certification.app/resources/Counseling Compact

Membership verified September 2026

Counseling Compact states: who is in, who is live, and how it works

The Counseling Compact lets a licensed professional counselor practice in other member states on a privilege to practice instead of a second full license. 40 jurisdictions have enacted it and 9 are issuing privileges today. Membership changes several times a year, so every claim on this page is dated and sourced to the Counseling Compact Commission or the enacted state bill.

Enacted

40 jurisdictions

39 states plus the District of Columbia have passed the compact into law.

Issuing privileges

9 states

Live through CompactConnect as of September 2026. The newest is Tennessee on September 1, 2026.

Not enacted

11 states

1 has a compact bill filed this session. 10 have no active bill, though several saw earlier bills fail.

CE obligation

Home state only

Privilege holders complete CE for their home-state license. Each privilege renews on that home-state cycle.

Counseling Compact map

Tap a state for its enacting bill, effective date, and what the status means for a counselor licensed there. Dark tiles issue privileges today; light green tiles have enacted the compact and are still implementing it.

StatusLive: issuing privilegesEnacted, not yet liveBill filed, not enactedNot participating

Live: issuing privileges (9)

Ordered by go-live date. Each of these boards issues privileges to its own licensees and accepts privileges from counselors in the other live states.

Enacted, not yet live (31)

Member jurisdictions still completing the technical and regulatory steps. A counselor licensed here cannot apply for a privilege yet, and counselors from live states cannot use one here yet.

Bill filed, not enacted (1)

A compact bill is filed in the current session but has not become law. Nothing changes for licensees until enactment.

Michigan

Not participating (10)

No active compact bill on the Commission's map. Several of these states saw bills fail in earlier sessions; each state page links them.

How the privilege to practice works

The compact is an agreement among member states, administered by the Counseling Compact Commission. A counselor keeps one full license in their home state, the member state where they live. That license anchors everything else: the privilege application, discipline, and continuing education.

A privilege to practiceis the authorization a remote member state grants, on request, to treat clients located there, in person or by telehealth. It is not a license. You apply for each remote state separately through CompactConnect, the Commission's licensing data system, and the privilege number issues almost immediately when the checks pass.

Both states have to be live. Your home state must be issuing privileges and the remote state must be accepting them. Enacting the compact is the legislative step; going live is the technical one, and the gap between them has run from months to years.

Who qualifies

An unencumbered license to independently diagnose, assess, and treat at the highest counseling level in your home state. Associate, provisional, and supervised licenses do not qualify.
A 60 semester-hour counseling degree, or equivalent graduate coursework, from an accredited program.
Passage of a national licensing exam for initial licensure, which every member state requires.
No active discipline or encumbrance on any license.
A jurisprudence exam in each remote state that requires one before it grants a privilege.
Residence in your home state. The privilege follows the license of the state you live in.

Per the Commission's FAQ. Each live board publishes its own privilege requirements too.

Applying for a compact privilege

Applications run through the Commission, not through the remote state's board. The flow below is the Commission's published process; your home board may add a verification step of its own.

Step 1
Confirm both states are live
Check the map above. If your home state is only enacted, there is nothing to apply for yet.
Step 2
Create a CompactConnect account
Register at app.compactconnect.org and link your home-state license. Your board must have uploaded your license record.
Step 3
Select remote states and attest
Choose each state you want a privilege in, complete any jurisprudence exam that state requires, and attest to eligibility.
Step 4
Pay and receive the privilege
The Commission charges $30 per privilege plus each state's fee ($0 to $264). The privilege number appears almost immediately.

Live states: the home-state credential each board issues privileges from
State	Issuing since	Home-state credential	Board
Arizona	September 30, 2025	Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)	Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners
Minnesota	September 30, 2025	Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)	Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy
Ohio	January 5, 2026	Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)	Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board
Louisiana	April 20, 2026	Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)	Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners
Georgia	June 2, 2026	Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)	Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists
Indiana	June 8, 2026	Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)	Indiana Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board
Arkansas	July 30, 2026	Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)	Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling
Wyoming	August 31, 2026	Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)	Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board
Tennessee	September 1, 2026	Licensed Professional Counselor, Mental Health Service Provider (LPC-MHSP)	Tennessee Board for Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapists

Continuing education for privilege holders

The compact simplifies CE rather than multiplying it. The Commission's FAQ is direct: practitioners only need to complete CE for their home state. A privilege expires with the home-state license, so the remote states never run their own CE clock on you.

Two things still bite. First, the home-state renewal now carries every privilege with it. Miss it, or let the license lapse, and every privilege lapses at once. Second, counselors who hold full licenses in states that are not live (or not members at all) still owe those boards their own CE, on their own cycles, until they convert that license to a privilege or let it go. A Texas or California license, for example, cannot be replaced by a privilege.

See the LPC CE requirements by state for what each home board asks, sourced from the board rule.

Practicing in more than one state?

Track every home-state CE deadline in one place. certification.app applies each board's rule to each license on your roster, so a compact privilege, an out-of-compact license, and the home license that anchors them all show one deadline list.

Start a free practice trial

The compact is not reciprocity

Searches for "LPC reciprocity states" usually mean one of three different things. No state accepts another state's counseling license outright, so the practical answer is always one of these routes.

