Transfer Your Psychology License to Massachusetts: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) ↗
Your psychology license does not transfer to Massachusetts automatically — you apply to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) for licensure by endorsement. The board verifies your active license, doctoral degree, and supervised experience and accepts your existing EPPP score rather than re-testing you. Expect $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.), processing 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.. Massachusetts does not participate in PSYPACT, so no compact authorization reaches it and endorsement is the only route.
Moving to Massachusetts from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Massachusetts is outside PSYPACT entirely, which makes the planning simple if slower: there is no telepsychology authorization and no temporary-practice window to fall back on. You cannot lawfully see a client physically located in Massachusetts — in person or by video — until the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) licenses you. The endorsement steps below are the only route in.
Massachusetts has an express reciprocity regulation, 251 CMR 3.09, implementing M.G.L. c. 112 §121: the Board shall license an applicant currently licensed or certified elsewhere if that jurisdiction's requirements are the substantial equivalent of M.G.L. c. 112 §119. Because substantial equivalence is still evaluated case by case and the Massachusetts jurisprudence examination is mandatory for every reciprocity applicant, this is endorsement rather than blanket reciprocity, and full_reciprocity stays false. 251 CMR 3.09(2)-(3) give three credential shortcuts that the Board accepts as meeting the reciprocity requirements: ABPP diplomate; five or more years of licensure in good standing plus the ASPPB CPQ; and, for reciprocity with health service provider certification, five or more years of licensure in good standing plus a current National Register listing. Massachusetts is NOT a PSYPACT member, so there is no telepsychology (APIT) or 30-day temporary in-person (TAP) authority into Massachusetts — a Massachusetts license is the only route.
Massachusetts requirements at a glance
| Exam | EPPP passing score transfers — 251 CMR 3.09 licenses by reciprocity a psychologist currently licensed or certified in another jurisdiction whose requirements are the substantial equivalent of M.G.L. c. 112 §119, rather than re-testing the national examination (Massachusetts' own passing standard is a scaled score of 500 or higher); 251 CMR 3.09(4) requires every reciprocity applicant to achieve a passing score on the Massachusetts psychology jurisprudence examination |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $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.) |
| 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. |
Step by step
- Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current psychologist license or certification in another jurisdiction whose requirements are the substantial equivalent of M.G.L. c. 112 §119.
- Meet the academic requirements of 251 CMR 3.03(1).
- Qualify by recognized credential where applicable: an ABPP diplomate, or at least 5 years of licensure in good standing plus the ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ); National Register listing plus 5 years supports reciprocity with health service provider certification.
- Pass the Massachusetts psychology jurisprudence examination.
- Submit three professional and ethical endorsement forms dated within 6 months of application, at least one from a licensed psychologist and one from a training supervisor or other person with direct knowledge of your work.
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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..
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Massachusetts:
Frequently asked questions
Does my psychology license transfer to Massachusetts?
Your psychology license does not transfer to Massachusetts automatically — you apply to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists (Bureau of Health Professions Licensure, Department of Public Health) for licensure by endorsement. The board verifies your active license, doctoral degree, and supervised experience and accepts your existing EPPP score rather than re-testing you. Expect $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.), processing 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.. Massachusetts does not participate in PSYPACT, so no compact authorization reaches it and endorsement is the only route.
Do I have to retake the EPPP to get licensed in Massachusetts?
No. EPPP passing score transfers — 251 CMR 3.09 licenses by reciprocity a psychologist currently licensed or certified in another jurisdiction whose requirements are the substantial equivalent of M.G.L. c. 112 §119, rather than re-testing the national examination (Massachusetts' own passing standard is a scaled score of 500 or higher); 251 CMR 3.09(4) requires every reciprocity applicant to achieve a passing score on the Massachusetts psychology jurisprudence examination.
How much does it cost to get a Massachusetts psychology license by endorsement?
$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.) (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.).
How long does Massachusetts take to process an endorsement application?
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. — 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..
Is Massachusetts a PSYPACT state?
No. Massachusetts had not joined PSYPACT as of 2026-08-07, so no compact authorization reaches Massachusetts — including for telehealth — and a Massachusetts license by endorsement is the only way to practice with clients located there.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]