Psychology License from California to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) ↗

A psychology license transfers from California to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing), verify your California license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — 201 KAR 26:185 requires a verified EPPP scaled score of 500 or greater and directs the Board to accept the applicant's previous national EPPP results if the original scores met the doctoral licensure criterion at the time, and 201 KAR 26:160 Section 3 waives the EPPP fee for a candidate who already passed elsewhere. Kentucky still requires two of its own examinations: a jurisprudence examination on Kentucky mental health law (80% to pass) and a competency examination on ethical principles and professional practice (100% to pass)..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

This direction has a payoff worth planning around. California is outside PSYPACT, so you have had no compact authorizations to work with — but Kentucky participates. Endorse into Kentucky through the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing), make it your licensed home state, and that license becomes an anchor: from there an ASPPB E.Passport and APIT authorization let you serve clients across every other participating state without another full license. The endorsement itself is still an ordinary application — EPPP score accepted, credentials reviewed, Kentucky's jurisprudence requirement applied — but what it unlocks afterwards is considerably more than a single state.

What changes, California → Kentucky

Side-by-side: California vs Kentucky (Psychology (licensed psychologist)), verified 2026-08-07
	California (current)	Kentucky (destination)
PSYPACT status	Licensure by endorsement	PSYPACT member — multistate license honored
Application fee	$236 ($236 psychologist initial application fee (2024 fee schedule, the current schedule published by the Board). Separately + $127 for the CPLEE application and + $231 for initial licensure; out-of-state fingerprint hard card processing is $233)	$100 ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.)
Processing time	4–6 weeks (Board states processing takes approximately 1.5 months (4-6 weeks) for applications, subsequent documents/correspondence and requested deficiency documents. Because the application, the CPLEE request and the request for initial licensure are each processed separately at that pace, total time from filing to a California license is considerably longer)	No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess.
Licensing authority	California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs)	Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kentucky sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Hold a current, valid license in good standing to practice psychology from a state, DC, a U.S. territory, or a Canadian province whose board is an ASPPB constituent member.
Document a minimum of five years of full-time practice of psychology (or the board-determined equivalent) with no discipline by any psychology licensure board.
Pass the Kentucky jurisprudence examination (80%) and the competency examination (100%).
Submit three letters of reference — at least two from persons holding a doctorate in psychology — plus official sealed transcripts and a curriculum vitae demonstrating the five years of practice.
Pay the fees ($100 ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.)) and allow No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess..

Official links

Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) ↗Kentucky application ↗Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact ↗

Frequently asked questions

Does Kentucky accept a California psychology license?

Do I retake the EPPP moving from California to Kentucky?

No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — 201 KAR 26:185 requires a verified EPPP scaled score of 500 or greater and directs the Board to accept the applicant's previous national EPPP results if the original scores met the doctoral licensure criterion at the time, and 201 KAR 26:160 Section 3 waives the EPPP fee for a candidate who already passed elsewhere. Kentucky still requires two of its own examinations: a jurisprudence examination on Kentucky mental health law (80% to pass) and a competency examination on ethical principles and professional practice (100% to pass)..

What does the move cost?

$100 ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.) ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.).

How long will it take?

No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess. — No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess..

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

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