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The Counseling Compact in 2026: Live States, Fees and Insurance

Updated 8 min readSources checked

The short answer

The Counseling Compact lets a licensed professional counselor who lives in a member state practice in other member states with a privilege to practice, instead of a second license. As of October 19, 2026, 11 states issue privileges and 40 jurisdictions have joined. A privilege does not put you in any insurance network: each insurer still credentials you for that state.

On this page
  1. 01What it is
  2. 02Live states
  3. 03Who qualifies
  4. 04Applying and fees
  5. 05Holding a privilege
  6. 06Insurance and Medicare

What is the Counseling Compact?

It is an agreement among states that lets a licensed professional counselor practice in other member states without a license in each one. You keep your home-state license and apply for a privilege to practice in each other state you need.

  • The compact defines a privilege to practice as "a legal authorization, which is equivalent to a license" in the other state. [2]
  • Counseling happens where the client is during the session, so you need a license or a privilege in the client's state. The compact text expressly covers telehealth. [2][3]
  • Your state joining is not enough on its own. The Commission says counselors must apply for a privilege in each state. [3]

Which states are in the Counseling Compact in 2026?

Eleven states issue privileges, and 40 jurisdictions have joined: 39 states and the District of Columbia. Both your home state and the state you want to practice in must be issuing privileges for you to use it.

States issuing privileges, from the Commission's news posts, map data and fee table (read October 22 and 23, 2026)
StateIssuing sinceEligible licenseTotal fee per privilege
ArizonaSeptember 30, 2025LPC$280
MinnesotaSeptember 30, 2025LPCC$80
OhioJanuary 5, 2026LPCC$55
LouisianaApril 20, 2026LPC$160
GeorgiaJune 2, 2026LPC$130
IndianaJune 8, 2026LMHC$80
ArkansasJuly 30, 2026LPC$80
WyomingAugust 31, 2026LPC$280
TennesseeSeptember 1, 2026LPC-MHSP$210
OklahomaOctober 1, 2026LPC$30
MissouriOctober 19, 2026LPC$130
  • Members still completing the steps: Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. [4]
  • Pennsylvania enacted the compact on July 12, 2026. Michigan has a bill filed. [7][4]
  • The Commission publishes no go-live dates for the remaining members, and says some may need more time. [1]

Who can use the Counseling Compact?

Counselors who hold an independent, unencumbered license in the member state where they live. The license title varies by state, but it must let you assess, diagnose and treat without supervision.

  • You join through your home-state license, meaning the state where you live. A license from another state does not qualify. [3][2]
  • You need no discipline on any license or privilege in the past two years, and a Social Security number or NPI. [2]
  • Counselors still completing supervised hours are not eligible, whatever their license is called. LCSWs and LMFTs typically are not either; the Commission notes there is no compact for marriage and family therapists. [1][3]
  • Some states require a jurisprudence exam on their laws, and Georgia licensees need approval from the Georgia board in its GOALS system before applying. [5][6]

How do you apply, and what does it cost?

You apply yourself, online in CompactConnect, one state at a time. Each privilege costs a $30 Commission fee plus that state's fee, from $30 in total in Oklahoma to $280 in Arizona and Wyoming.

  • The Commission says the application must be completed and submitted by the licensee, and that "employers, third-party affiliates, or other representatives may not legally complete or submit the application on behalf of a licensee." [6][1]
  • Both fees recur and are not refundable, and a state can change its fee with 30 days' notice. A state's jurisprudence exam fee, if any, is separate. [8][3]
  • Your privilege number shows on your CompactConnect dashboard almost at once, and you can start practicing in that state when it does. [1]
  • A privilege lasts until your home-state license expires. It does not update when you renew that license: you renew the privilege in CompactConnect after your state reports the new date. [1][2]

What changes once you hold a privilege?

You follow the laws of the state where you are practicing under the privilege, and that state can discipline you. Two new rules took effect on October 2, 2026.

