PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING

Counseling Compact: live states, eligibility, and fees

Check which states are live, review eligibility and fees, and learn how compact privileges can support counseling across state lines.

Written by Meghan Gilliland, LCSW, LICSW
Updated October 3, 2026

CURRENT STATUS

Live in 10 states.

40 jurisdictions have enacted legislationThat includes 39 states and the District of Columbia.
Both states must be liveCheck your home state and each state where you want to practice.
Apply for each remote-state privilegeReceive the privilege before providing care under the compact.

IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE

Current status of the Counseling Compact

The compact is operational in 10 states. Oklahoma became the 10th state to begin issuing privileges on October 1, 2026.

The Commission’s October 1 announcement confirms the live states. The remaining 30 enacted jurisdictions are awaiting implementation.

Enacted: A jurisdiction has passed compact legislation. It may still need to finish rules, background-check processes, and data system preparation.
Live: A state has completed implementation and can issue or accept compact privileges for eligible counselors.
Your privilege: You have received authorization for a specific remote state. Membership alone does not authorize you to practice there.

This guide is for general education and planning. Verify current requirements with the Counseling Compact and the relevant state licensing boards before making practice decisions.

HOW IT WORKS

What is the Counseling Compact?

The Counseling Compact is an interstate occupational licensure compact for eligible professional counselors. It is designed to improve access to counseling services, support portability, preserve state regulatory authority, and reduce the need for counselors to complete a full separate license application in every compact state where they want to practice.

The compact creates a pathway for eligible counselors to use a qualifying home-state license to apply for a privilege to practice in available remote compact states.

The compact does not create one national counseling license. It also does not remove the role of state licensing boards. Counselors using the compact still need to meet eligibility requirements, apply for the proper privilege, and follow the rules of the state where the client is located during the session.

LICENSE TYPES

Which counseling licenses qualify?

The Counseling Compact is designed for counselors who hold an unencumbered, independent, highest-level professional counseling license in their compact home state and meet the compact’s other eligibility requirements.

LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor, when the license authorizes independent practice.

LPCC

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, including the qualifying license in Minnesota and Ohio.

LMHC

Licensed Mental Health Counselor, including the qualifying license in Indiana.

LPC-MHSP

Licensed Professional Counselor with the Mental Health Service Provider designation in Tennessee.

License titles vary by state. Check the qualifying home-state license in the live-state table. Student, associate, provisional, and other supervised-status licenses do not qualify. LMFTs and LCSWs need a separate pathway unless they also hold a qualifying counseling license.

STATE PARTICIPATION

Counseling Compact states: live and enacted

Eligible counselors who live and hold a qualifying license in one of the states below can apply for privileges in the other live states. The fee and jurisprudence requirement apply to the state where you request a privilege.

Live states and listed privilege fees. Reviewed October 3, 2026. Total fees include the $30 compact administrative fee.
Live state	Qualifying home-state license	Total privilege fee	Jurisprudence requirement
Arizona	LPC	$280	Tutorial required
Arkansas	LPC	$80	Jurisprudence requirement
Georgia	LPC	$130	None listed
Indiana	LMHC	$80	None listed
Louisiana	LPC	$160	None listed
Minnesota	LPCC	$80	None listed
Ohio	LPCC	$55	Video requirement
Oklahoma	LPC	$30	Jurisprudence exam
Tennessee	LPC-MHSP	$210	Jurisprudence exam
Wyoming	LPC	$280	None listed

Fees may change, and a required exam or tutorial may have a separate charge. Confirm the official fees and jurisprudence requirements before applying.

Enacted but not yet live

These 30 jurisdictions have enacted legislation but are not yet issuing or accepting compact privileges.

Alabama
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
North Carolina
North Dakota
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin

Pennsylvania enacted the compact in July 2026. Privileges involving Pennsylvania will become available after it completes implementation. Check the official application page for live-state updates and the compact map for legislative participation.

LICENSING PATHWAYS

Compact privileges and individual state licenses

The Counseling Compact is different from traditional multi-state licensure. With traditional multi-state licensure, a counselor applies separately to each state where they want to practice. Each state may have its own application, fees, documentation, jurisprudence requirements, renewal rules, and continuing education requirements.

With the Counseling Compact, an eligible counselor may use a qualifying home-state license to apply for a privilege to practice in another live compact state. That privilege is not the same as automatically holding full separate licenses in every compact state.

Individual state licenses

Apply separately in each state
Useful for compact states, noncompact states, and states that are not yet live
May be necessary if the counselor does not qualify for the compact
Each state may have its own renewal, fee, and continuing education rules

Counseling Compact privileges

Available through live compact states.
Require a qualifying home-state license.
Apply for a privilege in each remote state where you want to practice.
Pay the applicable fees and complete required jurisprudence steps.
Follow the laws and scope of practice where the client is located.

A privilege permits counseling in person or by telehealth in the state that issued it. It does not create a national license or authorize practice in nonmember states.

BEFORE YOU APPLY

What to check for compact eligibility

Review your circumstances with your home-state board. The compact legislation and adopted rules govern eligibility.

Your home state

Participate through the license from your primary state of residence. That state must be live. Holding an additional license in a live state does not make it your compact home state.

Your license and practice authority

You need an unencumbered license that permits independent assessment, diagnosis, and treatment at the highest counseling license level in your home state. Review any disciplinary history or restrictions with your board.

