Is Minnesota in the Counseling Compact?
Minnesota is in the Counseling Compact and has been operationally live since the Compact launched on September 30, 2025, which means eligible Minnesota counselors can apply for privileges to practice in other live Compact states and eligible out-of-state counselors can apply to practice in Minnesota.
Minnesota launched with Arizona on September 30, 2025, and Ohio joined on January 5, 2026, making Arizona, Minnesota, and Ohio the three live states currently issuing privileges. As of April 19, 2026, 189 privileges have been issued in Minnesota, according to Compact data. The Counseling Compact application data shows that 36 additional states and the District of Columbia are still completing implementation steps, which means 39 states plus D.C. have enacted the Compact as of April 2026. Minnesota’s key title detail matters here: for Compact home-state eligibility, Minnesota uses LPCC, not LPC. A counselor seeking a Minnesota privilege currently pays $80 total, which includes a $50 state fee plus the $30 Compact administrative fee, and Minnesota currently requires no jurisprudence exam for that privilege. See our complete guide to the Counseling Compact.
Key Facts About Minnesota and the Counseling Compact
- Operational date: September 30, 2025
- License required: LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor)
- Privilege cost: $80 total ($50 state fee + $30 Compact fee)
- Live states: Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio
- Total enacted: 39 states + D.C. (as of April19, 2026)
When did Minnesota join the Counseling Compact?
Minnesota became operationally live on September 30, 2025, when the Compact first went live in Minnesota and Arizona. It has been live since the start of Compact privilege issuance.
As of April 19, 2026, 189 privileges have been issued in the state. The Minnesota board says the state completed the implementation work needed for launch, including secure data sharing and system testing. Ohio later joined the live group on January 5, 2026.
Who is eligible to use the Counseling Compact in Minnesota?
Minnesota’s board is very specific. To use the Compact through Minnesota, a counselor must have an active LPCC, must have a Minnesota home address listed in the board system, must have completed the board’s fingerprint-based background check, must have completed required graduate credits, and must have had no disciplinary action in the last two years.
The Compact’s broader rules still apply too. Counselors must use the license from the home state where they primarily reside, must keep that license unencumbered, must satisfy home-state continuing-education duties, and must complete any remote-state jurisprudence rule that applies. Provisional and supervised licenses are not eligible.
Yes, Minnesota LPCCs can use their license to practice in other live Compact states, but the home-state license must stay active and unencumbered. If the home-state license is encumbered, the privilege to practice in remote states is lost until the Compact conditions are met again.
Does Minnesota use LPC or LPCC for the Counseling Compact?
For Compact home-state eligibility in Minnesota, the answer is LPCC. Minnesota licenses both LPCs and LPCCs generally, but the Minnesota board’s Compact page says an active LPCC is the credential required for Minnesota licensees applying through the Compact.
That title difference matters when students and employers compare states. A counselor reading national Compact materials may see the generic term “LPC,” but the Compact model legislation defines “licensed professional counselor” by function, not by one exact title. Member states can use different titles for the same independent practice level.
How much does a Counseling Compact privilege cost in Minnesota?
A privilege in Minnesota currently costs $80 total, made up of a $50 Minnesota state fee and the Compact’s $30 administrative fee.
If a Minnesota LPCC wants to practice in the other live states, the current totals are $280 for Arizona and $55 for Ohio. Each remote state sets its own state fee, and the Commission adds the administrative fee to each request. See our guide to Counseling Compact fees before you apply.
Does Minnesota require a jurisprudence exam for the Compact?
No. Minnesota currently lists no jurisprudence exam required for a Minnesota privilege.
Minnesota LPCCs still need to watch the remote-state rules, though. If they want to add Arizona, Arizona currently requires a jurisprudence tutorial. If they want to add Ohio, Ohio currently lists a video-based jurisprudence requirement.
How do Minnesota LPCCs apply for a privilege to practice?
Minnesota LPCCs apply through CompactConnect after making sure the Minnesota board’s eligibility items are in order. The Minnesota board specifically tells applicants to confirm that the license is active and that a home address is entered in the board system before contacting the board about Compact eligibility.
