Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia have joined the Counseling Compact, but only three states in the counseling compact are currently live and issuing privileges: Arizona, Minnesota, and Ohio.1Counseling Compact. Application Information The rest have passed the legislation but are still working through the technical and regulatory steps needed before counselors can actually use the compact there.2Counseling Compact. Counseling Compact – Home
States Where You Can Apply Today
Three states are live in CompactConnect, the compact’s online portal:
- Arizona
- Minnesota
- Ohio
If you hold an unencumbered counseling license in one of these three and reside there, you can apply right now for a privilege to practice in the other two.1Counseling Compact. Application Information Counselors in the other 35 member states and DC cannot yet apply, and counselors from Arizona, Minnesota, or Ohio cannot yet obtain privileges to practice in the other member states.
Full List of Member States
These states and the District of Columbia have enacted Counseling Compact legislation:3Counseling Compact. Compact Map
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Membership is growing. Additional states continue to introduce compact legislation, so this list is likely to expand over the next few years.
States That Have Not Joined
Several large states remain outside the compact entirely. California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Oregon are among the most notable holdouts. Michigan has seen the most legislative activity, with a bill passing the state House in 2025 before stalling in the Senate. New York has introduced a broad multi-compact bill that would cover counseling alongside other professions, but it has not been enacted. California’s status is unclear, with no active bill identified in recent legislative sessions.
If you practice in a non-member state, the compact does not help you, and counselors from member states cannot use compact privileges to see clients physically located in your state.
Member Does Not Mean Live
This is the distinction that trips people up most often. A state can appear on the member list without being operational in the compact. Passing the legislation signals commitment, but it does not mean counselors in that state can use the compact yet.
Before a state can issue or accept privileges, it has to build out secure data-sharing systems, implement fingerprint-based FBI criminal background checks, and align its state board procedures with compact rules.2Counseling Compact. Counseling Compact – Home4Counseling Compact. Chapter 6 – Rulemaking on Implementing Criminal Background Checks The Counseling Compact Commission adds states to the live system as they finish these steps, and the pace varies. Some member states are nearly ready; others are earlier in the process. The Commission does not publish a projected timeline for individual states, but it updates its website as each state crosses the finish line.
The practical takeaway: before you plan around a compact privilege in any state other than Arizona, Minnesota, or Ohio, check the Commission’s current status map.3Counseling Compact. Compact Map
States Requiring a Jurisprudence Exam
Many member states require you to pass a jurisprudence exam before they will grant a compact privilege. The exam tests your knowledge of that state’s counseling laws and regulations, and it may carry an additional cost beyond the standard privilege fees. As of early 2025, the following states have announced a jurisprudence requirement:5Counseling Compact. Jurisprudence Requirements
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Indiana
- Kentucky (currently in development)
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio (attestation to watching a required video)
- Oklahoma
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Ohio’s approach is lighter than most: rather than a scored exam, counselors attest to having watched a required video about the state’s regulations. The list is subject to change as additional states finalize their rules.
Fees in the Live States
Each privilege carries two fees: a $30 administrative fee paid to the Compact Commission plus a state fee set by the remote state.6Counseling Compact. Fees For the three live states:
- Arizona: $250 state fee, $280 total
- Minnesota: $50 state fee, $80 total
- Ohio: $25 state fee, $55 total
Fee information for the remaining member states has not yet been published, because those states are not yet live. Expect the range to widen as more states come online. States that require a jurisprudence exam may charge separately for it.
How Privileges Work Across States
The compact uses a privilege-to-practice model. You keep your home state license and use it to obtain a privilege in each other member state where you want to see clients. A shared interstate data system verifies your licensure status almost instantly.2Counseling Compact. Counseling Compact – Home
You need a separate privilege for each state. There is no single multistate privilege that covers every member state at once, and each privilege carries its own fee and, where applicable, its own jurisprudence requirement.
The compact covers both in-person and telehealth services. If your client is physically located in a member state, you need a privilege in that state regardless of whether the session happens over video or in an office. The client’s location controls, not yours.7Counseling Compact. Info for Counselors