Psychology License from Montana to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) ↗
A psychology license transfers from Montana to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State), verify your Montana license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — under 49 Pa. Code 41.52 an applicant who passed the national portion with a score equal to or above Pennsylvania's prevailing passing score 'will not be required to repeat this portion.' The Board separately administers the Pennsylvania Psychology Law Examination (PPLE) as a licensure exam.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a payoff worth planning around. Montana is outside PSYPACT, so you have had no compact authorizations to work with — but Pennsylvania participates. Endorse into Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State), 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, Pennsylvania's jurisprudence requirement applied — but what it unlocks afterwards is considerably more than a single state.
What changes, Montana → Pennsylvania
| Montana (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT enacted — not yet issuing | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $175 (Application fee stated on the Board's license-information page for both Psychologist and Psychologist Licensed by Experience. A postdoctoral supervision application is a separate $25 where applicable; renewal is $600 active / $1,200 late. Background-check costs are not published here.) | $105 (Initial application fee of $105 under 49 Pa. Code 41.12; 41.52a(4) directs endorsement applicants to pay that initial application fee. Biennial renewal is $300. No separate endorsement/reciprocity fee line exists in the regulation. PPLE and EPPP fees are paid to the exam vendors) |
| Processing time | Neither the Board's license-information page nor its statutes page states a processing-time range for psychologist applications. | Neither the Board page, the licensure snapshot, nor 49 Pa. Code Chapter 41 states a processing-time range; no Board processing-time page was reachable on 2026-08-07 |
| Licensing authority | Montana Board of Psychologists (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) | Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current license in another jurisdiction whose standards are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania's, and document that jurisdiction's law and regulations.
- Demonstrate competency by either actively practicing psychology 2 of the last 5 years in the issuing jurisdiction, or completing 30 hours of continuing education in the 24 months preceding application.
- Have no disciplinary action by the licensing jurisdiction and no act constituting grounds for refusal, suspension or revocation.
- Complete 3 hours of Board-approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting.
- Be prepared for a personal interview and additional documentation at the Board's discretion.
- Pay the fees ($105 (Initial application fee of $105 under 49 Pa. Code 41.12; 41.52a(4) directs endorsement applicants to pay that initial application fee. Biennial renewal is $300. No separate endorsement/reciprocity fee line exists in the regulation. PPLE and EPPP fees are paid to the exam vendors)) and allow Neither the Board page, the licensure snapshot, nor 49 Pa. Code Chapter 41 states a processing-time range; no Board processing-time page was reachable on 2026-08-07.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Pennsylvania accept a Montana psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from Montana to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology (Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Department of State), verify your Montana license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — under 49 Pa. Code 41.52 an applicant who passed the national portion with a score equal to or above Pennsylvania's prevailing passing score 'will not be required to repeat this portion.' The Board separately administers the Pennsylvania Psychology Law Examination (PPLE) as a licensure exam.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from Montana to Pennsylvania?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — under 49 Pa. Code 41.52 an applicant who passed the national portion with a score equal to or above Pennsylvania's prevailing passing score 'will not be required to repeat this portion.' The Board separately administers the Pennsylvania Psychology Law Examination (PPLE) as a licensure exam.
What does the move cost?
$105 (Initial application fee of $105 under 49 Pa. Code 41.12; 41.52a(4) directs endorsement applicants to pay that initial application fee. Biennial renewal is $300. No separate endorsement/reciprocity fee line exists in the regulation. PPLE and EPPP fees are paid to the exam vendors) (Initial application fee of $105 under 49 Pa. Code 41.12; 41.52a(4) directs endorsement applicants to pay that initial application fee. Biennial renewal is $300. No separate endorsement/reciprocity fee line exists in the regulation. PPLE and EPPP fees are paid to the exam vendors).
How long will it take?
Neither the Board page, the licensure snapshot, nor 49 Pa. Code Chapter 41 states a processing-time range; no Board processing-time page was reachable on 2026-08-07 — Neither the Board page, the licensure snapshot, nor 49 Pa. Code Chapter 41 states a processing-time range; no Board processing-time page was reachable on 2026-08-07.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- 49 Pa. Code 41.52a — Licensure by endorsement (Act 41) conditions for out-of-state psychologists ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 49 Pa. Code 41.52 — Licensure of psychologists licensed in another state (EPPP national-portion waiver, child abuse training, temporary practice) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 49 Pa. Code 41.12 — State Board of Psychology fee schedule ($105 initial application, $300 biennial renewal) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PA Department of State — Psychologist Licensure Snapshot (EPPP + PPLE, supervised experience, fees, PSYPACT) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PA State Board of Psychology — board home page ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana Board of Psychologists — Psychologist and Psychologist by Experience license information (requirements, exams, $175 application fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana Board of Psychologists — board home (license types, apply/renew, PSYPACT) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana Code Annotated 37-1-304 — Licensure by endorsement (substantially equivalent out-of-state license; reciprocity agreements may not lower Montana standards) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana Code Annotated 37-17-302 — Qualifications for licensure as a psychologist ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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