Skip to main content

Guide

Starting A Therapy Practice In Florida (2026): Licenses, Business Setup And Insurance

Opening an insurance based therapy practice in Florida means knowing which licenses allow independent practice, what business filing costs and which insurers to start with. This guide explains those choices. We prepare, submit and follow commercial payer applications until each payer gives its written decision.

See Credentialing Prices

Starting A Practice

Florida puts its counselors, marriage and family therapists and clinical social workers under one chapter of statute and one board, and the statute says interns must stay under supervision the whole time. The state also publishes what it costs to file an LLC and has a separate chapter for professional LLCs.

Which Licenses Can Practice On Their Own In Florida

Chapter 491 of the Florida Statutes covers clinical, counseling and psychotherapy services. It defines three licensed titles: clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist and mental health counselor, usually shortened to LCSW, LMFT and LMHC. The Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling oversees them, and psychologists have their own Florida Board of Psychology.

The boards license you. Each insurance company still decides whether to credential you, so a license is where credentialing starts.

Associate And Intern Licenses In Florida

Florida calls the pre license stage a registered intern. Section 491.0045 says a person who has not finished the post master’s experience requirement must register as an intern before starting it, and that anyone registered under the section must remain under supervision while practicing under registered intern status. The statute also says time spent before registering does not count toward the requirement, and that an intern registration is valid for 5 years.

To register, the statute requires a supervision plan the board accepts and an identified qualified supervisor. Plan an insurance based practice of your own around the full license.

Forming Your Business In Florida

The Florida Division of Corporations lists Articles of Organization for an LLC at $100, plus $25 for the registered agent designation, for a minimum of $125 due. Confirm on the day you file.

Sunset at tropical beach with palm trees on a beach in Florida Keys

Florida also has Chapter 621, which lets individuals licensed to render the same professional service form a professional limited liability company under section 621.051. The chapter defines a professional service as a personal service that requires a license or other legal authorization. Whether you need that structure for your own license is a question for a Florida attorney, and we don’t give legal advice.

Florida Medicaid

The Agency for Health Care Administration runs Florida Medicaid provider enrollment. Its provider enrollment page offers an Enrollment Readiness Tool that builds a checklist, document requirements and a risk level assessment before you submit an application, and it describes initial enrollment, revalidation, change of information and reactivation. Start there so you know what to gather first.

Commercial Insurers To Know In Florida

These are the commercial insurers in our Florida payer research, last verified October 1, 2026. We list them in no order, and which ones you apply to is your call.

  • Florida Blue (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida)
  • Aetna
  • Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Behavioral Health
  • UnitedHealthcare and Optum Behavioral Health
  • Humana
  • AvMed
  • Oscar Health
  • Molina Healthcare of Florida
  • Simply Healthcare Plans
  • Ambetter from Sunshine Health

Our Florida credentialing guide goes through them one at a time.

Medicare For LMFTs And Counselors

Since January 1, 2024, Medicare has paid marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors directly. CMS says that effective that date, MFTs and MHCs can bill Medicare independently for services furnished for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. CMS’s enrollment FAQ says to enroll through PECOS, the online system, or the paper CMS 855I application, and describes the requirements: a master’s or doctor’s degree that qualifies you for licensure, at least 2 years or 3,000 hours of post master’s degree clinical supervised experience, and a license or certification from the state where you practice.

We walk through the steps in our Medicare enrollment guide for counselors and MFTs.

Questions We Get

How Long Is A Florida Intern Registration Valid?

Section 491.0045 says an intern registration is valid for 5 years.

Does Time Count If I Practice Before I Register As An Intern?

No. The statute says time spent completing the experience requirement before registering does not count toward it.

What Does It Cost To File A Florida LLC?

The Division of Corporations lists $100 for Articles of Organization and $25 for the registered agent designation, a minimum of $125.

Where We Fit

Individual Provider credentialing starts at $1,200 for two payers ($500 setup plus $350 per payer). You buy it online, sign your agreements in the Command Suite, and we start within three business days after we receive your completed onboarding information, documents and access. If you’re opening your first practice and need business identifiers, EHR and medical billing set up too, First Practice Launch is $6,000, or $1,500 a month for four months, with five commercial payers included. Our Florida credentialing guide goes through each payer, and what it costs to start a therapy practice has the line item budget. Most questions get answered within one business day.

Official Sources

Every fact on this page comes from the source listed here, read on the date shown. This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm the current version before you rely on it.

Keep Going

All guides

Need Help With This In Your Practice?

Use the guide yourself, or see the related service when you want AdvanceAPractice to handle the work.

Packages & PricesAsk A Question