Physical Therapy License from Illinois to Massachusetts: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Illinois to Massachusetts by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health), verify your Illinois license, and meet Massachusetts's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is reported to the licensing authority through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service (FSBPT charges $90 per jurisdiction). No separate Massachusetts jurisprudence examination appears in the Board's published application requirements..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Illinois nor Massachusetts is an active member of the PT Compact, so this is a straightforward endorsement move: the Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) verifies your Illinois license, your NPTE score transfers through the FSBPT, and you complete Massachusetts's jurisprudence exam and background check. Nothing about Illinois speeds up or slows down Massachusetts's standard out-of-state process.
What changes, Illinois → Massachusetts
| Illinois (current) | Massachusetts (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $100 (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340.57(a)(1) sets the application fee for a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant license at $100. The separate examination-eligibility fee in that subsection applies only to examination applicants, not endorsement applicants. Renewal is calculated at $30 per year.) | $226 (Physical Therapist Initial License by Reciprocity = $126.00 PCS vendor fee + $100.00 Board fee = $226.00, per the Board's published fee table. Fees are non-refundable and an additional processing fee may apply depending on payment method. Massachusetts is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.) |
| Processing time | neither IDFPR nor 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340 publishes a processing timeframe for endorsement applications | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; the initial application process is administered by its vendor, PCS |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board) | Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Massachusetts sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Apply through Professional Credential Services, Inc. (PCS), the Board's application vendor, and pay the non-refundable application fee.
- Meet the Board's statutory and regulatory 'good moral character' standard; applicants with criminal records must follow the Board's criminal-records policy.
- Graduates of non-accredited foreign programs must obtain an FCCPT Type 1 credentials evaluation (FCCPT is the Board's only approved evaluator).
- Foreign-program graduates whose first language is not English must score at least 560 on the TOEFL and 4.5 on the Test of Written English.
- Pay the fees ($226 (Physical Therapist Initial License by Reciprocity = $126.00 PCS vendor fee + $100.00 Board fee = $226.00, per the Board's published fee table. Fees are non-refundable and an additional processing fee may apply depending on payment method. Massachusetts is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; the initial application process is administered by its vendor, PCS.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Massachusetts accept a Illinois physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Illinois to Massachusetts by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health), verify your Illinois license, and meet Massachusetts's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is reported to the licensing authority through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service (FSBPT charges $90 per jurisdiction). No separate Massachusetts jurisprudence examination appears in the Board's published application requirements..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Illinois to Massachusetts?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. The NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is reported to the licensing authority through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service (FSBPT charges $90 per jurisdiction). No separate Massachusetts jurisprudence examination appears in the Board's published application requirements..
What does the move cost?
$226 (Physical Therapist Initial License by Reciprocity = $126.00 PCS vendor fee + $100.00 Board fee = $226.00, per the Board's published fee table. Fees are non-refundable and an additional processing fee may apply depending on payment method. Massachusetts is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.) (Physical Therapist Initial License by Reciprocity = $126.00 PCS vendor fee + $100.00 Board fee = $226.00, per the Board's published fee table. Fees are non-refundable and an additional processing fee may apply depending on payment method. Massachusetts is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.).
How long will it take?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; the initial application process is administered by its vendor, PCS — the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; the initial application process is administered by its vendor, PCS.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Mass.gov — Apply for a license from the Board of Allied Health Professionals (fee table + requirements; mass.gov blocks automated access, page read via Internet Archive snapshot 2026-04-15) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure — Fees and License Renewal Schedules for Allied Health Professionals (board code AH) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — member state status map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT — NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- IDFPR — Physical Therapy profession page (CORE applications, endorsement link, license look-up) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- IDFPR — Qualifications for Licensure: Physical Therapist (070), effective 03/2026 ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 68 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1340 — Illinois Physical Therapy Act rules (Sec. 1340.50 Endorsement, Sec. 1340.57 Fees) ↗ (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]