Can you use the Compact?
Pick two states.
40 jurisdictions have joined the Counseling Compact, but joining is not the same as being live. As of October 17, 2026, 10 states are issuing privileges. If you are licensed by and live in one of them, you can apply for a privilege in any of the other 9.
Issuing privileges now: Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming.
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| State | License | Privilege fee | Extra step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | LPC | $280 | Jurisprudence tutorial |
| Arkansas | LPC | $80 | Jurisprudence exam |
| Georgia | LPC | $130 | None |
| Indiana | LMHC | $80 | None |
| Louisiana | LPC | $160 | None |
| Minnesota | LPCC | $80 | None |
| Ohio | LPCC | $55 | Jurisprudence video |
| Oklahoma | LPC | $30 | Jurisprudence exam |
| Tennessee | LPC-MHSP | $210 | Jurisprudence exam |
| Wyoming | LPC | $280 | None |
The total is the state’s own fee plus the Commission’s $30, charged for each state you add. Any jurisprudence assessment fee is separate from the privilege fee. Every other member is still completing the steps needed to go live.
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Try a free caseMember states: 10 live, 30 getting ready, 11 not joined
The 11 jurisdictions that have not joined: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Texas. To practice there, you need a license from that state's board.
How the Compact works
| Step | What you need |
|---|---|
| 1. Home state | You live there, are licensed there, and it’s a live member |
| 2. Right license | An unencumbered independent license; associate or supervised licenses don’t qualify |
| 3. Apply per state | One privilege per state, through CompactConnect |
| 4. Pay | $30 per privilege, plus that state’s fee; some add a jurisprudence exam |
Before you apply, a few things the Commission is clear about:
- You apply yourself. An employer or platform can’t submit it for you.
- Practice only once the privilege is issued. Paying is not the last step. Most live states issue the privilege almost at once; Oklahoma first needs its own application, Board approval and a passed jurisprudence exam, then issues it within about 7 business days.
- It expires with your home license, and does not renew by itself. After your board renews your license and reports the new date, renew the privilege separately in CompactConnect.
- Telehealth follows the client. You need a license or privilege for the state where the client is during the session.
- Check your employer, platform and insurer first; they decide whether they accept privileges.
No LPC reciprocity outside the Compact: three ways to practice
There is no national reciprocity for counselors. Outside the Compact there is no general LPC reciprocity: you apply to the new state’s board for a license. Each state licenses counselors itself, so you have three ways to practice somewhere new:
| Route | Works when | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Compact privilege | Both states are live members | Your home license, $30 to $280, an online application |
| License by endorsement | Any state, including the 11 outside the Compact | A full application to the new board, which checks your license history; many want years of independent practice. Every state’s endorsement rule |
| Standard application | You don’t meet the endorsement rules | Your degree, supervised hours and exam checked against that state’s rules |
Either way, the new board will look at your exam. Most accept the NCMHCE for the clinical license, but not all do; the state requirements page shows which exam each board lists.
Moving? The privilege doesn’t move with you
Moving is different from practicing across a line. A privilege rests on the state where you live, so when you move, your new state becomes your home state and you need its license. Building a way to turn a privilege into a home-state license is on the Commission’s list of steps states are still completing.
Associates aren’t eligible; MFTs and social workers have separate rules
- Associates and provisional licensees: not eligible. The Compact needs a license to practice independently.
- Marriage and family therapists: there is no MFT compact. An LMFT can use the Counseling Compact only with a qualifying counseling license as well.
- Social workers: they have their own Social Work Licensure Compact.
- Psychologists: they use PSYPACT.
