Everything an LPC needs to know about the Counseling Compact in 2026. Which states have joined, which are actually issuing privileges right now, how a privilege to practice works, and how to tell whether you can use the compact today.
Last updated: June 2026. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The Counseling Compact is in active rollout, and the list of operational states changes frequently. Always verify current status at counselingcompact.gov and with your home state licensing board before relying on the compact.
The short answer
The Counseling Compact lets a licensed professional counselor practice in other member states through a privilege to practice, without obtaining a separate full license in each one. As of 2026 it is enacted in about 40 jurisdictions, but here is the part that matters most: only a handful of those states are actually issuing privileges right now.
The compact went live in its first two states in late 2025 and has been adding operational states one at a time through 2026. So whether you can use the compact today depends entirely on whether both your home state and the state where you want to practice are among the operational ones, not just the enacted ones.
That distinction between enacted and operational is the single most confusing and most important thing about the Counseling Compact, so this guide is built around it.
The Counseling Compact is the counseling equivalent of PSYPACT for psychologists and the Social Work Licensure Compact for social workers. For how all three compare, see our interstate compacts guide.
Enacted is not the same as operational
When a state passes Counseling Compact legislation, the compact is enacted there. That is the legislative step, and roughly 40 jurisdictions have taken it. But enactment alone does not let any counselor practice anywhere. Before a state can issue or accept privileges, it has to complete regulatory alignment, set up background check procedures, and connect to the compact’s secure data-sharing system. Only once that technical and regulatory work is done does the state become operational and able to issue privileges.
So at any given moment there are two very different lists: the long list of states that have enacted the compact, and the much shorter list of states actually issuing privileges. A counselor can only use the compact between two states that are both operational.
This is where almost every counselor and many other guides get confused. Seeing your state on a list of compact members is not the same as being able to use the compact. Check the operational status, not just the membership status.
States issuing privileges right now
As of June 2026, the following states have become operational and are issuing privileges under the Counseling Compact, in the order they went live:
Arizona and Minnesota were the first, going operational in late 2025. Ohio followed in January 2026. Louisiana became operational in April 2026. Georgia began issuing privileges in early June 2026. Indiana became the sixth state, beginning to issue privileges in June 2026.
That is six operational states as of this writing, with more expected to follow as additional enacted states complete their implementation. If both your home state and your target state are on this operational list, you can pursue a privilege to practice between them today. If either is only enacted but not yet operational, you cannot use the compact between them yet.
Because states are coming online roughly monthly, this list changes fast. Confirm the current operational states at counselingcompact.gov before you rely on it, since this is the detail most likely to have moved since publication.
States that have enacted the compact
Beyond the operational states above, roughly 40 jurisdictions in total have enacted Counseling Compact legislation as of 2026. These states are members, and each is working toward operational status, but counselors in them cannot yet use the compact until their state completes implementation.
The enacted jurisdictions include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the 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, and Wyoming.
Several large states are notably absent. California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas had not enacted the compact as of 2026, though legislation has been introduced, stalled, or failed in several of them. To practice in a non-member state, a counselor still needs that state’s full license.
As with the operational list, treat this roster as a snapshot and confirm current membership at the official source, since states continue to join.
How a privilege to practice works
The Counseling Compact does not give you a second license. It gives you a privilege to practice, which is a legal authorization tied to your home state license.
Your home state license is the anchor. You must hold an active, unencumbered LPC or equivalent license in your home state, and that home state must be an operational member. If your home license lapses or is restricted, your privileges are affected.
You apply for a privilege in each operational remote state where you want to practice, rather than receiving automatic access to all member states at once. The privilege covers both in-person and telehealth practice in that state.
Continuing education follows your home state. You complete CE for your home state license rather than tracking separate requirements for every state where you hold a privilege, which is one of the compact’s most practical advantages.
The client’s state still governs the encounter. Practicing in a remote state under a privilege, you work within that state’s scope of practice and follow its laws. The compact reduces the licensing barrier; it does not override the rules of the state where your client is located.
Who is eligible
The Counseling Compact is for licensed professional counselors and licensed mental health counselors. It does not cover psychologists, who use PSYPACT, or social workers, who use the Social Work Licensure Compact.
To use the compact you generally need to hold an active, unencumbered LPC or equivalent license in an operational home state, meet the compact’s uniform educational and examination requirements, and complete the privilege application for each operational remote state where you want to practice. The compact is designed around a uniform set of qualifications so that a counselor meeting them in one member state is recognized across the others.
How to use the Counseling Compact
If you are a counselor who wants to practice across state lines through the compact, work through this sequence.
- Confirm your home state is operational, not merely enacted, using the official list at counselingcompact.gov. Operational is the status that matters.
- Confirm the state where you want to practice is also operational. Both ends must be live for a privilege to be possible.
- Verify your home state license is active and unencumbered, since the privilege depends on it.
- Apply for a privilege to practice in each operational remote state through the compact’s system.
- Confirm your continuing education obligations, which follow your home state.
- Track each client’s physical location at the time of service, since the client’s state governs the encounter and determines whether your privilege applies.
If your states are not yet operational, the practical path for now is full licensure or, where available, telehealth-only registration. Our telehealth across state lines guide covers those pathways.
Stay current as the compact expands
The Counseling Compact is adding operational states throughout 2026, and the picture changes month to month. The Wellness Collaborative offers continuing education and resources for counselors navigating cross-state practice. Explore our membership.
Frequently asked questions
How many states are in the Counseling Compact in 2026? About 40 jurisdictions have enacted the compact, but only six were operational and issuing privileges as of June 2026: Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Louisiana, Georgia, and Indiana. More are expected to follow.
Can I use the Counseling Compact right now? Only if both your home state and your target state are operational, not merely enacted. As of mid 2026 that means both must be among the six operational states. Check the current list at counselingcompact.gov.
Is my state in the Counseling Compact? Roughly 40 jurisdictions have enacted it. But enacted is not the same as operational. Confirm both your state’s membership and whether it is actually issuing privileges yet.
Is California or New York in the Counseling Compact? No. As of 2026 neither California nor New York had enacted the Counseling Compact, so counselors need a full license to practice with clients located in those states.
Does the compact cover telehealth? Yes. A privilege to practice covers both in-person and telehealth counseling in the remote operational state.
What is the difference between the Counseling Compact and PSYPACT? Both grant a privilege to practice in remote states, but PSYPACT is for psychologists and is fully operational nationwide, while the Counseling Compact is for LPCs and is still rolling out operational states one at a time.