The practical steps are straightforward. Confirm your Minnesota LPCC is active, make sure your board file shows a Minnesota home address, confirm your background-check and eligibility items, then apply through CompactConnect for the remote state you want. Once your privilege number appears on the dashboard, you may begin practice in that remote state. For a broader walkthrough, see our how-to-apply guide.
Minnesota license and permit status can be checked through the BBHT Online License Verification Tool.
Can out-of-state counselors practice in Minnesota through the Compact?
Yes. Out-of-state counselors can practice in Minnesota through the Compact if they hold a qualifying home-state license in a live state and obtain a Minnesota privilege before serving Minnesota clients.
At the live-state stage the options are still narrow. Arizona LPCs can apply for privileges in Minnesota, and Ohio LPCCs can apply for privileges in Minnesota. That list will expand only as more enacted states finish operational implementation.
Yes, out-of-state counselors can practice in Minnesota through the Compact, but Minnesota still regulates services delivered to clients located in Minnesota. The remote state’s law, scope, and discipline authority still apply inside Minnesota.
What does the Compact mean for telehealth counselors in Minnesota?
The Compact is useful for telehealth because the model legislation explicitly recognizes telehealth practice. But the controlling legal rule is still client location: the practice is governed by the law of the state where the client is located.
So a Minnesota LPCC serving a client in Ohio by video needs an Ohio privilege and must follow Ohio law for that service. An Arizona or Ohio counselor serving a client located in Minnesota by video needs Minnesota authority and must follow Minnesota law while treating that client.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not through Minnesota as the home state unless Minnesota is still your primary state of residence. The Compact requires counselors to participate through the license issued by their home state, and the counselor may hold only one home-state license for Compact purposes at a time.
The Compact legislation addresses eligibility, fees, telehealth, discipline, and privilege status. It does not set a special numeric caseload cap for Minnesota privileges. Your real limits come from Minnesota law, your scope of practice, payer rules, and your clinical standard of care.
The Compact does not create a separate Minnesota-only minor-client category. What matters is that privilege holders comply with Minnesota law while serving clients located in Minnesota, including consent, recordkeeping, mandated reporting, and scope-of-practice rules that apply to the case in front of them.
Maybe, but not if the action creates a current encumbrance or falls within the Compact’s recent restriction window. Minnesota’s board says there must be no disciplinary action in the last two years, and the Compact also requires an unencumbered independent license for privilege use.
A Compact privilege is a legal authorization the model legislation describes as equivalent to a license in the remote state for practice there. Employers may still ask for regular verification, onboarding documents, and payer credentialing paperwork, but the privilege itself is lawful authority to practice in Minnesota.
A Compact privilege gives legal authority to practice, but the Counseling Compact FAQ says the exact policies of individual insurance companies are still not fully known. In real terms, you should confirm payer credentialing, telehealth rules, and network status before billing under a Minnesota privilege.
You must follow the current law of the state where the client is located. The Compact says counselors practicing in a remote state must adhere to that state’s laws and regulations. If Minnesota changes a rule that applies to Minnesota practice, privilege holders serving Minnesota clients must comply with it.
Update log
- September 30, 2025: Minnesota was among the original states live at the Counseling Compact launch.
- April 19, 2026: Page reviewed and updated. All state data verified.
SOURCES
- Counseling Compact Commission. (2026). Counseling Compact. https://counselingcompact.org
- Counseling Compact Commission. (2026). CompactConnect application portal. https://compactconnect.counselingcompact.org
- Counseling Compact Commission. (2026). Frequently asked questions. https://counselingcompact.org/faqs
- Counseling Compact Commission. (2026). Model legislation. https://counselingcompact.org/compact-model-legislation
- Counseling Compact Commission. (2026). Member states and implementation status. https://counselingcompact.org/compact-map
- Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. (2026). Counseling Compact information. https://bbht.state.mn.us
- Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. (2026). License verification. https://mn.gov/boards/behavioral-health/verification/