What Chiropractic Licensing Costs, Beyond Our Fee

A chiropractic license costs more than the board's application fee. Depending on the route, you may pay the NBCE for exams and transcripts, the board for the application, a state law exam and the license itself, a vendor for fingerprints, the NPDB for a self-query, and schools for transcripts. The numbers below are taken from the fee rules and official fee schedules we checked in 2026. Boards change fees, so confirm before you pay, and remember that every fee here is separate from ours.

What do NBCE exams cost?

From the NBCE's fee schedule (2026):

• Part I, Part II, Part III: $710 each.
• Part IV: $1,585, now taken only in Greeley, Colorado. The NBCE's own FAQ estimated an average of $427 for airfare and one night's lodging for examinees who used to test on campus.
• Physiotherapy: $450.
• SPEC: $1,500, with $1,200 refunded on a timely withdrawal.
• Sample tests: $15 each (Part I and Part II domains; $60 for all domains of a part).
• Transcripts to boards: the first is free; each additional state is $25, and other processing charges may apply.
• Certificate of Attainment: the first is free; extra copies are $30.

The full NBCE set for a new graduate (Parts I to IV plus Physiotherapy) is $4,365 at first attempt. A licensed DC moving states usually pays only the transcript fee, unless the new state requires an exam they do not have, such as Physiotherapy or SPEC.

What does the NPDB self-query cost?

The personal account is free, a $3.00 annual subscription gives unlimited access to your latest certified response, and mailed paper copies are $13.00 each, according to the NPDB. See the NPDB self-query.

What do states charge?

Texas

From the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners' fee rule (22 Tex. Admin. Code § 72.1):

• License application: $200, including the online jurisprudence education course.
• Online jurisprudence exam: $150. Repeat: $250 ($100 to the board, $150 to the vendor).
• Initial license: $10 to $120, prorated.
• Biennial renewal: $300. Late renewal: $450 if under 90 days late, $600 from 90 days to a year.
• Reinstatement: $145. Renewal from inactive: $300.
• Letter of good standing: $25. Criminal history evaluation letter: $150.

The statute also lets the board charge up to $50 to verify your undergraduate education (Tex. Occ. Code § 201.303(c)), and the Department of Public Safety may collect the cost of the fingerprint check (§ 201.313(d)). An out-of-state DC applying by endorsement typically pays the application, jurisprudence exam and initial license fees, up to $470 in board fees, plus fingerprints and an NBCE transcript. See Texas endorsement.

Florida

• Application: $100, nonrefundable (Fla. Admin. Code R. 64B2-12.002). The statute caps it at $100 (Fla. Stat. § 460.406(1)).
• Initial license: $300 (R. 64B2-12.005).
• Biennial renewal: $300 (R. 64B2-12.005).
• Reactivation of an inactive license: $250 (R. 64B2-12.007).
• Examination: the statute allows an exam fee of up to $500 plus the department's actual cost of NBCE exam portions (§ 460.406(1)). Florida's Laws and Rules exam is delivered by the NBCE.
• Fingerprints: the applicant pays processing and retention costs (Fla. Stat. § 456.0135(3)).

See Florida licensing from another state.

California

• License application: $371, nonrefundable (16 CCR § 321).
• Reciprocity application: $25, nonrefundable, plus the license fee set by the Chiropractic Act if licensure is granted (16 CCR § 323).

An applicant who fails to appear for the exam within a year after qualifying forfeits the fee (16 CCR § 348). See California licensing for out-of-state DCs.

New York

The licensure fee is $294, per the NYSED chiropractic requirements page. NYSED notes that fees are subject to change and the fee due is the one in law when the application is received, and that a withdrawing applicant may be entitled to a partial refund. Payments from outside the United States must be in U.S. dollars on a U.S. bank. See New York endorsement routes.

Other fees worth knowing

• Nevada: a temporary license of up to 10 days at a named location costs $50 (NRS 634.115).
• Every other state sets its own fees by statute or rule; check each state's page in our state license index.

What other costs come up?

• License verifications from every board that has licensed you. Each issuing board sets its own fee; Texas charges $25 for a letter of good standing.
• College transcripts from each school, and a credentials evaluation if your degree is from outside the U.S. Florida approves specific evaluation services by rule.
• Background reports such as a CIN-BAD report, where a board requires one.
• Notarization and courier for boards that still want originals.
• Malpractice coverage, which some states and employers require; see malpractice coverage when you license in another state.
• Renewal and CE for each license you hold, every cycle.

Which fees can I get back?

Fewer than you would hope, so the order of payments matters:

• Board application fees are often nonrefundable. Florida's $100 application fee, California's $371 application fee and its $25 reciprocity fee are all nonrefundable by rule. Florida's statute says the exam fee "may be refundable if the applicant is found ineligible" (§ 460.406(1)).
• New York says an applicant who withdraws may be entitled to a partial refund, and that it is not responsible for fees paid to outside testing or credentials agencies.
• NBCE computer-based exams (Parts I to III and Physiotherapy) can be rescheduled or canceled free 30 or more days before the appointment; Prometric charges $50 at 16 to 29 days; at 15 days or less there is no reschedule or refund.
• SPEC refunds $1,200 of the $1,500 on a withdrawal before the deadline, and changes 30 or more days before the deadline carry no charge. After the published deadline, the NBCE issues no refunds.

The practical rule: confirm the route and the exam list before paying a nonrefundable application fee, and book NBCE exams only when the date is firm.

Are there fee waivers?

Some, mainly for military families. Texas waives the license application and examination fees, where allowed by law, for military members and veterans whose service, training or education substantially meets the license requirements (22 Tex. Admin. Code § 72.2(k)), and gives service members two extra years for CE and renewal requirements, including late fees (§ 72.14(j)). See military spouses and chiropractic licensing.

What does a full move cost, roughly?

Two examples, using the verified fees above and excluding fingerprints, school and verification fees, which vary:

• A DC with Parts I to IV and Physiotherapy, endorsing into Texas: $200 application, $150 jurisprudence exam, up to $120 initial license and a $25 NBCE transcript (if not the first), roughly $495 in board and NBCE fees.
• The same DC without Physiotherapy: add $450 for the NBCE exam, or use SPEC at $1,500 if that route fits better.

How should I budget?

List the fees in the order you will pay them, and mark which are refundable:

1. NBCE exams you still need, and travel for Part IV.
2. NPDB self-query, $3.00.
3. Transcripts from each school and the NBCE.
4. Verifications from each licensing board.
5. The board's application fee, often nonrefundable.
6. Fingerprints.
7. The state law exam.
8. The initial license fee, usually due at approval.
9. The first renewal and its CE, which can come sooner than expected if the license is prorated.

What do we charge?

Our fees are flat and listed on our pricing page: Chiropractic Licensure Readiness Review $149 one-time; License by Endorsement $499 per state; Full State License Application $749 per state; Jurisprudence & State Law Exam Support $249 per state; SPEC Exam Pathway Support $299 one-time; Scope Add-On Registration $249 per registration; Chiropractic Assistant Registration $99 per assistant; Annual Renewal & CE Compliance $299 per license, per year. Fingerprint coordination is $75 to $150, notarization $75, and courier and rush $50 to $150. Board, NBCE, FCLB and fingerprint fees are always extra and paid to them. No fee, ours or the board's, buys a license; the board decides.