On June 2, 2026, Georgia became operationally live in the Counseling Compact, making it the fifth state able to issue and receive Counseling Compact privileges. If you are a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Georgia, you can join the Compact through GOALS to be deemed eligible, and then apply for the privilege through Compact Connect. Georgia’s eligible Compact credential is Licensed Professional Counselor, or LPC. Associate Professional Counselors, LMFTs, LCSWs, and other non-LPC licenses are not eligible to use the Counseling Compact through Georgia. The current Georgia privilege fee is $130 total, made up of the Georgia state fee and the Compact administrative fee.
Key Facts About Georgia and the Counseling Compact
- Operational date: June 2, 2026
- License required: Georgia LPC
- Georgia Compact eligibility gate: GOALS amendment application before CompactConnect
- Privilege cost: $130 total
- Jurisprudence exam: Not required for the Compact privilege as of June 2026
- Regulator: Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists
- Live states at Georgia launch: Arizona, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Georgia
Is Georgia in the Compact?
As of June 2, 2026, Georgia has joined four other states (Arizona, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Ohio) in the Counseling Compact. The Compact ensures that Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) can gain privilege to practice clinical counseling in the other states that are operationally live in the Compact, expanding ability to practice in states other than where one lives through telehealth.
Interestingly, though Georgia was the first state to enact the Compact (HB 395, signed May 10, 2021), it was the fifth to go live. This shows the difference between enacting the Compact and becoming operational, or live.
What is essential to know about the system that Georgia has set up for Professional Counselors applying for the Compact is the GOALS system, which marks it as distinct from the other states. It introduces an additional step in the application process.
What is the Georgia GOALS system, and how do I become compact-eligible in Georgia?
Georgia’s pathway to gain a Counseling Compact privilege is different from the other operationally live states because Georgia LPCs must first use the Georgia Online Application Licensing System, or GOALS. In the other live states, the process generally starts in CompactConnect once the counselor’s qualifying home-state license is available. Georgia is the exception because GOALS comes first.
According to the Counseling Compact Commission, Georgia licensees must first apply through the Georgia Online Application Licensing System (GOALS) to be deemed Compact-eligible. Once that has been completed and your license has been approved, you must go on to the CompactConnect apply for the privilege to practice. Think of GOALS as the gatekeeping step for Georgia LPCs. You cannot start with the CompactConnect step until your license has been approved as eligible through GOALS.
For Georgia LPCs, the process is:
- Confirm that your Georgia LPC license is active and unencumbered.
- Log into your GOALS account through the Georgia Secretary of State.
- Submit the required amendment application for Counseling Compact eligibility.
- Wait for Georgia to process and approve the eligibility request.
- After approval, apply for each privilege to practice through CompactConnect.
- Pay the required state fee and Compact administrative fee for each remote state where you want to practice.
GOALS houses licensing applications for all kinds of professions within the state under the Georgia Secretary of State. When making an account, or verifying the account from the previous versions of GOALS (the Professional Licensing Boards, or PLB), make sure you are following the prompts correctly for Professional Counselors. The Georgia Secretary of State says paper applications are no longer accepted and that applications must be submitted through GOALS.
On the GOALS website, you may need to activate a license if you have one but have not registered with GOALS before. If you are a new licensee or are new to Georgia, you will have to create a new account associated with your professional license. Both actions can be done within the GOALS website, which also houses news and other resources for Licensed Professional Counselors.
What license does Georgia use for the Compact?
Not everyone practicing counseling in the state of Georgia is eligible to apply for the privilege, however. Only Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs), as regulated by the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists (under the Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division). That means that social workers, associate processional counselors (APC) and other licenses are not eligible for the privilege.
How much does a Georgia Compact privilege cost?
If you’re wondering about the cost of the Georgia Counseling Compact fee, here are some of the numbers to expect in the state of Georgia when applying.
| Georgia Compact privilege fee (verified June 2026, counselingcompact.gov) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Georgia state fee | $100.00 |
| Compact administrative fee | $30.00 |
| Total Georgia privilege fee | $130.00 |
| Military fee (active duty or spouse) | Not offered |
Each state has a slightly different fee structure. In Georgia, the state fee is $100. On top of that, there is a $30 fee across the board for all applicants, regardless of state, to join the Compact. So, for Georgia practitioners, the final fee is $130 (state plus Compact fee).