  • Where your license number is not shown, you use the designation "Counseling Compact-Privilege to Practice-XX", with XX for the state. [10]
  • If you move to another member state, you must apply to convert your privilege there into a home-state license within 60 days. [9]
  • You complete continuing education for your home state only. The compact does not cover supervisor credentials. [3]
  • Anyone, including an insurer's credentialing team, can verify a privilege on CompactConnect's public search. [6]

Does the Counseling Compact get you paid by insurance in another state?

Not by itself. A privilege is about licensure; each insurer still decides whether to credential you for that state, and you apply to each one separately.

  • The Commission says the policies of individual insurance companies "are not yet known to the Compact", and tells counselors to check with their insurers before applying for a privilege. [3][1]
  • On October 22, 2026 we searched UnitedHealthcare and Optum, Aetna, Cigna and Evernorth for a published policy on counselors practicing under a privilege, and found none.
  • Ohio's counseling board says a privilege holder must be treated as licensed in Ohio, "for both service delivery and reimbursement". That is Ohio's statement; other boards have not said the same. [11]
  • For Medicare, CMS treats licenses from interstate compacts as full licenses for enrollment, but its guidance names the physician, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and psychology compacts. It does not name the Counseling Compact. [12][13]
  • Medicare's rule for mental health counselors requires a license or certification "by the State in which the services are performed". [14]

Before you pay for a privilege in a new state:

  1. Check both states Your home state and the new state must both be issuing privileges.

  2. Ask each insurer Ask the insurers your clients in that state carry whether they will credential you under a privilege.

  3. Ask your platform or employer The Commission says to check their policies too.

  4. Budget per state Each privilege has its own fee, and it recurs at renewal.

  5. Diary the renewal Renew each privilege after your home-state license renews.

Sources (14)

Show all

Every source behind this guide, with the label we gave it and the date we read it.

Verified Official and primary sources

  1. [1]Counseling Compact Commission, Home page. Live states, applying, renewals, checking with insurers. Read October 22, 2026.
  2. [2]Counseling Compact Commission, Counseling Compact model legislation. Privilege defined, eligibility, telehealth, home state. Read October 22, 2026.
  3. [3]Counseling Compact Commission, FAQ: info for counselors. Eligibility, CE, insurance policies not yet known. Read October 22, 2026.
  4. [4]Counseling Compact Commission, Compact map data (last modified October 19, 2026). Member and live states. Read October 23, 2026.
  5. [5]Counseling Compact Commission, Fees, jurisprudence exam and contact information. Fee and license type in each live state; jurisprudence exams. Read October 22, 2026.
  6. [6]Counseling Compact Commission, Apply or verify. Who may submit, Georgia approval, public verification. Read October 22, 2026.
  7. [7]Counseling Compact Commission, News. Each state's go-live date; Pennsylvania. Read October 22, 2026.
  8. [8]Counseling Compact Commission, Rule chapter 7: fees. The $30 fee; recurring, non-refundable. Read October 22, 2026.
  9. [9]Counseling Compact Commission, Rule chapter 8: converting a privilege to a home-state license. The 60-day rule after a move. Read October 22, 2026.
  10. [10]Counseling Compact Commission, Rule chapter 9: consistent credentialing. The required designation. Read October 22, 2026.
  11. [11]Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board, Counseling Compact privileges. Ohio's statement on reimbursement. Read October 22, 2026.
  12. [12]CMS, MLN Matters SE20008: Medicare recognition of interstate license compacts. Which compacts CMS names. Read October 22, 2026.
  13. [13]CMS, Medicare Program Integrity Manual, chapter 10. Compact licenses in Medicare enrollment. Read October 22, 2026.
  14. [14]eCFR, 42 CFR 410.54, Mental health counselor services. Licensed by the state where services are performed. Read October 22, 2026.

Related

Medtransic Insights. Reviewed by the Medtransic team on October 23, 2026. Medtransic is a medical billing and insurance credentialing company. This guide is general information, not legal advice; for questions about a contract, talk to a healthcare attorney.

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