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LicenseReciprocity

Psychology License from Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky, 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, Kentucky → Tennessee

Side-by-side: Kentucky vs Tennessee (Psychology (licensed psychologist)), verified 2026-08-07
Kentucky (current)Tennessee (destination)
PSYPACT statusPSYPACT member — multistate license honoredPSYPACT member — multistate license honored
Application fee$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.)$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 timeNo 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.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 authorityKentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing)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

  1. Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a valid psychologist license in good standing in another jurisdiction and have license verification, including disciplinary history, sent from every jurisdiction ever licensed.
  5. Pass the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination, which the board schedules after the EPPP requirement is satisfied and which may never be waived.
  6. Have a criminal background check submitted directly from the vendor identified in the board's application materials.
  7. 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.
  8. Submit three letters of recommendation from psychologists, two of whom must be licensed, with licensure endorsement forms.
  9. 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

Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) ↗Tennessee application ↗Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Tennessee → KentuckyPsychology in KentuckyPsychology in TennesseeAll psychology statesThe PSYPACT explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Tennessee accept a Kentucky psychology license?

A psychology license transfers from Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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..

Kentucky 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 Kentucky. 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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.

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

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