Route	What you get	Where it works	CE you owe
Compact privilege	Authorization to practice in a remote state on your home-state license. Not a license; it cannot be transferred and ends if the home license lapses.	Only between two live compact states. 9 states as of September 2026.	Home state only.
Licensure by endorsement	A full second license issued because you already hold a substantially equivalent license elsewhere. Boards often call this "reciprocity" even though the application, fee, and background check are the state's own.	Every state, member or not. Requirements differ: some boards accept the license alone, others re-check coursework, hours, and exams.	Each state's full CE cycle, separately.
New license by examination	The standard path when your credentials do not match the new state's standards closely enough for endorsement.	Every state.	Each state's full CE cycle, separately.

Which states have LPC reciprocity with Texas?

None in the compact sense. Texas has not enacted the compact (2025 bills did not pass), so a Texas LPC cannot hold a compact privilege anywhere and no out-of-state counselor can use one in Texas. Moving a license into or out of Texas means licensure by endorsement with the receiving board, state by state.

Holding LPC licenses in multiple states

Still common, and still necessary wherever the compact is not live. Each license runs its own renewal date, CE total, and ethics minimum. The State of CE report shows how far those totals diverge: LPC CE hours by state.

Compact status by state

One page per state with the enacting bill, dates, and a link to that state's LPC CE requirements.

Counseling Compact: common questions

Is the Counseling Compact reciprocity?

No. Reciprocity would mean one state accepts another state's license outright. The compact instead grants a privilege to practice in each remote state you apply to, based on your home-state license. You apply state by state, pay each state's fee, and remain subject to that state's practice laws. Licensure by endorsement, which boards sometimes call reciprocity, is still a separate application for a full license.

Do I still owe continuing education in every state where I hold a privilege?

No. The Commission's FAQ states that practitioners only need to complete CE for their home state. A privilege expires on the home-state license renewal cycle, so keeping the home license in good standing is what keeps every privilege alive.

Which states are live in the Counseling Compact?

As of September 2026, 9 states issue privileges to practice: Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana, Arkansas, Wyoming, Tennessee. The other member jurisdictions have enacted the compact but are still completing the technical and regulatory steps before they can issue or accept privileges.

Can associate or provisional counselors use the compact?

No. Only counselors holding an unencumbered license to independently diagnose, assess, and treat at the highest level in their home state qualify. Provisional, associate, student, and supervised licenses are ineligible under the Commission's rules.

Is Pennsylvania in the Counseling Compact?

Yes, Pennsylvania is a member: the compact was enacted july 12, 2026. It is not yet issuing or accepting privileges, so a Pennsylvania counselor still needs a full license or endorsement in other states for now. Details: https://www.certification.app/resources/counseling-compact/pa

Is Texas in the Counseling Compact?

No. Texas is not a member. Earlier compact bills did not pass and the Commission lists no active Texas bill. Practicing across state lines from or into Texas still means licensure by endorsement. Details: https://www.certification.app/resources/counseling-compact/tx

Is Florida in the Counseling Compact?

Yes, Florida is a member: the compact was enacted april 6, 2022. It is not yet issuing or accepting privileges, so a Florida counselor still needs a full license or endorsement in other states for now. Details: https://www.certification.app/resources/counseling-compact/fl

Is California in the Counseling Compact?

No. California is not a member. Earlier compact bills did not pass and the Commission lists no active California bill. Practicing across state lines from or into California still means licensure by endorsement. Details: https://www.certification.app/resources/counseling-compact/ca

Is Illinois in the Counseling Compact?

No. Illinois is not a member. Earlier compact bills did not pass and the Commission lists no active Illinois bill. Practicing across state lines from or into Illinois still means licensure by endorsement. Details: https://www.certification.app/resources/counseling-compact/il

Is Massachusetts in the Counseling Compact?

No. Massachusetts is not a member. The Commission lists no Massachusetts compact bill. Practicing across state lines from or into Massachusetts still means licensure by endorsement. Details: https://www.certification.app/resources/counseling-compact/ma

Is Louisiana in the Counseling Compact?

Yes. Louisiana enacted the compact and has been issuing privileges to practice since April 20, 2026. Details: https://www.certification.app/resources/counseling-compact/la

Is Missouri in the Counseling Compact?

Yes, Missouri is a member: the compact was enacted 2023. It is not yet issuing or accepting privileges, so a Missouri counselor still needs a full license or endorsement in other states for now. Details: https://www.certification.app/resources/counseling-compact/mo

Is New Jersey in the Counseling Compact?

Yes, New Jersey is a member: the compact was enacted 2024. It is not yet issuing or accepting privileges, so a New Jersey counselor still needs a full license or endorsement in other states for now. Details: https://www.certification.app/resources/counseling-compact/nj

Is Maryland in the Counseling Compact?

Yes, Maryland is a member: the compact was enacted may 18, 2021. It is not yet issuing or accepting privileges, so a Maryland counselor still needs a full license or endorsement in other states for now. Details: https://www.certification.app/resources/counseling-compact/md

Sources and method

Membership, go-live dates, eligibility, and fees come from the Counseling Compact Commission: compact map, FAQ, application information, and news. Each state page links the enacting bill on the state legislature's site. Where the Commission announced a signing date we show it; where it announced only the session, we show the year.

Last checked September 4, 2026. Membership and live status change several times a year; if you find this page behind the Commission, tell us. Nothing here is legal advice; confirm with your board before relying on a privilege.