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LicenseReciprocity

Physical Therapy License from Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas into Massachusetts leaves the compact behind: Massachusetts has not joined the compact, so no Texas 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 Texas license and any privileges you hold elsewhere stay valid as long as your residence remains in Texas; file Massachusetts's application before you rely on income there.

What changes, Texas → Massachusetts

Side-by-side: Texas vs Massachusetts (Physical Therapy (PT/PTA)), verified 2026-08-07
Texas (current)Massachusetts (destination)
PT Compact statusPT Compact member — multistate license honoredLicensure by endorsement
Application feethe non-refundable application fee is set by the Executive Council in 22 TAC 651.2 (Physical Therapy Board Fees); ECPTOTE publishes no amount on its own pages and links out to the Texas Secretary of State TAC viewer, which is a JavaScript portal that could not be retrieved on 2026-08-07, so no figure is asserted here. The fee is WAIVED for military service members, military spouses and military veterans. Separate from this: the PT Compact privilege costs $50 to Texas plus the Commission's fee, and the FSBPT score transfer costs $90.$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 timeECPTOTE states it is not publishing current processing times because of high application volume; the only fixed period in rule is that an application for licensure is valid for one year after the board receives itthe Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; the initial application process is administered by its vendor, PCS
Licensing authorityTexas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners)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

  1. 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.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Apply through Professional Credential Services, Inc. (PCS), the Board's application vendor, and pay the non-refundable application fee.
  5. Meet the Board's statutory and regulatory 'good moral character' standard; applicants with criminal records must follow the Board's criminal-records policy.
  6. Graduates of non-accredited foreign programs must obtain an FCCPT Type 1 credentials evaluation (FCCPT is the Board's only approved evaluator).
  7. 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.
  8. 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

Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) ↗Massachusetts application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Massachusetts → TexasPhysical Therapy in TexasPhysical Therapy in MassachusettsAll physical therapy statesThe PT Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Massachusetts accept a Texas physical therapy license?

A physical therapy license transfers from Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]