Physical Therapy License from Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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
Moving from Ohio into Massachusetts leaves the compact behind: Massachusetts has not joined the compact, so no Ohio privilege reaches it. You transfer by licensure by endorsement with the Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) — your NPTE score moves through the FSBPT rather than being retaken, and Massachusetts adds its own jurisprudence exam and background check. Your Ohio license and any privileges you hold elsewhere stay valid as long as your residence remains in Ohio; file Massachusetts's application before you rely on income there.
What changes, Ohio → Massachusetts
| Ohio (current) | Massachusetts (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $100 (OAC 4755-4-01(B)(1) (effective August 21, 2025) caps the initial licensing fee - the fee an endorsement applicant pays - at one hundred dollars, and states that the current amount is published on the Board's website. otptat.ohio.gov and codes.ohio.gov were unreachable from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so only the rule maximum is given rather than an unverified exact figure. Biennial renewal is likewise capped at $100. The BCI/FBI criminal records check is billed separately by the record providers. This is not the PT Compact privilege fee.) | $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 the Ohio Revised Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe; OAC 4755:2-1-01(E) provides only that an application still incomplete one year after filing is abandoned. | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; the initial application process is administered by its vendor, PCS |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board (OTPTAT Board) - Physical Therapy Section | 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 Ohio physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board - Physical Therapy Laws and Rules, effective April 3, 2026 (LSC-authenticated ORC and OAC text: OAC 4755:2-1-01, 4755:2-1-03, 4755:2-1-04, 4755-3-05, 4755-4-01, 4755-4-02) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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