Every state’s status
| State | Status |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Member, not yet live |
| Alaska | Not a member |
| Arizona | Issuing privileges |
| Arkansas | Issuing privileges |
| California | Not a member |
| Colorado | Member, not yet live |
| Connecticut | Member, not yet live |
| Delaware | Member, not yet live |
| District of Columbia | Member, not yet live |
| Florida | Member, not yet live |
| Georgia | Issuing privileges |
| Hawaii | Not a member |
| Idaho | Not a member |
| Illinois | Not a member |
| Indiana | Issuing privileges |
| Iowa | Member, not yet live |
| Kansas | Member, not yet live |
| Kentucky | Member, not yet live |
| Louisiana | Issuing privileges |
| Maine | Member, not yet live |
| Maryland | Member, not yet live |
| Massachusetts | Not a member |
| Michigan | Not a member |
| Minnesota | Issuing privileges |
| Mississippi | Member, not yet live |
| Missouri | Member, not yet live |
| Montana | Member, not yet live |
| Nebraska | Member, not yet live |
| Nevada | Member, not yet live |
| New Hampshire | Member, not yet live |
| New Jersey | Member, not yet live |
| New Mexico | Not a member |
| New York | Not a member |
| North Carolina | Member, not yet live |
| North Dakota | Member, not yet live |
| Ohio | Issuing privileges |
| Oklahoma | Issuing privileges |
| Oregon | Not a member |
| Pennsylvania | Member, not yet live |
| Rhode Island | Member, not yet live |
| South Carolina | Member, not yet live |
| South Dakota | Member, not yet live |
| Tennessee | Issuing privileges |
| Texas | Not a member |
| Utah | Member, not yet live |
| Vermont | Member, not yet live |
| Virginia | Member, not yet live |
| Washington | Member, not yet live |
| West Virginia | Member, not yet live |
| Wisconsin | Member, not yet live |
| Wyoming | Issuing privileges |
Counseling Compact FAQ
Which states are in the Counseling Compact?
As of October 17, 2026, 40 jurisdictions have joined. 10 are issuing privileges to practice: Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming. 11 have not joined, including California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Texas.
Is the Counseling Compact active yet?
Partly. As of October 17, 2026, 10 member states are issuing privileges to practice, and a counselor licensed in and living in one of them can apply for a privilege in any of the other 9. The other members are still completing the steps needed to go live.
How much does a Counseling Compact privilege cost?
$30 to $280 per state. Each privilege costs the Commission's $30 administrative fee plus the state's own fee: Oklahoma $30, Ohio $55, Arkansas, Indiana and Minnesota $80, Georgia $130, Louisiana $160, Tennessee $210, Arizona and Wyoming $280. Arizona, Arkansas, Ohio, Oklahoma and Tennessee also have a jurisprudence step; any assessment fee for it is separate from the privilege fee.
Is there LPC reciprocity between states?
Not in general. Each state licenses counselors itself. Between live Compact states you can get a privilege to practice; anywhere else you apply to that state's board for a license, usually by endorsement, which checks your license history and often asks for years of independent practice.
Is there a compact for marriage and family therapists?
No. There is no MFT compact. An LMFT can use the Counseling Compact only if they also hold a qualifying counseling license, such as an LPC.
Can I see telehealth clients in another state with the Compact?
Yes, if you hold a privilege for the state where the client is during the session. The rule follows the client's location, not yours.
When does a Counseling Compact privilege expire?
On the same date as your home state license at the time the privilege is issued. That date does not update by itself when you renew your license: after your board reports the new expiration date, renew the privilege separately in CompactConnect. Continuing education only has to meet your home state's rules.
Can I use the Counseling Compact with an associate or provisional license?
No. Only an unencumbered license to practice independently in your home state qualifies. Associate, provisional, student and other supervised licenses cannot use the Compact.
Sources
- Counseling Compact Commission, homepage: the 10 live states, the license each one accepts, and how privileges work. Checked October 17, 2026.
- Counseling Compact Commission, fees: each live state’s fee and the $30 administrative fee. Checked October 17, 2026.
- Counseling Compact Commission, jurisprudence information: which states require an exam, tutorial or video. Checked October 17, 2026.
- Counseling Compact Commission, compact map and member list: the 40 members. Checked October 10, 2026. Its live list is older than the homepage’s.
- Counseling Compact Commission, Pennsylvania becomes the 40th member: signed July 12, 2026. Checked October 10, 2026.
- Counseling Compact Commission, information for counselors and FAQ: home state, eligibility, fees, application process, MFTs and social workers. Checked October 17, 2026. The FAQ and the map page list fewer live states than the homepage; this page follows the homepage.
- CompactConnect, the Commission's application system, for the latest implementation updates.
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