Psychology License from Massachusetts to California: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) ↗
A psychology license transfers from Massachusetts to California by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs), verify your Massachusetts license, and meet California's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — an out-of-state applicant who already passed the EPPP requests an ASPPB score transfer to California instead of re-testing, and the Board's out-of-state pathway for applicants licensed two or more years does not include an EPPP step. Every applicant must still pass the California Psychology Laws and Ethics Examination (CPLEE); it is never waived.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Massachusetts nor California is a participating PSYPACT state, so the compact is irrelevant in both directions and this is a straightforward endorsement move. The California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) verifies your Massachusetts license, reviews your doctoral degree and supervised experience, accepts your existing EPPP passing score rather than re-testing you, and applies its own jurisprudence and background requirements. Nothing about holding an Massachusetts license speeds up or slows down California's standard out-of-state process.
What changes, Massachusetts → California
| Massachusetts (current) | California (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $420 (Board fee table for the Psychologist license type: application fee $150 + license fee $270 = subtotal $420. An 'examination and processing fee' of $282 is listed separately for the same license type and would apply to board-administered examination; an additional processing fee may be charged depending on payment method. All fees are non-refundable. Biennial renewal $270.) | $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) |
| Processing time | Neither the Board's application page nor 251 CMR 3.00 publishes a processing-time estimate; applications are filed through the Health Professions Licensing Portal. | 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) |
| Licensing authority | Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) | California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — California sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm California's current requirements on the California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Have held a psychologist license based on a doctoral degree in another state, Canadian province or U.S. territory for at least two years to use the Board's Category C out-of-state pathway.
- Document 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience with at least 1,500 postdoctoral, or substitute a National Register Health Service Psychologist credential, ABPP certification, or an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ).
- Pass the California Psychology Laws and Ethics Examination (CPLEE).
- Complete the six prelicensure coursework requirements before licensure — human sexuality, alcohol/chemical dependency, child abuse assessment, spousal/partner abuse, aging and long-term care, and suicide risk assessment.
- Submit fingerprints to the California DOJ and the FBI; out-of-state applicants use hard cards, which take at least four weeks to process.
- Pay the fees ($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)) and allow 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).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does California accept a Massachusetts psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from Massachusetts to California by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs), verify your Massachusetts license, and meet California's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — an out-of-state applicant who already passed the EPPP requests an ASPPB score transfer to California instead of re-testing, and the Board's out-of-state pathway for applicants licensed two or more years does not include an EPPP step. Every applicant must still pass the California Psychology Laws and Ethics Examination (CPLEE); it is never waived.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from Massachusetts to California?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — an out-of-state applicant who already passed the EPPP requests an ASPPB score transfer to California instead of re-testing, and the Board's out-of-state pathway for applicants licensed two or more years does not include an EPPP step. Every applicant must still pass the California Psychology Laws and Ethics Examination (CPLEE); it is never waived.
What does the move cost?
$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) ($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).
How long will it take?
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) — 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.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- California Board of Psychology — Out-of-State Application for Licensure as a Psychologist (Categories A/B/C, SPE and credential substitutes, CPLEE, prelicensure coursework, fingerprints) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — Frequently Asked Questions (no licensing reciprocity; EPPP score transfer from ASPPB; 180-day pre-licensure practice for an applicant licensed elsewhere) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — 2024 Fee Schedule ($236 initial application, $127 CPLEE application, $231 initial licensure, $233 out-of-state fingerprint hard card) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — Application Processing Timeframes (approximately 1.5 months / 4-6 weeks per item; updated July 16, 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PSYPACT — PSYPACT Map/States (California is not a PSYPACT member) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 251 CMR 3.00: Registration of Psychologists — §3.07 Endorsement Requirements, §3.08 Examinations, §3.09 Reciprocity (full text PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Mass.gov — 251 CMR 3.00: Registration of psychologists (regulation landing page, revised 04/25/2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists — Fees and License Renewal Schedules for Psychologists ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists — Apply for a psychologist license ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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