NLC Cost: Multistate Nursing License Fees by State
The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is the fastest route to practicing nursing telehealth across state lines: one multistate RN (or LVN) license issued by your primary state of residence works in every NLC member state. This page totals what that actually costs in 2026 — every fee below is published by the state’s own board, never a guess.
Last verified: 2026-10-27 by the TelehealthHiring editorial team. Sources: each state board’s published fee schedule (linked per row). Fees change — confirm on your board’s page before paying.
What your telehealth state footprint costs
The compact itself charges $0. You pay your primary state’s board once — the fee below — and that ONE license works in all 35 fully-implemented member states. The fee table below lists 42 jurisdictions: the 35 fully implemented, plus 5 in partial implementation and 2 enacted-but-pending (NCSBN’s official count is 43 — implementation status decides what you can rely on TODAY, and that’s what the status column shows). The cost of the compact is the fee your home state sets; other member states cost nothing extra on top.
Pick each state you also want a full license for (non-compact patient states, below) — the estimator totals your board fee + those.
Estimated total: $0 (your home-state fee + selected non-compact states)
How it works
One application, one fee, 40+ states. Apply to your state’s board — by NCLEX exam or endorsement — and request the multistate license (it is the same price as or close to the single-state fee). Your multistate license then covers every implemented NLC member state — no second applications for telehealth jobs elsewhere. The physician-side mirror of this compact, the IMLC, is explained in the IMLC license guide — useful for mixed RN/physician telehealth teams.
Who qualifies: nurses whose primary state of residence is an NLC member, with an unencumbered license and a U.S. Social Security number. NP practice authority is separate — APRN compact privileges are only beginning to roll out, so Nurse Practitioners should NOT assume NLC covers advanced practice — check the board’s APRN pathway.
States enacting now: partial or implemented-pending jurisdictions (Michigan, DC, plus phases in NJ/RI/CT/MD/DE) have joined recently — check implementation status before relying on them.
Every participating state’s fee
Published fees for initial licensure (exact wording on the board’s page; a few boards price the multistate type separately — shown where different).
| State | Exam fee | Endorsement fee | Renewal | Board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $40 | $75 | $65 | verify at board |
| Indiana | $50 | $50 | $50 | verify at board |
| Utah | $60 | $60 | $68 | verify at board |
| West Virginia | $70 | $125 | $90 | verify at board |
| Wisconsin | $73 | $73 | $73 | verify at board |
| Maine | $75 | $75 | $75 | verify at board |
| North Carolina | $75 | $150 | $100 | verify at board |
| Ohio | $75 | $75 | $65 | verify at board |
| Texas | $75 | $150 | $68 | board-verified |
| Vermont | $75 | $150 | $220 | verify at board |
| Oklahoma | $85 | $150 | $75 | verify at board |
| Colorado | $88 | $44 | $108 | verify at board |
| South Carolina | $90 | $100 | $75 | verify at board |
| Pennsylvania | $95 | $120 | $122 | verify at board |
| Idaho | $98.25 | $98.25 | $70 | verify at board |
| Kansas | $100 | $125 | $85 | verify at board |
| Louisiana | $100 | $100 | $100 | verify at board |
| Mississippi | $100 | $100 | $100 | verify at board |
| Montana | $100 | $200 | $100 | verify at board |
| South Dakota | $100 | $100 | $115 | verify at board |
| Tennessee | $100 | $115 | $100 | verify at board |
| Missouri | — | $105 | $85 | verify at board |
| Florida | $110 | $110 | $75 | verify at board |
| New Hampshire | $116 | $116 | $116 | verify at board |
| Nebraska | $123 | $123 | $123 | verify at board |
| Arkansas | $125 | $125 | $100 | verify at board |
| Kentucky | $125 | $165 | $65 | verify at board |
| North Dakota | $125 | $150 | $140 | verify at board |
| Wyoming | $130 | $135 | $110 | verify at board |
| Washington | $138 | $138 | $138 | verify at board |
| Iowa | $143 | $169 | $99 | verify at board |
| New Mexico | $150 | $150 | $110 | verify at board |
| Virginia | $190 | $190 | $140 | verify at board |
| Alabama | $225 multistate | $225 multistate | $103 | verify at board |
| Arizona | $300 | $150 | $160 | verify at board |
| New Jersey (partial — multistate privileges phase in) | $80 | $120 | $120 | verify at board |
| Rhode Island (partial — multistate privileges phase in) | $135 | $135 | $135 | verify at board |
| Connecticut (partial — multistate privileges phase in) | $180 | $180 | $110 | verify at board |
| Delaware (partial — multistate privileges phase in) | $181 | $181 | — | verify at board |
| Maryland (partial — multistate privileges phase in) | $187 | $230 | $191 | verify at board |
| Michigan (enacted — implementation pending) | $212 | $212 | $161 | verify at board |
Figures collected from published board fee schedules; 1 of 41 rows re-verified against the board’s own site at build time. Fees change — confirm before paying.
Not in the compact — full state license required
These big telehealth patient states are OUTSIDE the NLC: one license per state, at each board’s single-state fee. Cheapest to budget for them on purpose.
| State | Endorsement fee | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | $50 | $80 |
| Alaska | $100 | $200 |
| Nevada | $100 | $100 |
| Minnesota | $105 | $85 |
| New York | $143 | $73 |
| Massachusetts | $275 | $120 |
| Oregon | $295 | $245 |
| California | $350 | $190 |
The costs calculators usually miss
- Fingerprinting — $35–$65 per state. One federal/state check at your primary state covers the multistate license — not one per state you work in.
- Nursys verification — $30 per state when endorsing in. Paid to Nursys, not to us.
- CE hours. Every state requires CE at renewal (most 20–30 hours per 2-year cycle). Some states add targeted modules (human trafficking, opioid stewardship).
- 60-day rule. If you move to a new primary state, present an application within 60 days — your old multistate license converts to single-state.
- NP/APRN in the compact. The NLC covers the RN/LVN level. Your APRN license remains state-by-state unless your board participates in the (separate) APRN Compact — implementation is still rolling out. Treating telehealth psychiatry patients across state lines still needs state-by-state APRN licensure.
Physicians use the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact instead — fees on the IMLC cost calculator.
Census: nursecompact.com’s official map (rendered 2026-10-04). Fees: state board fee schedules; last verified 2026-10-27 by the TelehealthHiring editorial team.