Licensure · LMFT · checked Oct 30, 2026
How to become an LMFT, and where the exam differs
Your state board grants an LMFT license, for marriage and family therapists, after a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy, supervised clinical experience and a passing score on the licensing exam. Outside California that exam is the AMFTRB national exam; California's board licenses LMFTs on two exams of its own.
Updated Oct 30, 2026 · Not affiliated with NBCC, CCE, AMFTRB, CRCC, ACA or AAMFT.
- how you are cleared to testBoard approval code
- national exam fee$370 ($389 from Jan 2027)
- where you testPrometric center
The path to an LMFT license
Degree
A master's or doctorate in marriage and family therapy, or a related degree the board accepts.
Associate
Register with the board under its associate or intern title.
Hours
Supervised clinical work with individuals, couples and families.
Exam
Board approval code, then the national exam (California: two BBS exams).
License
Apply with the hours and score; add any state law exam.
Degree and supervised hours
Boards expect a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy, or a counseling or related degree with the family therapy coursework they list. After it, you register under the board's associate or intern title and work under a supervisor it approves. The board sets the hour total, how much of it must be direct client contact, how much must be with couples or families, and who may supervise.
We have not verified the MFT hour rule state by state, so this page prints none; the counselor figures on the LPC path belong to a different license. Your board's application packet is the document to plan from. Board links for every state are on requirements by state.
The exam: one national test, one exception
In the AMFTRB's 2025 state licensure survey, every state we could read lists the national exam for the LMFT except California; three states also accept a California exam (below). It is a 180-question exam taken at a Prometric center, and you cannot book it on your own: the board issues an approval code, a 13-character code issued fresh for every application. New York and Texas candidates are the exception to the new-code-per-application rule.
How the states on our cards differ:
- California: its own two BBS exams instead (below).
- Oregon, Texas and Utah: the national exam or the California LMFT Clinical Exam; Oregon adds its own law and rules exam (OAR 833-040-0041).
- Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin: the survey sheet could not be read for these three, so we leave them unconfirmed. Check with the board.
From the January 2027 window the exam changes (155 scored, $389). Format, scoring and both fee years: MFT exam and MFT exam info.
California: the BBS route
The California board (BBS) skips the national exam. You pass the LMFT California Law and Ethics Exam, then the California LMFT Clinical Exam, both at Pearson VUE once the board approves you (BBS: LMFT exams). On the clinical exam: re-exam after a 90-day wait from your last attempt. If you pass Law and Ethics after your licensure application is approved, take the Clinical Exam within one year.
We have not verified the question counts or fees of the two BBS exams, so none are printed here. The California title sequence and hour rules are on the board's site.
Ethics code and moving states
Family therapists answer to the AAMFT Code of Ethics, effective January 1, 2026, and the exam's ethics domain is written against it: AAMFT Code of Ethics. The counselors' ACA Code is a different document.
The Counseling Compact is for the professional counselor license. Moving an LMFT license to another state goes through that state's board, usually by endorsement of your existing license and exam score.
LMFT or LPC?
Both are master's-level licenses that can lead to independent practice. The LMFT is built around relationships and family systems; the counseling license is broader and uses NBCC exams. The full side-by-side, with the LCSW: counseling license types.
Your code sets the window
From 2027 there are 12 two-week windows, and each closes to applications on the 1st of the month before it: the Jan 2–16, 2027 window needs your application by Dec 1, 2026 (all dates). You cannot apply without the board's code. A late board approval pushes you to a later window; build that gap into your timeline.
Prepare for the MFT national exam
MFT practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app.
Not affiliated with NBCC, CCE, AMFTRB, CRCC, ACA or AAMFT.
LMFT license questions
Can I take the national exam before my hours are done?
It depends on the board, because the board decides when to issue your approval code, and you cannot register for a window without one. Ask your board at which point of the associate stage it approves candidates.
What is the retake rule?
AMFTRB allows one attempt per calendar quarter, and every retake means applying again, getting a fresh code and paying the full fee. Your state may add its own wait: MFT exam info.
Is "MFT" the same as "LMFT"?
The shorter form names the profession or the degree; LMFT is the license. Before licensure you may hold an associate or intern title from the board.
Do I need the national exam in California?
No. California licenses LMFTs on the state Law and Ethics Exam plus the California LMFT Clinical Exam.