Counseling License from Tennessee to Missouri: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Missouri accept a Tennessee counseling license?
Yes, for working in Missouri — both Tennessee and Missouri are active members of the Counseling Compact. If Tennessee is your primary state of residence and your Tennessee license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Missouri without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Missouri, you will need a Missouri license once Missouri becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Working in Missouri and moving to Missouri are two different transactions here. Cross-border practice, whether a telehealth caseload or in-person sessions, runs on a Missouri privilege bought through CompactConnect and anchored to your Tennessee license, which must stay active, unencumbered, and at the independent level. A move of residence needs a new home-state license from the Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors (Division of Professional Registration). Both states being compact members shortens that license application, since Missouri verifies you through the compact's data system, but you still complete its background checks and any jurisprudence requirement.
What's different between Tennessee and Missouri
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Missouri. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Tennessee to Missouri (this page): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
Missouri to Tennessee (the reverse move): Compact privilege — work there without a second license.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Tennessee matter?
Coming from Tennessee matters here: only 10 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Missouri.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (40).
- Reciprocity agreements
Missouri's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
Tennessee's reciprocity agreement list names 2 states (Kentucky and North Carolina), not including Missouri.
- Counseling Compact membership
Tennessee and Missouri are both Counseling Compact member states.
A compact privilege lets you practice in Missouri while Tennessee is your home state; it is not a license, and a move to Missouri needs a Missouri license.
- Application fee
Missouri lists $100 for an out-of-state applicant and Tennessee lists $200 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Missouri and Tennessee carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Missouri (this move): No national exam is retaken. The Committee's LPC reciprocity checklist (RSMo 324.009 path) does not require NCE/NCMHCE score submission; eligibility rests on at least 1 year of full licensure in another state. Reciprocity applicants must pass the open-book online Missouri Jurisprudence (Legal and Ethical Responsibilities) Exam.
- 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 → Missouri
| Tennessee (current) | Missouri (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Reciprocity with 2 states · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) |
| 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).) | $100 (LPC Application for Licensure by Reciprocity fee (form MO 375-1100, rev. 7-2026); waived with proof of military service; MACHS fingerprint fee paid separately to the vendor (amount not stated on the pages read). NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee: Missouri charges $100 + $30 commission fee = $130, with the Missouri jurisprudence exam.) |
| 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 | the Committee publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications |
| Licensing authority | Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marital and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists | Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors (Division of Professional Registration) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Missouri sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your home-state license is active and unencumbered and that your home state is your primary state of residence.
- To work in Missouri: purchase a Counseling Compact privilege for Missouri through the compact commission and complete any Missouri jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Missouri: apply for a Missouri license with the Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors (Division of Professional Registration); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What does the move cost?
To work in Missouri while living in Tennessee: a $30 commission fee plus Missouri's state privilege fee, paid in CompactConnect. To relocate and take a Missouri license: $100 (LPC Application for Licensure by Reciprocity fee (form MO 375-1100, rev.
How long will it take?
A privilege can issue once CompactConnect confirms your eligibility and any Missouri jurisprudence requirement is done, usually well ahead of a license. A Missouri license for a relocation: the Committee publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications.
Can I see Missouri clients by telehealth while living in Tennessee?
Yes, on a Missouri privilege. It covers telehealth and in-person counseling with clients located in Missouri, as long as your Tennessee license stays active and unencumbered and Tennessee remains your primary residence.
If I move from Tennessee to Missouri, does my privilege keep me covered?
No. A privilege is for practice away from your home state, not for moving. Once you relocate, Missouri is your home state and you need a Missouri license. Because both states are compact members, Missouri verifies you through the compact's data system, and you complete its background checks and any jurisprudence requirement.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors: Application Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors: LPC Reciprocity Qualifications checklist ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors: Application for Licensure by Reciprocity ($100 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors: Counselor Compact Update ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Missouri Division of Professional Registration: Section 324.009 RSMo reciprocity requirements summary ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements (Missouri $130 total) ↗ (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)
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