As of 18 September 2026 the Counseling Compact is live in nine states: Arizona and Minnesota (30 September 2025), Ohio (5 January 2026), Louisiana (20 April 2026), Georgia (2 June 2026), Indiana (8 June 2026), Arkansas (30 July 2026), Wyoming (31 August 2026) and Tennessee (1 September 2026). Thirty-nine states plus the District of Columbia have enacted the Compact, so thirty jurisdictions are on the map but not yet issuing.
To use it you need an unencumbered independent counselling licence in a live home state, you pay a $30 Commission fee plus the remote state's own fee per privilege, and you take that state's jurisprudence exam. Privileges are bought one state at a time through CompactConnect, never as a block.
Which states are issuing Counseling Compact privileges today?
Nine, in the order they went live: Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana, Arkansas, Wyoming, Tennessee. The dates are the Commission's own; the two most recent were nine days apart.
| # | State | Began issuing privileges | Commission announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | 30 September 2025 | "The Counseling Compact will officially go live on September 30, 2025" |
| 2 | Minnesota | 30 September 2025 | |
| 3 | Ohio | 5 January 2026 | "began issuing privileges for the state of Ohio on January 5, 2026" |
| 4 | Louisiana | 20 April 2026 | "fourth state in the nation to begin issuing privileges" |
| 5 | Georgia | 2 June 2026 | "fifth state in the nation to begin issuing privileges" |
| 6 | Indiana | 8 June 2026 | "will begin issuing privileges on Monday, June 8, 2026" |
| 7 | Arkansas | 30 July 2026 | "began issuing privileges on Thursday, July 30, 2026" |
| 8 | Wyoming | 31 August 2026 | "will begin issuing privileges on Monday, August 31, 2026" |
| 9 | Tennessee | 1 September 2026 | "will begin issuing privileges on Tuesday, September 1, 2026" |
Both ends have to be live. Your home state (where you primarily reside) must be issuing, and the state where the client sits must be issuing. A counsellor in Texas cannot use the Compact for a client in Ohio, because Texas is not live, even though Ohio is.
Which states have enacted the Compact but are not live yet?
Thirty states plus the District of Columbia have passed the Compact into law and are not yet issuing privileges. The Commission's map shows 39 states plus DC in total; subtract the nine above.
Enactment to go-live has ranged from a few months to more than two years depending on the state board's rulemaking and IT integration. The Commission does not publish a forward schedule; states announce individually, typically one to three weeks before the date. The pace in 2026 has been roughly one state every five to six weeks.
What does a Counseling Compact privilege cost?
A $30 Commission administrative fee per privilege, plus whatever the remote state charges. The Commission's FAQ notes that in a comparable compact already issuing, state fees run from $0 to $264.
Commission fee: $30
"The Commission set the administrative fee at $30 per privilege." Charged per request; five states means five fees.
State fee: set by each state
Shown at the point of purchase in CompactConnect. Do not assume last year's figure; states revise them.
Jurisprudence exam
Required in each state where you request a privilege. Some states charge for it separately.
Renewal
"Privileges will expire based on the home state license renewal cycle." Renewing the licence does not renew the privilege; each is renewed separately.
For how this compares to a full state licence, see what licensing and credentialing actually cost.
Who is eligible for a Counseling Compact privilege?
Counsellors holding an unencumbered licence to practise independently at the highest level in a live member state. In the Commission's words, "only licensed professional counselors who hold an unencumbered license to independently diagnose, assess, treat, and practice at the highest level in a participating state may apply."
Independent licence in a live home state
Associate, provisional or supervised licences do not qualify. Your home state is where you primarily reside, not where you happen to hold a licence.
60-hour degree and a passed exam
Member states must require a 60-hour counselling degree (or 60 graduate hours in designated areas) and an examination. If you were licensed under an older, lower standard, check with your board.
Clean disciplinary record
An encumbrance on the home licence blocks every privilege, and a later action can suspend all of them at once.
Jurisprudence exam per state
Each remote state's exam, before the privilege is issued.
How do I apply?
Through CompactConnect, the Commission's own system, never through the remote state board. Register, have your home state licence verified, then purchase privileges one state at a time.
Privileges are per state, not a block. Unlike the Nurse Licensure Compact's single multistate licence, the Counseling Compact issues a separate privilege, with a separate fee and jurisprudence exam, for every remote state. Adding a tenth state later is a transaction, not a new application.
What happens if I move to a state that is not live?
Your privileges do not travel with you. Privileges are tied to your home state, and your home state is where you primarily reside. Relocating to a non-live state means establishing licensure there and losing Compact access until that state goes live.
Check the destination state on the Commission's list before signing a lease. This is the single most expensive surprise in compact practice.
Does a privilege cover insurance credentialing?
No. A privilege is practice authority. Payer enrollment in the remote state is a separate process that starts after the privilege issues. Medicaid in the remote state needs that state's authority first; commercial contracts are state or region specific.
Plan 90 to 150 days for credentialing after the privilege, or join a group that already holds contracts there. The FAQ covers CAQH, Medicare and Medicaid in the new state.
Need this handled rather than researched?
Telesure matches clinicians with licensing and credentialing specialists so you can compare scope, timeline and price before committing to anyone.
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Every regulatory figure on this page is taken from the issuing state board, compact commission or CMS and was verified on 18 September 2026. Fees and compact status change; confirm with the relevant board before relying on them.
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