Missouri charges $28 to license and $28 to renew, set in 20 CSR 2150-7.200. It is the cheapest PA license in the country and Missouri is a compact member state, which makes it the least expensive foundation available for compact privileges from 2027.
$28. That is not a typo, and it is set in administrative code rather than being a promotional rate.
What the rule charges
20 CSR 2150-7.200 sets the licensure fee at $28 and the renewal at the same. Temporary licensure is $25. A controlled substance prescriptive authority certificate is $25. Late renewal is $25.
Every line item in the schedule is under $30, which is remarkable next to Ohio at $400 to apply or North Carolina at $325.
Why this is more interesting than a bargain
Missouri is a compact member state. That makes a $28 Missouri license a qualifying license — from 2027 it supports privileges into every other member state, and it keeps doing so as membership grows.
Which means the cheapest license in the country is also one of the most useful. For a PA in a non-member state — California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia — who wants a route into the compact, Missouri is the least expensive door there is.
What the fee does not buy
Speed. A cheap license and a fast license are unrelated things. Missouri runs the same fingerprint-based background check through the same kind of state vendor, and the same primary source verification of every license you have ever held.
Two to four months is the realistic planning assumption, exactly as it is in a $400 state. The money and the calendar are set by completely different mechanisms.
And the costs that are not the board’s
Fingerprinting. NCCPA verification. Verification fees paid to every board that has ever licensed you. Transcripts from your program.
For an applicant with three prior licenses, those ancillary costs will be several times the $28. The cheap fee is real and it is a small share of the total, which is true everywhere and unusually stark here.
Is a speculative Missouri license worth it?
For a PA who wants compact optionality and holds only non-member licenses, the case is strong. $28 now and twenty-eight per cycle is close to the cheapest optionality available in professional licensing.
The obligations are real though. A renewal cycle to track, CME to satisfy, and a license whose lapse would eventually cost more to unwind than it ever cost to hold. Speculate deliberately, then put the renewal on a calendar.
Fees change without much notice. The amount you owe is the one in force when the board receives your application.
Common questions
- What is the cheapest state to get a PA license?
- Missouri, at $28 for licensure and $28 to renew under 20 CSR 2150-7.200. Illinois at $50 and Washington at $50 are the nearest comparisons.
- Is Missouri in the PA compact?
- Yes. Missouri is a member state, so a Missouri license will support privileges in other member states once the Commission opens applications.
- What else does Missouri charge?
- Temporary licensure is $25, a controlled substance prescriptive authority certificate is $25, and late renewal is $25. Every line item in the rule is under $30.
- Does a cheap license mean a fast license?
- No. Fees and timelines are unrelated. Missouri runs the same fingerprinting and primary source verification as everywhere else, so plan on two to four months regardless.
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