Does Georgia require a jurisprudence exam for the Compact privilege?
No. Georgia does not require a jurisprudence exam to join the Compact with your license as of June 2026. However, if you have not yet acquired your independent license, know that you must take the jurisprudence exam before acquiring the license. If you already have the LPC, and you have taken the jurisprudence exam, you do not need to retake it or take a new one. In fact, there are no testing requirements to join the privilege to practice.
How do Georgia LPCs apply for a privilege to practice?
There are two steps to applying for the privilege to practice through the Counseling Compact in Georgia:
- Apply for eligibility with your license through GOALS: https://goals.sos.ga.gov/GASOSOneStop/s/login/?ec=302&startURL=%2FGASOSOneStop%2Fs%2F
- Once that is approved, use your now-eligible license to apply for the privilege to practice in other states using CompactConnect: https://app.compactconnect.org/Dashboard
Can out-of-state counselors practice in Georgia through the Compact?
If you’re an out-of-state counselor looking into Georgia as it joins the Compact, here’s what you need to know. The home-state in which you hold your license allows you to join the Compact, if it’s operationally live, and gain privilege to practice in the other operationally live states.
So, for instance, if you live and work in Ohio, you gain privilege to practice in Arizona, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Georgia. If your home-state is Georgia, you gain privilege to practice in Ohio, Arizona, Louisiana, and Minnesota. To be eligible for the Compact, you must both reside in and be licensed in the state (e.g., Georgia). For example, you cannot be licensed in Georgia but live in California to be eligible for the privilege to practice.
Even though Minnesota and Ohio use the LPCC (rather than LPC in the other states) title for clinicians eligible for the Compact, it is the same privilege.
What does the Compact mean if you are moving to or from Georgia?
If you are moving from or to one operationally live state to another (for instance, from Ohio to Georgia or from Georgia to Louisiana), you must follow the guidelines of the Compact during this transition. Currently, there is a rule in the making which requires people changing their permanent residence to inform the Compact within 60 days of the move (License-by-Conversion rule). It was proposed in the spring of 2026, posted for public comment, and is being reviewed by the Compact. It is not in place yet.
Who should Georgia LPCs contact?
If you’re an LPC in Georgia and you’d like more information or direction on the Compact within the state or the GOALS system, you can reach out to the Georgia Composite Board via the Georgia Secretary of State. Their email is Examboards-Healthcare@sos.ga.gov. If you have questions about the Counseling Compact more broadly or across-state questions, it is better to contact the Counseling Compact Commission directly at info@counselingcompact.gov.
FAQ
No. The Counseling Compact only covers Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs).
This depends on scope of practice and state laws. But generally, the Compact is designed, in part, to allow clinicians to practice across state lines using telehealth to provide services to other states. It is always important to review your state regulations around telehealth.
The Counseling Compact is specifically for Professional Counselors (individuals who have received a Master’s and License in Professional Counseling). PSYPACT is specifically for Psychologists (individuals who have received a Doctoral and License in Psychology).
Once you gain the privilege to practice as part of the Counseling Compact, you are eligible to practice in the other operationally active states in the Compact.
There is a guideline of informing the state of Georgia within 60 days of moving. There is a rule in the making, but it is not yet finalized.
Yes. For a detailed video explanation of how to renew your GOALS status, click here: https://sos.ga.gov/goals#Videos.
Sources
- Counseling Compact Commission. (2026). Counseling Compact. https://counselingcompact.gov
- Counseling Compact Commission. (2026). Application information. https://counselingcompact.gov/application/
- Counseling Compact Commission. (2021). Georgia enacts Counseling Compact. https://counselingcompact.gov/georgia-enacts-counseling-compact/
- Counseling Compact Commission. (2026). CompactConnect application portal. https://app.compactconnect.org
- Georgia Secretary of State. (2026). Georgia becomes fifth state to join the Professional Counselors Licensure Compact. https://sos.ga.gov/news/georgia-becomes-fifth-state-join-professional-counselors-licensure-compact
- Georgia Secretary of State. (2026). The Counseling Compact. https://sos.ga.gov/page/counseling-compact
- Georgia Secretary of State. (2026). Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists. https://sos.ga.gov/board-professional-counselors-social-workers-and-marriage-family-therapists