Counseling License from Texas to New York: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from Texas to New York by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), verify your Texas license, and meet New York's endorsement requirements. NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from Texas to New York by endorsement. Neither Texas nor New York is operational in the Counseling Compact, so it plays no part in this move. You apply to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), which verifies your Texas license and standing, matches it to New York's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any New York jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, Texas → New York
| Texas (current) | New York (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Full re-application required | Licensure by endorsement |
| 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.) | $371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.) |
| 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) | NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New York sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New York's current requirements on the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Show at least 5 years of licensed mental health counseling practice within the 10 years before applying, attested on Forms 4E/4F.
- Have NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to the Office of the Professions.
- Have every jurisdiction where you are or were licensed submit Form 3 license verification directly to NYSED.
- Have your graduate school submit Form 2 (Certification of Professional Education).
- Complete NYSED-approved coursework or training in identifying and reporting child abuse (or document an exemption).
- Pay the fees ($371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)) and allow NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New York accept a Texas counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Texas to New York by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Mental Health Practitioners) (Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC), verify your Texas license, and meet New York's endorsement requirements. NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Texas to New York?
NCMHCE only: the endorsement applicant has NBCC send passing NCMHCE scores directly to NYSED; the NCE is not acceptable. An exam passed elsewhere under non-standard conditions may have to be retaken. No New York jurisprudence exam.
What does the move cost?
$371 (fee for licensure and first registration, paid with Form 1; no fingerprint requirement listed; the separate LMHC diagnostic privilege costs $175 to issue. New York has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)
How long will it take?
NYSED publishes no processing timeframe for LMHC endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- NYSED Office of the Professions: Mental Health Counseling License Requirements (licensure by endorsement, NCMHCE only, $371 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED: Form 4E Endorsement Applicant Experience Record ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NYSED: Commissioner's Regulations Subpart 79-9 (79-9.7 licensure by endorsement; diagnostic privilege) ↗ (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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