Physical Therapy License from Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania into Massachusetts leaves the compact behind: Massachusetts has not joined the compact, so no Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania license and any privileges you hold elsewhere stay valid as long as your residence remains in Pennsylvania; file Massachusetts's application before you rely on income there.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Massachusetts
| Pennsylvania (current) | Massachusetts (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $30 (49 Pa. Code section 40.5 sets 'Application for licensure by examination/endorsement' at $30 for a physical therapist; initial application for PTA certification by examination or endorsement is also $30. Related items in the same fee rule: biennial PT renewal $90, licensure through foreign training $45, temporary licence $15, verification of licensure $15, certification of examination scores or licensure $25. Criminal history record checks and the 3-hour child abuse training are billed separately by their providers.) | $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 Board's regulations nor the Department of State's physical therapist licensure snapshot states a processing timeframe. | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; the initial application process is administered by its vendor, PCS |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) | 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 Pennsylvania physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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)
- 49 Pa. Code section 40.16 - Licensure by endorsement (Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 49 Pa. Code section 40.5 - Fees (Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PA Department of State - Physical Therapist Licensure Snapshot (State Board of Physical Therapy) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 40 Subchapter A - Physical Therapists (section list) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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