Look up your state
Choose a state to see its exam, fee, supervised hours and sources.
Same license, different names: LPC, LMHC, LCPC, LPCC or LCMHC. Confirm with your board before you register; rules change.
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Try a free caseWhich states require the NCMHCE?
These boards list the NCMHCE as the exam for the clinical counseling license: California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont.
Each of these boards' rules, with fees and the Florida and Virginia pass data, is on NCMHCE requirements by state; the LMHC states are on the LMHC exam page.
States that accept either exam
These boards accept the NCMHCE or the NCE, so you can choose: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
States where we could not confirm the NCMHCE
The board pages we checked for these states do not list the NCMHCE for the clinical license: Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania. That does not mean the NCMHCE is refused; the exam may be named in rules or forms we did not review. Ask the board which exams it accepts.
If your state accepts either, look up any state you might move to as well. If that state requires one of the two, taking it now may save you a second exam; confirm with both boards. The NCE vs NCMHCE checker compares two states at once.
What these requirements leave out
| Fees | The board’s fee only. The NCMHCE itself is $275, paid to NBCC. |
|---|---|
| Hours | Counted differently by state: total, direct contact or supervision. Read the board’s rule. |
| First licenses | Some states, such as North Carolina and South Carolina, have an associate license first. |
| Extra exams | California law and ethics exam; jurisprudence exams in Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas; a laws-and-rules course in Florida. |
All states at a glance
The table shows which exam each state's counseling board uses for the clinical license, what the application costs, and how many supervised hours it asks for, with a link to each board.
"Not verified" means we could not confirm that detail from the board's own pages. It is a gap in our research, not a sign that the state has no requirement. For those cells, ask the board through the Board link at the end of the row.
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| State | License | Exam | Application fee | Supervised experience | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | Not confirmed | $200 application fee | 3,000 supervised client-service hours; reductions may be available for qualifying graduate coursework | Board |
| Alaska | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | $200 nonrefundable application fee; $470 total application and initial license fees | 3,000 supervised hours over at least 2 years, including 1,000 direct-service hours and 100 hours of face-to-face supervision | Board |
| Arizona | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | Not verified | 3,200 supervised work hours, including at least 1,600 direct client-contact hours | Board |
| Arkansas | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | $100 application fee | 3,000 client-contact hours and at least 175 hours of supervision for LPC | Board |
| California | Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) | NCMHCE required | $125 application fee; the initial license fee is paid separately after you pass both exams | 3,000 supervised hours over at least 104 weeks | Board |
| Colorado | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | Not confirmed | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Connecticut | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | $0 application fee | 3,000 postgraduate hours over at least 2 years, including at least 100 hours of direct supervision | Board |
| Delaware | Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH) | NCMHCE or NCE | $272 application fee | 3,200 total post-master's experience hours, including 1,600 supervised professional-counseling hours and 100 hours of face-to-face supervision | Board |
| District of Columbia | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | $230 application and initial license fee | 3,500 postgraduate supervised hours, including 200 hours of immediate supervision; at least 100 supervision hours must be with an LPC | Board |
| Florida | Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) | NCMHCE required Florida needs no board approval before the NCMHCE: you apply to CCE directly with its exam application form and your official transcript. The exam fee is $350 for the first attempt and $275 for a retake, paid to CCE. | $180 total at initial application ($100 application, $75 initial license, $5 unlicensed-activity fee) | At least 2 years of supervised experience, including 1,500 face-to-face psychotherapy hours and 100 supervision hours | Board |
| Georgia | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | $110 application fee | Not verified | Board |
| Hawaii | Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) | Not confirmed | $60 application fee | 3,000 postgraduate mental-health-counseling hours with 100 face-to-face clinical-supervision hours, completed in 2–4 years | Board |
| Idaho | Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | NCMHCE required | $300 initial LPC/LCPC application fee | Not verified | Board |
| Illinois | Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | NCMHCE required Both the NCE and the NCMHCE, or the CRCE; with only one of the two, you must pass the other. | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Indiana | Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) | NCMHCE required | $50 application fee | 3,000 postgraduate clinical hours over 21–48 months, including 100 hours of face-to-face supervision | Board |
| Iowa | Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) | NCMHCE required For the full LMHC license Iowa requires the NCMHCE; the temporary LMHC license accepts the NCMHCE or the NCE, and an NCMHCE pass for the temporary license counts for the full one. | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Kansas | Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | NCMHCE required | $50 application fee | 3,000 supervised clinical hours completed over at least 24 months | Board |
| Kentucky | Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) | NCMHCE or NCE | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Louisiana | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | $200 LPC licensure application fee | 3,000 hours of Board-approved supervised experience over at least 24 months | Board |
| Maine | Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | NCMHCE required | $221 total ($200 license fee and $21 criminal-history-check fee) | For the conditional-to-clinical path: 3,000 supervised hours over at least 2 years after a 900-hour graduate internship, or 4,000 hours after a 600-hour internship | Board |
| Maryland | Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | Not confirmed | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Massachusetts | Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) | NCMHCE required | $272 total ($117 application fee and $155 initial license fee) | 3,360 post-master's hours over 2–8 years, including 960 direct-contact hours and 130 supervision hours | Board |
