Use the interactive OT Compact map to see which states accept applications, compare privilege fees, and check whether your home state and license make you eligible.
The Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact, or OT Compact, lets eligible occupational therapists practice in another participating state without applying for a second full state license. Thirty-seven states have joined, but only eight accept Compact Privilege applications. Both your home state and destination must be among those eight. Your home state is based on your primary residence, and you must hold your qualifying OT license there. There's no single OT Compact license: you keep your home-state license and request a separate privilege for each destination. Each privilege carries a $75 Commission fee plus the destination state's fee, and some states require jurisprudence. Before practicing, complete the requirements and confirm your privilege is active.
Where privileges work now
OT Compact Map: States Accepting Applications Now
Choose a state to see its current category, its published OT privilege fee, whether it requires jurisprudence, and the official Compact source. If the Compact route is not open there, use the state's regular licensing process.
Privileges Available NowMember, Not Yet AvailableNon-Member
Hover a state for its Compact category. Click, tap, or choose a state to keep its card open.
State compact summary
Choose a state
Pick a state from the map, the menu, or the List View. The card below then fills in with that state's Compact category, its published OT privilege fee, and whether it asks for a jurisprudence step before it grants a privilege.
State compact summary
Alabama
Compact Member - Privileges Not Yet Available
Compact statusCompact Member - Privileges Not Yet Available
Compact statusCompact Member - Privileges Not Yet Available
Privilege available nowNo
Total privilege feeNot available yet
JurisprudenceNot available yet
Route inFull Pennsylvania OT license
Good to know: Pennsylvania has joined the OT Compact but does not yet appear on the Commission's application and fee table. Until the Commission adds it, do not infer a Pennsylvania application date, state privilege fee, or jurisprudence status.
Compact categories, state fees, and jurisprudence requirements reflect the OT Compact Commission's published information. Confirm the current requirement at otcompact.gov before you rely on a privilege.
The current gap that matters
Why 37 OT Compact States Doesn't Mean 37 Available Privileges
The Compact has grown faster than the application system. Thirty-seven states are members, but only eight have completed the integration needed to accept OT Compact applications. That difference is the first thing to check when you are planning an assignment.
37
member states
8
states accepting applications
29
members not yet accepting applications
14
nonmember jurisdictions (13 states + Washington, D.C.)
Commission fee: $75 for each privilege requested, plus the remote-state fee.
Planning rule: Do not use the member-state count as your assignment answer. The home state and destination both need to be accepting applications when you apply.
AOTA confirms the same eight-state group, and the Commission's application table is the source of record for each of them. As more states connect to CompactConnect, the available-state count will change even if the total member count doesn't.
What you actually get
How the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact Works
The Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact is an agreement between states. You keep your OT license in the member state where you live. If that state is accepting applications and you meet the rules, you can ask for a separate privilege in another member state that is also open.
The remote state stays in charge of the care delivered there, and its OT laws, scope rules, and professional standards still apply to you while you work in it. The Compact changes the route you take to a license, but it doesn't erase state lines, and it doesn't let you start seeing patients before the remote state has approved you.
Quick rule: One qualifying home-state license can support several privileges, but each privilege applies to only one remote state.
OT Compact License vs. Compact Privilege: What's the Difference?
The phrase OT Compact license shows up constantly in searches, but the official credential is a Compact Privilege to Practice, and the OT Compact states that issue it are listed on the map above. The remote state grants that privilege and treats it as the equivalent of a license while you practice there. It isn't a standalone full license, and it isn't one credential that covers every Compact state.
Say you request privileges in Maryland and Virginia. You keep one home-state license and hold two separate privileges, one for each state, and each of the two has its own fee, its own status, and its own set of state rules that you agree to when you apply. Neither one stands in for the other. Neither one counts as a license in a third state.
Check before you apply
Are You Eligible for an OT Compact Privilege?
The map tells you whether the route is available. It doesn't decide whether you qualify. Run these eight checks before you build an assignment around the Compact, and run them in the order they appear, because if you miss on either of the first two the rest of the list does not matter.
1
Your home state is open
You live in a Compact member state that accepts applications, and you hold your OT license there.
2
You have a valid identifier
You have a valid U.S. Social Security number or a National Provider Identifier; the Compact law requires one or the other.
3
Your licenses are unencumbered
None of your state licenses carries a current restriction, condition, limit, or sanction that would rule you out.
4
Past adverse action is cleared
Pay all fines and complete every condition before you apply, since an open item on your record can stop the request. The Compact requires a two-year wait after the adverse-action conditions are completed.
