Counseling License from Tennessee to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Kentucky accept a Tennessee counseling license?
Yes — Kentucky has a reciprocity arrangement covering Tennessee license holders. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) under its reciprocity/endorsement track and complete Kentucky's remaining requirements.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
Kentucky names Tennessee on its published reciprocity list, so the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) handles your application on that track, provided you meet the agreement's conditions (license tier, and in some agreements a minimum number of years' experience). Confirm the list is current with the board before you file. Kentucky has enacted the Counseling Compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-10-29, so your Tennessee license cannot reach it through the compact yet.
What's different between Tennessee and Kentucky
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Kentucky. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Tennessee to Kentucky (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Kentucky to Tennessee (the reverse move): Reciprocity agreement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Tennessee matter?
Coming from Tennessee matters here: only 2 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Kentucky.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (48).
- Reciprocity agreements
Kentucky's reciprocity agreement list names 2 states (North Carolina and Tennessee), including Tennessee.
Tennessee's reciprocity agreement list names 2 states (Kentucky and North Carolina), including Kentucky.
- Counseling Compact membership
Tennessee is a Counseling Compact member state; Kentucky has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing under it yet.
Because they are not both active members, the Counseling Compact does not cover this move.
- Application fee
Kentucky lists $150 for an out-of-state applicant and Tennessee lists $200 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Kentucky and Tennessee carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Kentucky (this move): No exam is retaken. Endorsement applicants with 5+ years of licensed experience are exempt by statute from the examination requirement (KRS 335.527(2)(b)), and the Board FAQ confirms no NCE or NCMHCE scores are required. North Carolina reciprocity-agreement applicants must also complete a 3-hour Board-approved Kentucky Professional Counselor Law course. No separate jurisprudence exam on the endorsement path.
- Tennessee (the reverse move): National exams are not retaken on the reciprocity route: the reciprocity rule (0450-01-.04(5)) and the Board's 2019 reciprocity policy require only the Tennessee Jurisprudence Exam, whose results are sent to the Board by NBCC. Exam-route applicants must pass the NCE and NCMHCE.
What changes, Tennessee → Kentucky
| Tennessee (current) | Kentucky (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Reciprocity with 2 states · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) | Reciprocity with 2 states · Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $200 (LPC/MHSP application fee per Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0450-01-.06(4)(c) and the application checklist; + $10 state regulatory fee ($210 total at application); background-check vendor fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Tennessee's total privilege cost is $210 including the $30 commission fee, and it requires a jurisprudence exam, per the commission's fee table).) | $150 (application fee for licensure as a professional counselor per 201 KAR 36:020 Section 1(1), which 201 KAR 36:072 applies to reciprocity applicants, and per the Board's LPCC application (DPL-LPC-04, Rev. July 2026); non-refundable; FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; annual renewal also $150. Kentucky is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.) |
| Processing time | no timeframe published; files completed at least 30 days before a Board meeting are ordinarily processed at that meeting (0450-01-.05(5)(c)), and the application asks applicants to allow 14 working days for mailed documents to be filed | no processing timeframe is published; the Board FAQ says complete applications go to the monthly Board meeting's Applications Committee |
| Licensing authority | Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists | Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kentucky sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active, valid professional counselor license in good standing in another state, with at least 5 years' experience as a licensed or certified professional counselor.
- Hold a qualifying degree: 60 graduate hours in counseling or a related field covering the nine KRS 335.527 content areas (CACREP-accredited if the program began Summer 2015 or later).
- Submit a letter of good standing from every jurisdiction where a license or certificate is held.
- Submit an FBI criminal background check performed within 90 days of the application.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Kentucky joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Kentucky had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-10-29, so counseling clients located in Kentucky takes Kentucky's own authorization, normally a Kentucky license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Kentucky LPC Board FAQ (Endorsement and Reciprocity FAQs, reciprocity-agreement states) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Kentucky LPC Board: Application for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, DPL-LPC-04 Rev. July 2026 ($150 fee; endorsement per KRS 335.527 and reciprocity-agreement routes; KSP and FBI fingerprint check) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- KRS 335.527 Licensing reciprocity requirements (endorsement: 5 years; exam and supervision exemption; Internet Archive capture of the official LRC page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 201 KAR 36:072 Reciprocity requirements (Board-published amendment text) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 201 KAR 36:020 Fees (Internet Archive capture 2026-06-11 of the official LRC page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Kentucky LPC Board: laws and regulations page (KRS 335.527, 201 KAR 36:072, Counseling Compact KRS 335.560) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Board: Policy Statement Regarding Licensure by Reciprocity (adopted 2019-12-06, amended 2020-01-03) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Board: LPC application packet PH-2722 (file revised 8/2023; LPC/MHSP by reciprocity checklist, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Rules of the Tennessee Board for Professional Counselors ch. 0450-01 (April 2020 revision; 0450-01-.04(5), .05(5), .06) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Board page: policies list incl. TN/NC and TN/KY reciprocity agreements, Counseling Compact status (privilege applications accepted from 2026-09-01) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Tennessee Board: Reciprocity Agreement between Tennessee and North Carolina ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com