New York licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the State Education Department's Office of the Professions, with the State Board for Physical Therapy. You must be 21 for a PT license (18 for a PTA), and your education must be approved before you are eligible for the NPTE as a New York candidate. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. PT Ticket is a study aid, not clinical or legal guidance. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), CAPTE, the PT Compact Commission or any state board; NPTE and FSBPT are their marks, used here only to name the exam.
New York at a glance
Physical therapist (PT)
PT assistant (PTA)
Exam
NPTE-PT (225 questions, 5 hours), $485 to FSBPT
NPTE-PTA (180 questions, 4 hours), $485 to FSBPT
License fee
$294 (license and first registration)
$103
Limited permit
$70, valid 6 months, on-site PT supervision
$50, valid 6 months
Law exam
None listed by NYSED
None listed
Background check
No fingerprinting step listed; good moral character questions on Form 1
Same
PT Compact
Not a member. You need a full New York license; compact privileges from other states do not cover New York. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
New York, step by step
New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Physical Therapy)
Form 1 and the fee: file the Application for Licensure with $294 (PT) or $103 (PTA); online applications are paid by credit card. You must be at least 21 for a PT license and 18 for a PTA license.
Form 2 from your school: your registrar sends the Certification of Professional Education straight to the Office of the Professions. PTs need a doctoral degree in physical therapy from a NYS-registered or CAPTE-accredited program.
The NPTE: register with FSBPT. You must file the New York application and fee, and have your education approved, before you are eligible to test as a New York candidate.
Working before the license: new PT graduates of registered or accredited programs may work for 90 days after graduation without a permit, once Form 2 is requested and Form 1 and the fee are in. A limited permit ($70 PT, $50 PTA, non-refundable) is valid 6 months and requires on-site supervision by a New York PT, in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, schools, public health agencies or a PT's office.
Licensed elsewhere? New York does not accept compact privileges. Apply with the NPTE score transfer from FSBPT and a verification from each state you hold a license in (Form 3); PTs who do not meet today's education rule can apply by endorsement with 3 years of practice in the last 7.
Every state licenses physical therapists and PT assistants on the NPTE, with the same passing score everywhere (600 on a 200-800 scale): a CAPTE-accredited degree, your state board's application, then NPTE registration with FSBPT ($485 plus Prometric's sitting fee), which your board approves before FSBPT sends your Authorization to Test. The PT exam is 225 questions in 5 hours and the PTA exam 180 questions in 4 hours, both on fixed dates four times a year; you may test 3 times in 12 months and 6 times in a lifetime (FSBPT NPTE Candidate Handbook). The full walk-through: How to get your PT license.