Your education and exam history

Confirm that you meet the compact’s education, examination, and supervised-experience requirements. The exam rule (PDF) recognizes the NCE, NCMHCE, and CRCE.

If you were independently licensed before your home state joined, ask your board about the legacy eligibility rule (PDF). Other compact requirements still apply.

Each remote state

Confirm the state is live, complete any required jurisprudence step, and receive a privilege for that state. State implementation also depends on required criminal background-check processes and data system readiness.

FEES AND RENEWALS

Plan for each privilege’s cost and expiration date

Counselors pay for each remote-state privilege. The fee table above shows the current state fee plus the $30 compact administrative fee.

Renew each privilege in CompactConnect

A privilege expires on the home-state license expiration date recorded when the privilege is issued. Renewing your home-state license does not automatically extend your privileges.

After the home state renews your license and reports its new expiration date, renew each privilege in CompactConnect. Check the official renewal guidance before applying near your license renewal date.

Check payer and platform acceptance

A compact privilege provides practice authorization, but platforms, employers, and insurance arrangements may have additional requirements. Confirm that they accept the privilege before relying on it for paid services.

The official application guidance specifically advises checking platform and insurance policies.

ONLINE CARE

What does the compact mean for telehealth?

The Counseling Compact is especially relevant to online therapy because online clients are not always in one fixed location. Clients may move, travel, attend college out of state, split time between seasonal homes, or need continuity of care during major life transitions.

Confirm where the client will attend each session.

A counselor must be licensed, hold a compact privilege, or have another lawful authorization in the state where the client is physically located during care.

Verify that location before each session, obtain telehealth consent as required, and follow the applicable state’s practice rules. The HHS guide to licensing across state lines explains the available licensing pathways.

FOR CLIENTS

Check your counselor’s authorization before plans change.

A move, trip, or semester away may change where you attend sessions. Ask your counselor whether they can provide care in each location.

Moving: Can we continue sessions after I move to this state?
Traveling: Are you licensed or authorized in every state where I will attend?
Finding a new counselor: Where are you currently licensed or authorized to practice?

You can also verify a compact privilege through the Commission’s public verification link.

NEXT STEPS

How to apply for a Counseling Compact privilege

Choose states based on where your clients attend sessions, where you receive inquiries, and where you have referral relationships.

Check both states.Confirm your home state and the remote state are live. Review your license and eligibility with your home-state board.
Review the cost and state requirements.Check the privilege fee, any jurisprudence requirement, and your home-state license expiration date. Confirm payer or platform acceptance if it applies to your work.
Apply through CompactConnect.Use the official application page to register and request a privilege for each remote state you need.
Confirm the privilege was issued.Check that the privilege and its number appear in your CompactConnect dashboard before practicing under it. Contact the Commission if a completed application does not appear.
Update your practice information.List the states where you are currently licensed or hold an active privilege. Keep your website, directory profiles, and referral materials accurate, and track privilege renewal dates.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Counseling Compact FAQs

What is the difference between enacted and live?

Enacted means a jurisdiction has passed compact legislation. Live means it has completed implementation and can issue or accept privileges. You must still obtain your own privilege before practicing in a remote state under the compact.

Which states are live in the Counseling Compact?

As of October 1, 2026, the 10 live states are Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wyoming. See the live-state table for qualifying home-state licenses, fees, and jurisprudence requirements.

Who qualifies for the Counseling Compact?

The compact is generally for counselors who hold an unencumbered, independent, highest-level professional counseling license in a live compact home state and meet the compact’s education, exam, background check, and other eligibility requirements.

Can LPCs, LPCCs, and LMHCs use the Counseling Compact?

These license types can qualify in participating states, but the title alone does not establish eligibility. The license must authorize independent practice and meet the compact’s requirements. Tennessee’s qualifying license is LPC-MHSP.

Can LMFTs or LCSWs use the Counseling Compact?

Generally, no. The Counseling Compact is for qualifying professional counselors. LMFTs and LCSWs typically need separate licensure, portability, or compact pathways unless they also hold a qualifying counseling license and meet all compact requirements.

Can associate, provisional, or supervised counselors use it?

Generally, no. The compact is not designed for student, assistant, associate, provisional, or other supervised-status licenses. It also cannot be used to transfer supervised hours.

Do counselors pay one fee or a fee for each state?

You pay for each remote-state privilege. The current total includes that state’s fee and a $30 compact administrative fee. Required exams or tutorials may have separate charges. See the fee table.

Do counselors need jurisprudence exams in remote states?

Some states require an exam, tutorial, or video. Among the live states, Arizona, Arkansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee list requirements. Check the requirement for each state before applying.

Can a counselor keep seeing a client who moves?

Possibly, but only if the counselor is licensed, privileged, or otherwise authorized in the state where the client will be located. The Counseling Compact may help in some live compact-state situations, but it does not automatically authorize care across all states.

Does the compact allow online counseling in every state?

No. Your home state and the client’s state must be live, and you need an active privilege for the client’s state. For other states, use a separate license or another authorization the state permits.

Does renewing my home-state license renew my privileges?

No. Once your home state reports the renewed license and updated expiration date, renew your privileges separately in CompactConnect. Check each privilege’s expiration date so coverage does not lapse.

FOR COUNSELORS

Make your practice locations easier to find.

If you already hold licenses or compact privileges in multiple states, keep that information visible to clients and referral partners. Explore resources for building your multi-state practice and connect with other providers.