Pennsylvania licenses independent clinical counselors as the LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), through the State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors. Pennsylvania has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what Pennsylvania asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Pennsylvania LPC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Pennsylvania is the LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor).
Exams named for licensure: NCE, CRC exam, ATCB exam, CBMT exam, NAMP exam, IC&RC AADC and EMAC. One exam from the list in 49 Pa. Code 49.11. The NCMHCE is not on the list.
3,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Those hours are completed under the associate credential, the LAPC (Licensed Associate Professional Counselor).
Licensed elsewhere: Under 49 Pa. Code 49.18 a counselor licensed in good standing elsewhere with 3,000 supervised hours and active practice in 5 of the last 7 years is licensed without exam. Act 41 of 2019 also offers a route for substantially equivalent licenses with 2 of the last 5 years in practice.
How Much Does a Pennsylvania LPC License Cost?
We have not published a Pennsylvania figure yet
We have not verified State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors
We handle the Pennsylvania application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingWhere Pennsylvania Applications Get Delayed
The endorsement route expects 5 years of licensure elsewhere. Count from the date your independent license was issued, not your associate license.
Act 4 of 2024 (signed 2024-03-28) created the LAPC, so pre-licensed counselors now hold a license during their 3,000 supervised hours.
Doctoral applicants need 2,400 supervised hours, 1,200 of them after the doctorate. Master's hours must be completed in no less than 2 and no more than 6 years.
Pennsylvania joined the Counseling Compact as the 40th member on 2026-07-12 (effective in 60 days) but is not yet issuing privileges.
Supervisor attestations and verifications from other boards take the longest. Request them the week you decide to apply, not the week you file.
Renewing Your Pennsylvania LPC License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
30 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has enacted the Counseling Compact (July 12, 2026), but it is not issuing or accepting privileges yet. Each member state has to finish its own setup, including FBI fingerprint authority, before it goes live. Until it does, practicing in Pennsylvania takes a full Pennsylvania license, and holding a Pennsylvania license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania credentials addiction counselors as CADC and CAADC, through the Pennsylvania Certification Board (private certification). That credential is separate from the LPC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. Pennsylvania has no state addiction counselor license; the PCB issues certifications.
Keeping it current
Pennsylvania renews the LPC every 2 years, with 30 hours of continuing education per cycle. Includes at least 3 hours of ethics, 2 hours of Act 31 child abuse reporter training and 1 hour of suicide prevention. If you hold licenses in several states, each runs its own calendar and its own CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Pennsylvania LPC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Pennsylvania?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for Pennsylvania?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Pennsylvania?
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Which exam does Pennsylvania accept?
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Where these facts come from
Checked against primary sources. Boards change rules between sessions, so we confirm the current process again before anything is filed.
- exams, hours, endorsement (5 of 7; Act 41 2 of 5), renewal, CE — checked 2026-10-08
- LAPC title — checked 2026-10-08
- Act 4 of 2024 signed 2024-03-28 — checked 2026-10-08
- exam list — checked 2026-10-08
- endorsement without exam, 5 of last 7 years — checked 2026-10-08
- compact enacted 2026-07-12, 40th member — checked 2026-10-08
- addiction credentials are PCB certifications (CAADC; CADC named on PCB site) — checked 2026-10-08
What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. Board, exam and fingerprinting fees are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
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