The Nurse Licensure Compact in 2026: 43 States and What It Means for Your Earning Power
By NurseCompensation Research Team · 2026-05-28 · 8 min read
The NLC now covers 43 jurisdictions. Here is what the compact actually changes about where and how you can work, and how it affects travel nursing pay.
Current Status: 43 Jurisdictions
As of 2026, the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) has been enacted in 43 states and territories. Of these, 40 are fully implemented, meaning nurses with a multistate license issued from their primary state of residence can practice in those states without additional licensure.
Three jurisdictions (Guam, Massachusetts, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) have enacted the compact but are still in implementation phases.
States NOT in the compact as of 2026:
- California
- New York
- Illinois
- Oregon
- Hawaii (enacted but awaiting implementation)
- Pennsylvania (recently implemented January 2026)
- Massachusetts (enacted November 2024, implementation pending)
How It Works
A multistate license is issued by your primary state of residence (PSOR). You must meet the Uniform Licensure Requirements (ULR), which include a federal criminal background check, and your PSOR must be a compact member state.
Your PSOR is determined by where you hold your driver's license, are registered to vote, and declare residency on federal tax filings. If you move to a new compact state, you must obtain a new license from that state within 30-90 days depending on the state.
Compensation Implications
The compact has several direct effects on earning potential:
1. Faster access to higher-paying markets. A nurse in a compact state can accept assignments in other compact states without waiting 4-12 weeks for license endorsement. This matters most in travel nursing, where a 6-week licensing delay can cost $12,000-$18,000 in lost contract income.
2. Telehealth practice across state lines. Nurses with compact licenses can provide telehealth services to patients in other compact states. Remote nursing roles (triage, case management, utilization review) increasingly require multistate coverage.
3. The California and New York gap. The two highest-paying nominal states remain outside the compact. Nurses wanting to work in these states still need separate licenses, which typically cost $150-$400 and take 4-12 weeks to process.
What You Need to Do
If you reside in a compact state and hold a single-state license, contact your state board of nursing about converting to a multistate license. Most states charge $50-$100 for the conversion and require a federal background check through Identogo or a similar vendor.
If you reside in a non-compact state, you cannot obtain a multistate license regardless of where you want to work. You would need to establish residency in a compact state first.
Sources: National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), nursecompact.com, state board of nursing websites. Map updated January 2026.