| Michigan | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Minnesota | Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) | NCMHCE required | $400 application fee plus a $35 criminal-background-check fee ($435 total), or $400 if you already hold a BBHT background check | 4,000 supervised post-master's clinical-practice hours, including 1,800 direct-client-contact hours and 200 supervision hours | Board |
| Mississippi | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Missouri | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | Not confirmed | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Montana | Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | Not verified | 3,000 hours of supervised counseling experience | Board |
| Nebraska | Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (LMHP) | NCMHCE or NCE | $155 for one LMHP/LIMHP license type, or a prorated $38.75 during the stated renewal-cycle period; statutory waivers may apply | 3,000 hours of supervised mental-health practice | Board |
| Nevada | Clinical Professional Counselor (CPC) | NCMHCE required | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| New Hampshire | Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) | NCMHCE required | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| New Jersey | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | Not confirmed | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| New Mexico | Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LPCC) | NCMHCE required | $75 application fee; $220 initial LPCC licensure fee | 3,000 hours of postgraduate clinical client contact plus 100 hours of face-to-face postgraduate supervision over at least 2 years | Board |
| New York | Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) | NCMHCE required | $371 licensure and first-registration fee | 3,000 supervised post-degree hours, including at least 1,500 direct client-contact hours | Board |
| North Carolina | Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) | NCMHCE or NCE | $238 LCMHCA-to-LCMHC application fee, including a $38 criminal-background-check fee | 3,000 supervised professional-practice hours, including 2,000 direct-counseling hours and 100 clinical-supervision hours | Board |
| North Dakota | Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) | NCMHCE required | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Ohio | Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) | NCMHCE or NCE Since January 1, 2026, Ohio no longer requires a second exam for the LPCC: an LPC who passed either the NCE or the NCMHCE qualifies after completing supervision. | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Oklahoma | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | Not confirmed | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Oregon | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Pennsylvania | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | Not confirmed | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Rhode Island | Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) | NCMHCE required | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| South Carolina | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | $150 Professional Counselor Associate application fee | 1,500 post-master's hours over at least 2 years, including 1,380 direct-client-contact hours and 120 supervision hours | Board |
| South Dakota | Licensed Professional Counselor–Mental Health (LPC-MH) | NCMHCE required | $100 Plan of Supervision application fee plus $225 full-license fee | For LPC-MH after LPC: at least 2,000 direct-client-contact hours in a clinical setting plus 100 supervision hours under an approved plan | Board |
| Tennessee | Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Service Provider designation (LPC-MHSP) | NCMHCE required | Not verified | At least 2 years and 3,000 professional-experience hours: 1,500 face-to-face counseling hours, 1,500 clinically related hours, and 150 supervision hours | Board |
| Texas | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Utah | Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CMHC) | NCMHCE required | $120 nonrefundable application-processing fee | 3,000 post-graduate supervised-experience hours | Board |
| Vermont | Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) | NCMHCE required Vermont requires both the NCMHCE and the NCE for this license. | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Virginia | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | $175 LPC licensure-by-examination fee | Board-approved residency with 2,000 face-to-face clinical-counseling hours and 200 individual face-to-face supervision hours, completed over at least 21 months | Board |
| Washington | Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) | NCMHCE or NCE | Not verified | At least 36 months full-time or 3,000 postgraduate hours, including 1,200 direct-counseling hours and 100 immediate-supervision hours | Board |
| West Virginia | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Wisconsin | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
| Wyoming | Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) | NCMHCE or NCE | Not verified | Not verified | Board |
If you might move states
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| New state wants the NCMHCE; you took the NCE | If your state takes either, take the NCMHCE now. NY, MA and IL movers had to sit it later. |
| Slow approvals | Apply early; keep copies of hours and supervisor forms |
| Hours not counted | Ask the new board how it counts them before you rely on them |
| Practicing across state lines | Check the Counseling Compact; 10 states are live |
| Already licensed, moving to a new state | Apply by endorsement; see LPC reciprocity by state for each board’s rule |
LPC requirements FAQ
What is the difference between an LPC and an LMHC?
Usually nothing but the name. States use different titles for the same clinical counseling license: LPC, LMHC, LCPC, LPCC or LCMHC. Some states also have a first, supervised license, such as an associate license, before the clinical one.
Which states require the NCMHCE?
For the clinical counseling license, 20 jurisdictions require the NCMHCE, including California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York, and 23 accept either the NCMHCE or the NCE. Confirm with your board before you register, because rules change: Ohio, for example, stopped requiring a second exam for the LPCC on January 1, 2026.
Can I move my counseling license to another state?
Usually by endorsement: you apply to the new state's board, which checks your license, hours and exam. If the new state requires the NCMHCE and you passed only the NCE, you may need to take it. The Counseling Compact lets licensed counselors practice in member states that have started issuing privileges. Each state's endorsement rule is on the LPC reciprocity page.
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