a counselor who stays put and serves clients across a state line.
Licensure by endorsement (a license in the new state)
Endorsement, also called reciprocity, licensure by credentials, or comity, is how an already-licensed counselor gets a license in another state. The board verifies your license and standing, matches it to its own independent tier, generally credits your NCE or NCMHCE score rather than re-testing you, and often adds a fingerprint background check; some boards also require their own jurisprudence exam. How much of your degree and supervised hours it re-examines varies more than in almost any other profession, and the state pages record each board's actual requirements.
Relocating between two member states
Moving your residence is never a privilege situation. The new state becomes your home state, and you need its license. When both states are compact members, the compact shortens that application: the new board verifies you through the compact's data system instead of chasing primary-source documents, and you complete its FBI and state background checks and any jurisprudence requirement. Moving to or from a state outside the compact means that state's ordinary endorsement process.
States with no endorsement path
A small number of boards say plainly that they have no reciprocity or endorsement route for counselors. There, an out-of-state applicant is reviewed like a new applicant against the full statute, which can mean documenting the degree, national exam, and post-degree supervised hours again. Your years of licensed practice elsewhere may count toward experience, but nothing is waived automatically. Plan these moves months ahead.
The compact map is moving faster than almost any other licensing fact on this site. States have been going operational every few weeks through 2026, so the split between operational, enacted-but-waiting, and not-enacted states is dated to its verification and should be confirmed on the commission's site before you rely on it. Boards also revise endorsement rules, and a wave of universal licensure recognition laws has changed several states' routes since 2024.
This dataset covers only the independent-practice professional counselor license, whatever each state calls it. Associate or dependent counselor tiers, marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, school counselors, and addiction counselors hold separate credentials with their own transfer rules, and nothing here describes them.
The master matrix: every state by pathway
| Pathway (as destination) | States |
|---|---|
| Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing(31) | Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin |
| Licensure by endorsement(9) | Alaska, California, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon |
| Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice(9) | Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Wyoming |
| Full re-application required(2) | Hawaii, Texas |
Fees & timelines: the spread
Lowest verified application fees
- Indiana$50
- Kansas$50
- Hawaii$60
- Wisconsin$60
- Rhode Island$70
Highest verified application fees
- Wyoming$375
- New York$371
- New Hampshire$325
- Idaho$300
- Louisiana$300
Processing times range from ~1 weeks (Vermont) to 6–9 weeks (Virginia) — where a board publishes no timeframe, the state page says so honestly instead of guessing.
Frequently asked questions
How does counseling license reciprocity work in 2026?
9 of 51 US jurisdictions are operational in the Counseling Compact, issuing and accepting privileges between each other; 31 more have enacted it but are not yet operational, and 11 have not enacted it (as of 2026-09-27). A privilege lets you practice across operational state lines without a second license. For a license itself, the route is endorsement: 49 of 51 jurisdictions license an out-of-state counselor by endorsement; Hawaii, Texas have no endorsement path and require a full application.
Which states are in the Counseling Compact?
As of 2026-09-27, 9 jurisdictions are operational, meaning they issue and accept privileges: Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Wyoming. Another 31 have enacted the compact but are not yet issuing or accepting privileges: Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin. Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Texas have not enacted it.
Is a Counseling Compact privilege the same as a license?
No. A privilege authorizes you to practice in one remote operational state, in person and by telehealth, while your license stays in your home state. It is bought per state, it is not a license transfer, and it depends on your home-state license staying active and unencumbered.
Do I have to retake the NCE or NCMHCE in a new state?
Usually not. Most boards credit the national exam you already passed, through NBCC score verification or verification of your existing license. There are exceptions: a board may require a specific exam you never took, or limit how old a score can be, so check the destination's state page. Some states also add their own jurisprudence exam or laws-and-rules requirement, which is separate and much shorter.
How much does a Counseling Compact privilege cost?
A $30 commission administrative fee per privilege plus the remote state's own fee, paid through CompactConnect. As of 2026-09-27 the state fees ran from $25 to $250 among the operational states; the commission's fee table at https://counselingcompact.gov/ has the current figure for each state. A full license by endorsement is priced separately by each board.
Does the compact cover LMFT, LCSW, or associate counselor licenses?
No. Only the independent, highest-level professional counselor license qualifies (LPC, LPCC, LMHC, LCPC, LPC-MHSP or the state's equivalent). Marriage and family therapist, clinical social worker, and dependent or associate counselor licenses are outside the compact.
Which states have no endorsement path for counselors?
As of 2026-09-27, Hawaii, Texas offer no licensure-by-endorsement route for an out-of-state counselor. An applicant there is reviewed against the full requirements, which can include the degree, exam, and supervised hours, regardless of how long they have been licensed elsewhere.
I am moving between two Counseling Compact states. Does my privilege cover the move?
No. A privilege covers practice in a remote state while you live in your home state. Once you move, the new state becomes your home state and you must obtain its license. When both states are compact members, the compact streamlines that application: your license is verified through the compact's data system, and you still complete the background checks and any jurisprudence requirement of the new state.
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]