5
Your background check is complete
Complete the criminal background check through your home-state board. The rules call for fingerprint-based state and FBI checks, with one narrow exception the Commission can grant when a state's law makes fingerprinting impossible.
6
Your destination is open
The remote state must also be accepting Compact Privilege applications. Passing the law is not enough on its own; the state also has to connect its licensing system to CompactConnect before there is a privilege to request.
7
State-specific steps are done
Read the remote state's OT laws and scope rules and complete any listed jurisprudence requirement before you attest.
8
Your privilege is active
Do not practice under the Compact until the requested privilege has been approved and shows as active.
Home state: For the current OT Compact process, your home state is the member state where you primarily reside and hold your qualifying OT license. A license you happen to hold somewhere else does not replace that requirement.
Military home state: Active-duty service members and their spouses may use the Compact's military home-state provisions when they meet the applicable requirements. The Compact allows a qualifying home-state designation to be retained during active duty.
Adverse-action disclosure: The Compact also requires a practitioner to report an adverse action taken by a nonmember state to the Commission within 30 days.
Five steps take an eligible OT from a confirmed home state to an active privilege in a remote state.
1
Confirm That Both States Are Accepting Applications
Your home state and destination must both appear in the current available group. If either one is not open, use the destination state's regular licensure route.
2
Complete the Home-State Background Check
Follow your home-state board's instructions for the required criminal background check. The Commission does not conduct the check or review the results.
3
Review the Remote State's Rules
Read the state's practice act, its scope rules, and any jurisprudence steps before you sign the application. The attestations you sign are legally binding.
4
Apply Through CompactConnect and Pay
Choose the remote state, submit the required attestations, and pay the $75 Commission fee plus that state's published fee. Privileges are requested one state at a time.
5
Confirm the Privilege Is Active
Save the approval and check the public status before your first shift. An application, a background check, a payment receipt, or a recruiter's confirmation is not the same as permission to practice.
No guaranteed turnaround: The Commission does not publish one approval time for every applicant. Background-check timing and incomplete state-specific steps can affect how long the process takes. Do not treat a planned start date as approved practice authority.
Know the number before you commit
OT Compact Fees in States Accepting Applications
Each OT Compact Privilege carries a nonrefundable $75 Commission fee plus the remote state's own nonrefundable fee, where the state charges one. If you request privileges in two states, you pay each state's charges separately.
The math: Remote state fee + $75 Commission fee = the published OT Compact Privilege total.
The table below covers the eight states accepting applications. Totals reflect the OT Compact Commission's published fees.
State
State Fee
Commission Fee
Published Total
Jurisprudence
Indiana
$25
$75
$100
Not required
Maryland
$125
$75
$200
Required
Minnesota
$50
$75
$125
Not required
Ohio
$25
$75
$100
Required
Tennessee
$125
$75
$200
Not required
Virginia
$75
$75
$150
Not required
West Virginia
$50
$75
$125
Not required
Wisconsin
$75
$75
$150
Required
Source: OT Compact Commission application and fee table.
Three states ask Compact applicants for a jurisprudence step: Maryland, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The other five that take applications do not. Those are Indiana, Minnesota, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, and none of them lists a step on the Commission's table.
Tied to your home-state license
How OT Compact Privileges Renew
Renewal works differently for a Compact Privilege than for a state license.
An OT Compact Privilege expires when your qualifying home-state license expires. Renewing the home-state license does not renew the privilege by itself. After the home-state license is renewed, purchase a new privilege for each remote state where you plan to keep practicing under the Compact.
Track the home-state expiration date and each privilege in one place. If the privilege is expired or deactivated, stop practicing under that authority until the official record is active again.
CE and renewal: The Compact does not create one national continuing-education cycle. Complete the renewal and continuing-competence requirements for your home-state license. While you practice in another state, follow that remote state's OT laws and scope rules.
Pick the right route
OT Compact Privilege or Full State License?
A Compact Privilege can simplify adding another state, but only when the Compact is actually available to you. Use the table below to choose the route that fits the situation.
Your Situation
Route to Consider First
Your home state and destination both accept OT Compact applications
Compact Privilege
Your home state is a member but is not accepting applications
Full destination-state license
The destination is a member but is not accepting applications
Full destination-state license
Your home state is not an OT Compact member
Full destination-state license
You do not meet Compact eligibility
Full destination-state license, if you otherwise qualify
You are permanently relocating to the destination
New home-state license and the Compact move process, if the new state is a member
You expect repeat practice in one state over several years
Compare both routes, including fees and renewal timing
Assignment planning
Using the OT Compact for a Travel Assignment
Sort out the license route before you commit to a start date. The four situations below cover the choices that come up most for travel OTs, and each one points to a different first step.
