Counseling License from Texas to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Texas to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division), verify your Texas license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: Montana accepts either the NBCC NCE or the NCMHCE for the LCPC, with proof sent directly from NBCC. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed for LCPC applicants..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Neither state gives you a working compact route here: a state that has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not yet operational behaves like a non-member. The route is endorsement through the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division): your Texas license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Montana's own exam rule, and Montana applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Montana tier corresponds to your Texas license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.

What changes, Texas → Montana

Side-by-side: Texas vs Montana (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
	Texas (current)	Montana (destination)
Counseling Compact status	Full re-application required	Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee	$165 (LPC Associate/LPC/Provisional License Application fee per 22 TAC 885.1(b) as amended in the 2026-03-13 Texas Register ($154 base + $6 Texas.gov + $5 OPP); this is the ordinary LPC application fee, since Texas has no separate endorsement fee. Jurisprudence exam $39; fingerprinting paid to the vendor. Texas has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)	$200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))
Processing time	~6 weeks (BHEC's out-of-state LPC application guide says 'Please allow at least 6 weeks for processing before contacting BHEC for a status update'; no maximum is stated)	the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications
Licensing authority	Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors	Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Montana sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) website (linked below) — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) (application linked below).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Hold a current, active LCPC-equivalent license in good standing from a state whose requirements are substantially equivalent to Montana's.
Have passed the NBCC NCE or NCMHCE, with proof sent directly from NBCC.
Document 3,000 hours of supervised post-degree experience meeting ARM 24.219.604.
Submit fingerprints for a Montana Department of Justice and FBI background check.
Provide verification of every professional license held, certified transcripts and the Academic Summary form.
Pay the fees ($200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications.

Official links

Montana Board of Behavioral Health (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) ↗Montana application ↗

Frequently asked questions

Does Montana accept a Texas counseling license?

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Texas to Montana?

National exam is not retaken: Montana accepts either the NBCC NCE or the NCMHCE for the LCPC, with proof sent directly from NBCC. No Montana jurisprudence exam is listed for LCPC applicants.

What does the move cost?

$200 (LCPC application fee per the Board's LCPC checklist; fingerprint/background-check cost paid separately (not stated on the pages read))

How long will it take?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe for LCPC applications.

Montana joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?

Not yet. Montana had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Montana takes Montana's own authorization, normally a Montana license.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.

Montana Board of Behavioral Health: Licensure Checklist (LCPC options 1-4 incl. equivalent out-of-state license) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Montana Board of Behavioral Health: LCPC Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist ($200 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
MCA 37-1-304: Licensure by endorsement (substantial equivalency) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Montana Administrative Register Notice 24-219-37 (Board of Behavioral Health rules) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
BHEC: Applying for an LPC License, Licensed in Another Jurisdiction (no reciprocity, endorsement or temporary licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
BHEC: How to Apply for an LPC License from Out of State (online application guide, 6-week processing note) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Texas Register 2026-03-13: Figure 22 TAC 885.1(b), BHEC fee schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

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