Psychology License from Alabama to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) ↗
A psychology license transfers from Alabama to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health), verify your Alabama license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — a reciprocity applicant submits proof of a written examination score meeting Tennessee standards, or after five years of continuous good-standing licensure may substitute ABPP certification, National Register listing, or an ASPPB CPQ; the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination is required and Rule 1180-02-.03(14) states it shall never be waived.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Alabama and Tennessee both participate in PSYPACT, and it is worth being blunt about what that does and does not buy you, because the compact's name misleads a lot of psychologists. It does not transfer your license. Moving from Alabama to Tennessee means applying to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) for licensure by endorsement exactly as you would if neither state had ever joined — license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, Tennessee's jurisprudence requirement. What the shared participation genuinely gives you is different and still valuable: while you remain licensed and resident in Alabama, you can serve Tennessee clients by telepsychology under an APIT authorization, and work in person in Tennessee for up to 30 days a year under a TAP. That can cover a transition period — it cannot cover the move.
What changes, Alabama → Tennessee
| Alabama (current) | Tennessee (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $400 ($400 nonrefundable application processing fee payable to the Board; separately + $38.25 payable to ALEA for the state/federal criminal history check and + $50 PSE fee due when sitting for the exam) | $175–$375 (PH-1034 requires a $175 nonrefundable application fee plus a $200 licensure fee at submission; a $10 state regulatory fee and a $100 ethics and jurisprudence exam fee are also due, for a board-stated total of $485. Temporary license adds $100; provisional license adds $125. Fingerprint/background-check vendor charges are billed separately.) |
| Processing time | 13–17 weeks (Board states the process for previously licensed applicants 'generally takes three (3) to four (4) months from the time the application is received'; files are reviewed only at regular Board meetings, generally the second Friday of odd-numbered months, and must be complete by the first day of an odd-numbered month) | 4–6 weeks (Board-stated: materials are typically in the applicant's file within two weeks of the postmark and, absent complicating factors, average application processing time is four to six weeks.) |
| Licensing authority | Alabama Board of Examiners in Psychology | Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a valid psychologist license in good standing in another jurisdiction and have license verification, including disciplinary history, sent from every jurisdiction ever licensed.
- Pass the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination, which the board schedules after the EPPP requirement is satisfied and which may never be waived.
- Have a criminal background check submitted directly from the vendor identified in the board's application materials.
- Document a qualifying doctoral program, internship, and postdoctoral supervised experience for Health Service Provider designation, which may not be waived even under the ABPP/National Register/CPQ shortcut.
- Submit three letters of recommendation from psychologists, two of whom must be licensed, with licensure endorsement forms.
- Pay the fees ($175–$375 (PH-1034 requires a $175 nonrefundable application fee plus a $200 licensure fee at submission; a $10 state regulatory fee and a $100 ethics and jurisprudence exam fee are also due, for a board-stated total of $485. Temporary license adds $100; provisional license adds $125. Fingerprint/background-check vendor charges are billed separately.)) and allow 4–6 weeks (Board-stated: materials are typically in the applicant's file within two weeks of the postmark and, absent complicating factors, average application processing time is four to six weeks.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee accept a Alabama psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from Alabama to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health), verify your Alabama license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — a reciprocity applicant submits proof of a written examination score meeting Tennessee standards, or after five years of continuous good-standing licensure may substitute ABPP certification, National Register listing, or an ASPPB CPQ; the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination is required and Rule 1180-02-.03(14) states it shall never be waived.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from Alabama to Tennessee?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — a reciprocity applicant submits proof of a written examination score meeting Tennessee standards, or after five years of continuous good-standing licensure may substitute ABPP certification, National Register listing, or an ASPPB CPQ; the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination is required and Rule 1180-02-.03(14) states it shall never be waived.
What does the move cost?
$175–$375 (PH-1034 requires a $175 nonrefundable application fee plus a $200 licensure fee at submission; a $10 state regulatory fee and a $100 ethics and jurisprudence exam fee are also due, for a board-stated total of $485. Temporary license adds $100; provisional license adds $125. Fingerprint/background-check vendor charges are billed separately.) (PH-1034 requires a $175 nonrefundable application fee plus a $200 licensure fee at submission; a $10 state regulatory fee and a $100 ethics and jurisprudence exam fee are also due, for a board-stated total of $485. Temporary license adds $100; provisional license adds $125. Fingerprint/background-check vendor charges are billed separately.).
How long will it take?
4–6 weeks (Board-stated: materials are typically in the applicant's file within two weeks of the postmark and, absent complicating factors, average application processing time is four to six weeks.) — Board-stated: materials are typically in the applicant's file within two weeks of the postmark and, absent complicating factors, average application processing time is four to six weeks..
Alabama and Tennessee are both PSYPACT states — doesn't my license transfer automatically?
No. PSYPACT never transfers a license, including between two participating states. It authorizes telepsychology into Tennessee (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in Alabama. Relocating to Tennessee requires licensure by endorsement from the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) like any other applicant.
Can I start seeing Tennessee clients before my Tennessee license is issued?
While your Alabama license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover Tennessee clients by telepsychology, and a TAP covers up to 30 days a year of in-person work there. Those are the compact's limits, and they end when Alabama stops being your licensed home state — they are a bridge during a transition, not a substitute for the Tennessee license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology — board page, applications and forms ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee Rules 1180-02, Rules Governing Psychologists (July 2026 revision) — reciprocity 1180-02-.03(12), endorsement (13), jurisprudence exam never waived (14), examinations 1180-02-.04 ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee Psychologist Application PH-1034 — fees, processing time, EPPP and ethics/jurisprudence exam instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Alabama Board of Examiners in Psychology — Information for Psychologist Applicants (previous licensure, reciprocity statement, PSE, fees, 3-4 month timeline, Rule 750-X-2-.08) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Alabama Board of Examiners in Psychology — Fees ($400 psychologist application) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PSYPACT — PSYPACT Map/States (Alabama participating) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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