Your home state and destination both accept applications
Confirm the destination fee and any jurisprudence requirement, complete the home-state background check, and apply through CompactConnect. Facility credentialing can move in parallel, but it is a separate process. The privilege must be active before you practice.
The destination has joined but is not accepting applications
There's no Compact Privilege to request yet. Use the destination state's regular OT license process and plan around that licensing authority's requirements. The Compact may become available for a later assignment when that state finishes implementation.
Your home state is not accepting applications
You can't use that state as your Compact home state today, even if your destination is open and you hold another state license. Apply for the destination's full license instead, unless that board offers another lawful way to practice.
Your client is in another state for telehealth
The OT Compact can support telehealth when you hold active practice authority in the state where the client is located. A privilege for one remote state does not cover a client located in a different state, and the client's state OT laws apply to the encounter.
Before the first shift: A pending Compact application, completed jurisprudence step, or recruiter confirmation is not legal practice authority. Verify that the OT Compact Privilege is active. Facility credentialing, onboarding, and assignment requirements remain separate.
When your home state changes
What Happens to Your OT Compact Privileges If You Move?
A change of primary residence can change your Compact home state, and the Compact has a defined process for it.
A temporary assignment does not change your Compact home state on its own. A permanent move can. Under the current Commission rules you may hold only one Home State License at a time, so the move and the license have to line up before you can lean on the Compact from your new address.
If you move to another Compact member state where you already hold a Compact Privilege, request conversion of that privilege to a new Home State License directly from the new state board. Do it within 30 days of the residency change. File the state application and complete any required fee, background check, jurisprudence, or disciplinary review. After the new Home State License becomes active, the former Home State License converts to a privilege under the Compact process.
If you move to a nonmember state, that state's regular single-state licensing rules apply. Because a Compact Home State must be the member state where you primarily reside, the former residence state no longer serves as your Compact Home State after the residency change. Make sure you have valid practice authority for every state where you continue working.
Good to know
OT Compact FAQs
How many OT Compact states are there?
There are 37 OT Compact member states. Eight of them accept Compact Privilege applications today. The other 29 have joined but aren't ready to issue privileges yet, and the map above shows which is which, state by state, as the Commission updates the list. Thirteen states plus Washington, D.C., aren't members at all. For those, a full state license is the only route in.
What is an OT Compact license?
The credential is called an OT Compact Privilege to Practice. It lets an eligible OT practice in one remote state with the same authority a license would give there. It is not a full license from that state, and one privilege does not cover every Compact member: you request a separate privilege for each remote state where you plan to work.
Can I use the Compact if my home state has joined but is not accepting applications?
No. Three things have to be true of your home state at once. It is a Compact member, it is where you live and hold your OT license, and it is taking applications through CompactConnect. Until your home state opens applications, the Compact route isn't open to you, even if the state you want to work in is ready and waiting and even if you already hold a license somewhere else.
How much does an OT Compact Privilege cost?
Each privilege costs the remote state's published fee plus a nonrefundable $75 Commission fee, and you pay that combination once for every state where you want a privilege. Among the eight states accepting applications, published OT totals run from $100 to $200. The fee table above breaks each one down, and it doesn't include your home-state license renewal.
Which OT Compact states require jurisprudence?
Three of the eight states now taking applications do. Maryland, Ohio, and Wisconsin each ask for a jurisprudence step before they grant the privilege. The other five (Indiana, Minnesota, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia) list it as not required on the Commission's table. The Commission updates that table as states join, so a state's answer can change.
How long does an OT Compact Privilege last?
The privilege lasts until your qualifying home-state license expires. It doesn't renew on its own when that license renews, so after you renew at home you'll purchase a new privilege for each remote state where you want to keep practicing under the Compact, and you'll pay that state's fee again.
Do I need a background check for an OT Compact Privilege?
Yes. Your home-state board runs a criminal background check as part of the Compact process, and the Commission's rules call for fingerprint-based state and FBI checks. There is one narrow exception, which the Commission can grant to a member state when its law makes fingerprinting impossible.
Ready for your next assignment?
Find a Travel OT Assignment That Fits Your Licensing Plan
Search current travel OT jobs, then compare the destination, start date, weekly pay, and licensing route before you commit.
