Physical Therapy License from Wisconsin to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Florida Board of Physical Therapy Practice (Department of Health) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Wisconsin to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Physical Therapy Practice (Department of Health), verify your Wisconsin license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is moved to Florida via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service (a $90 FSBPT fee). Florida also requires the Florida Laws and Rules (jurisprudence) Examination, taken through FSBPT at a Prometric testing center..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Moving from Wisconsin into Florida leaves the compact behind: Florida has not joined the compact, so no Wisconsin privilege reaches it. You transfer by licensure by endorsement with the Florida Board of Physical Therapy Practice (Department of Health) — your NPTE score moves through the FSBPT rather than being retaken, and Florida adds its own jurisprudence exam and background check. Your Wisconsin license and any privileges you hold elsewhere stay valid as long as your residence remains in Wisconsin; file Florida's application before you rely on income there.
What changes, Wisconsin → Florida
| Wisconsin (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | not verifiable on an official page on 2026-08-07. DSPS sets initial credential fees administratively under Wis. Stat. 440.03(9)(a); the last per-profession initial-fee schedule DSPS publishes online lists $56.00 for a Physical Therapist effective 7/1/2021, but DSPS announced an updated fee schedule on 2025-08-08 that superseded it, and no current initial-credential fee document could be located on dsps.wi.gov. The current PT renewal fee is documented: $68 biennially, due 02/28 of odd years (RDAF rev. 08/07/2025). | $180 ($180 total to the Board = $100 endorsement application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed-activity fee (FAC 64B17-2.001). A separate $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee and the electronic-fingerprint fee are additional. Florida is not a PT Compact state, so there is no compact privilege alternative.) |
| Processing time | DSPS publishes no processing timeframe for PT endorsement applications; it warns only that a file with no activity for a year may be withdrawn | 2–3 weeks (The Board conducts initial review within 10 business days of receipt and issues the license within about 7 days once all requirements are met; this excludes time for NPTE score transfer, license verifications, and fingerprint results.) |
| Licensing authority | Wisconsin Physical Therapy Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services) | Florida Board of Physical Therapy Practice (Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Florida sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Physical Therapy Practice (Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Physical Therapy Practice (Department of Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active, unencumbered PT license from another state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory.
- Pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) and transfer the score via FSBPT.
- Pass the Florida Laws and Rules Examination (Chapters 456 and 486, F.S.) through FSBPT.
- Complete electronic fingerprinting for a criminal background screening.
- Under the MOBILE endorsement pathway, have actively practiced at least two years during the preceding four years with no disciplinary action in the prior five years.
- Submit license verification from each state where a license is or has ever been held.
- Pay the fees ($180 ($180 total to the Board = $100 endorsement application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed-activity fee (FAC 64B17-2.001). A separate $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee and the electronic-fingerprint fee are additional. Florida is not a PT Compact state, so there is no compact privilege alternative.)) and allow 2–3 weeks (The Board conducts initial review within 10 business days of receipt and issues the license within about 7 days once all requirements are met; this excludes time for NPTE score transfer, license verifications, and fingerprint results.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Florida accept a Wisconsin physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Wisconsin to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Physical Therapy Practice (Department of Health), verify your Wisconsin license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is moved to Florida via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service (a $90 FSBPT fee). Florida also requires the Florida Laws and Rules (jurisprudence) Examination, taken through FSBPT at a Prometric testing center..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Wisconsin to Florida?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is moved to Florida via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service (a $90 FSBPT fee). Florida also requires the Florida Laws and Rules (jurisprudence) Examination, taken through FSBPT at a Prometric testing center..
What does the move cost?
$180 ($180 total to the Board = $100 endorsement application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed-activity fee (FAC 64B17-2.001). A separate $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee and the electronic-fingerprint fee are additional. Florida is not a PT Compact state, so there is no compact privilege alternative.) ($180 total to the Board = $100 endorsement application fee + $75 initial license fee + $5 unlicensed-activity fee (FAC 64B17-2.001). A separate $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee and the electronic-fingerprint fee are additional. Florida is not a PT Compact state, so there is no compact privilege alternative.).
How long will it take?
2–3 weeks (The Board conducts initial review within 10 business days of receipt and issues the license within about 7 days once all requirements are met; this excludes time for NPTE score transfer, license verifications, and fingerprint results.) — The Board conducts initial review within 10 business days of receipt and issues the license within about 7 days once all requirements are met; this excludes time for NPTE score transfer, license verifications, and fingerprint results..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Florida Board of Physical Therapy — Physical Therapist (MOBILE endorsement) licensing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Florida Board of Physical Therapy — Florida PT/PTA Laws and Rules Exam ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Fla. Stat. Ch. 486 (486.031, 486.081) — Physical Therapy Practice Act ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PT Compact — member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- WI DSPS - Physical Therapist profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WI DSPS Form #3195 - Credentialing Information for PT/PTA Applicants (Rev. 4/2022) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WI DSPS - Renewal Dates and Fees (RDAF, rev. 08/07/2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WI DSPS - 2021-2023 Initial Application Fee Changes (superseded) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WI DSPS news release - fee adjustment, August 8, 2025 ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - how to get privileges (state fee and jurisprudence table) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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