PT Compact & OT Compact States

Licensure compacts are interstate agreements that allow healthcare professionals to practice in member states without obtaining a separate license in each one. For travel therapists, compacts dramatically reduce the time, cost, and paperwork of multi-state licensure.

The PT Compact covers physical therapists and PT assistants. The OT Compact covers occupational therapists and OT assistants. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists have their own compact, the ASLP-IC (below). Full details in our Licensure Guide.

38 states issue PT Compact privileges and 3 more have enacted the compact but are not issuing yet, according to the PT Compact Commission (as of November 2, 2026). The full PT Compact guide lists every state's status, fee and jurisprudence rule.

Cost: $45–$309 per state privilege for PTs as of November 2, 2026: the PT Compact Commission's $45 fee plus the state's own fee, which varies by state. If your compact privileges open the states you want, tell a recruiter which ones: Find my next contract.

The OT Compact is newer. It functions similarly to the PT Compact. OTs and COTAs with an active license in a member home state can apply for compact privileges.

Because the OT Compact is newer, fewer states issue its privileges; the OT Compact Commission keeps the current list.

ASLP-IC (audiology and speech-language pathology): the compact is issuing privileges. As of November 3, 2026, the ASLP-IC is issuing compact privileges in Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia (aslpcompact.com and CompactConnect’s live list, checked November 3, 2026). More member states will issue as they onboard; check the Commission for the current list.

Some travel therapists live in a state with no tax on wages. Which state taxes you is set by each state's own residency rules, not by the federal tax home test, and states you work in can still tax what you earn there:

Not all of them issue PT or OT Compact privileges, so check each state's compact status before you count on a privilege. See the state tax guide for more on tax-free states.