Physical Therapy License from Idaho to North Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Idaho to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners, verify your Idaho license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken. Under 21 NCAC 48B .0102(b) the Board accepts the examination on which the out-of-state license was granted, in a format approved by the Board (the FSBPT Score Transfer Service); if the scores are unavailable from the other state the applicant must have them issued by the testing agency, and if the total score does not meet the North Carolina passing level in 21 NCAC 48D .0105 the exam must be repeated at the applicant's cost. Every endorsement applicant must also complete the North Carolina Jurisprudence Exercise (21 NCAC 48B .0102(d))..
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a payoff. Idaho is outside the active compact, so you have had no privileges to work with — but North Carolina is an active member. Endorse into North Carolina with the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners, establish it as your home state and primary residence, and North Carolina becomes your springboard: from there you can buy compact privileges into every other active member state without another full license. Your NPTE score transfers through the FSBPT; you do not re-sit the exam.
What changes, Idaho → North Carolina
| Idaho (current) | North Carolina (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $50 (the endorsement checklist states a total of $50.00, made up of the $25.00 application fee plus the $25.00 licensure fee. The extra $20.00 NPTE registration fee applies only to applicants sitting for the exam through Idaho, not to endorsement applicants. Returned checks incur a $20 fee. IDAPA 24.13.01 Section 400 confirms fees are non-refundable but the current schedule is published on the application form rather than in rule.) | The Board's fee rule is 21 NCAC 48F .0102 (readopted eff. May 1, 2019), but on 2026-08-07 neither the rule text nor the Board's published Schedule of Fees could be retrieved from an official source - the Board's application host (www2.ncptboard.org) returned 403 and the NC OAH / NC Rules code servers were unreachable. No amount is stated rather than guess. Confirm the current endorsement application fee directly with the Board. |
| Processing time | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; it states only that incomplete applications delay licensure and that military applicants may qualify for expedited processing under Idaho Code 67-9401 to 67-9407 | The Board publishes no processing timeframe; 21 NCAC 48B .0102(a) provides only that each endorsement application is considered on an individual basis. |
| Licensing authority | Idaho Physical Therapy Licensure Board (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) | North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Carolina's current requirements on the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners.
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Have been initially licensed in another state by examination - endorsement is available only on that basis.
- Submit verification of a license in effect on the date the North Carolina application was filed (21 NCAC 48E .0105).
- Complete the Board's online Jurisprudence Exercise on the Practice Act, Board rules and position statements.
- Meet the North Carolina passing score in 21 NCAC 48D .0105 or retake and pay for the PT exam.
- Disclose criminal history as required by Board rule 21 NCAC 48E .0113.
- Pay the fees (The Board's fee rule is 21 NCAC 48F .0102 (readopted eff. May 1, 2019), but on 2026-08-07 neither the rule text nor the Board's published Schedule of Fees could be retrieved from an official source - the Board's application host (www2.ncptboard.org) returned 403 and the NC OAH / NC Rules code servers were unreachable. No amount is stated rather than guess. Confirm the current endorsement application fee directly with the Board.) and allow The Board publishes no processing timeframe; 21 NCAC 48B .0102(a) provides only that each endorsement application is considered on an individual basis..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does North Carolina accept a Idaho physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Idaho to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners, verify your Idaho license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken. Under 21 NCAC 48B .0102(b) the Board accepts the examination on which the out-of-state license was granted, in a format approved by the Board (the FSBPT Score Transfer Service); if the scores are unavailable from the other state the applicant must have them issued by the testing agency, and if the total score does not meet the North Carolina passing level in 21 NCAC 48D .0105 the exam must be repeated at the applicant's cost. Every endorsement applicant must also complete the North Carolina Jurisprudence Exercise (21 NCAC 48B .0102(d))..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Idaho to North Carolina?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken. Under 21 NCAC 48B .0102(b) the Board accepts the examination on which the out-of-state license was granted, in a format approved by the Board (the FSBPT Score Transfer Service); if the scores are unavailable from the other state the applicant must have them issued by the testing agency, and if the total score does not meet the North Carolina passing level in 21 NCAC 48D .0105 the exam must be repeated at the applicant's cost. Every endorsement applicant must also complete the North Carolina Jurisprudence Exercise (21 NCAC 48B .0102(d))..
What does the move cost?
The Board's fee rule is 21 NCAC 48F .0102 (readopted eff. May 1, 2019), but on 2026-08-07 neither the rule text nor the Board's published Schedule of Fees could be retrieved from an official source - the Board's application host (www2.ncptboard.org) returned 403 and the NC OAH / NC Rules code servers were unreachable. No amount is stated rather than guess. Confirm the current endorsement application fee directly with the Board. (The Board's fee rule is 21 NCAC 48F .0102 (readopted eff. May 1, 2019), but on 2026-08-07 neither the rule text nor the Board's published Schedule of Fees could be retrieved from an official source - the Board's application host (www2.ncptboard.org) returned 403 and the NC OAH / NC Rules code servers were unreachable. No amount is stated rather than guess. Confirm the current endorsement application fee directly with the Board.).
How long will it take?
The Board publishes no processing timeframe; 21 NCAC 48B .0102(a) provides only that each endorsement application is considered on an individual basis. — The Board publishes no processing timeframe; 21 NCAC 48B .0102(a) provides only that each endorsement application is considered on an individual basis..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- NC Office of Administrative Hearings - rule text, 21 NCAC 48B .0102 Licenses by Endorsement (with 48E .0104, 48F .0101, 48G .0105, 48G .0203) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NC OAH - G.S. 150B-21.3A periodic review report for 21 NCAC 48, Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (rule inventory incl. 48E .0105, 48E .0113, 48F .0102) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NC Board of Physical Therapy Examiners - official site ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Idaho DOPL — Physical Therapy Board (FAQ, including compact membership statement) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Idaho Physical Therapy Licensure Board — Application for Licensure (PT), endorsement checklist and fees ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- IDAPA 24.13.01 — Rules of the Idaho Physical Therapy Licensure Board ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — States by Category ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]