hmm...  I was a test content evaluator many years ago.  There was no travel or accommodations provided then.

It gets even sillier with the license verifications when you apply for reciprocity: some states require the NCARB record transmittal, but then they also require a "certificate of good standing" direct from each state anyway.  At least that's only another $20 or so per state where you're already licensed - but isn't that what an NCARB certficate record is supposed to keep track of in the first place?

I went through this earlier this year, and asked the state to which I was applying why they need both, and they said because an NCARB record has the testing record, and also because it has the list of states you've ever been licensed in (so if you were once licensed somewhere and got your license taken away, NCARB is apparently notified of that by states, so will report that, even if you failed to mention that on your application to the state)  - but it's only as up-to-date as the info that we report annually, and NCARB only spot-checks some records - so if you've manage to get yourself in trouble with another state after you renewed, or if NCARB didn't happen to audit what  you reported, then the state to which you're applying won't find out, whereas the "certificate of good standing" is accurate up to the date on which it's issued.

check this shit out: http://www.ncarb.org/News-and-Events/News/2016/Apr-Fees.aspx

I paid 100 to establish my record and need to pay 85 to keep it renewed.  But I then need to pay 1,200 to take my exams (plus 210 for each retake).  Then I pay 1,100 for the NCARB certificate + 225 annual renewal, and while the 1k purchases the right to transfer my licence I still have to pay 400 to have it done.   

Assuming I'm a first year M.Arch, that works out as:

~5 years of AXP, a generous timeframe = $525

ARE Exams = 1,200

NCARB Certificate = 1,100 + 225 per annum 

$2,825 in NCARB fees simply to register as an architect in one state.  

I don't think you get nearly 3k in value when a good half of that money supports NCARB putting your info into an access database/excel spreadsheet. 

Yes, it's a lot of money. Has anyone done a comparison to other professions, to see what their licensing costs are?

Dangermouse:  as long as you keep paying the $85 annually, and apply for certification as soon as you get your first license, then the $1100 certification fee is waived. Also I believe the first three years after getting the first license are still discounted to half the $225.  Also your first transmittal after you finish testing is included in your AXP fees. So there's that...   But yeah, it's still a lot of money.  Until I went out on my own most of the firms I worked for paid all or a percentage of all those fees.

I did not have to pay anything for my records or to qualify my education. (ontario)

Fee is roughly $1000CAD per year for licencing, twice that or more if it includes a certificate of practice. I think interns pay +\-$150 per year for up to 5 years. After that it's the full $1k even if they have not completed IDP and exams. 

^ Do firms pay for it up there? It's pretty typical here that firms don't pay to keep your NCARB certificate active, but will pay your state licensing fees and sometimes AIA membership (at least in my case).

dangermouse, it's fucking extortion. Why they get to ransom our personal credentials is beyond me. 

24 states require NCARB certification for reciprocity. Everyone in those states should write their state board and encourage them to drop any NCARB file requirement for reciprocity. Because honestly, if they require the applicant to provide everything in one neat package, it costs them the same amount to process. OR, with everything digital these days, your university and your original state board can provide the documentation directly without routing through the applicant, which, admittedly, looks ripe for abuse.

Josh, I've heard of places that will pay for interns... but I think those are unicorns. I don't think anyone really covers membership fees during the intern experience gathering phase. Most offices will cover all or part of the licensing fee, some will cover the exam cost ($750).

My office covers 50% of my annual license cost and although they did not pay for my exam registration, they did cover my salary during the 2 days required to take (all 4) exams.

Bureaucracy Wheel Grease is hundreds of dollars per ounce. I hear they still harvest it from Right Whales.

It doesn't really matter, fees-wise, whether the state requires NCARB certification or not.  That's because nearly all of the states that don't require it still require transmittal of an NCARB record (certified or not) - but NCARB's current policy is that they do not transmit the records of certificate-eligible people unless those people get certified.  So basically if you have the NAAB degree, went through IDP, and passed the ARE, then after the first transmittal for your initial license NCARB will ever after hold your record hostage if you don't get the certificate.

There are a very small number of states that will grant reciprocity solely based on endorsement of another state's license (i.e. if you passed the other state's requirements, and are currently in good standing, then that's all the 2nd state needs for documentation) - but all the rest want the NCARB record to prove ARE and IDP, even if they don't require a certificate.

Not sure why everyone is getting ncarb unless you are pretty sure you'll be moving or practicing in another state fairly soon. 

"Fairly soon" is relative.

If you get certified as soon as you get licensed, then you're paying $225 per year in dues (except the first 3 yeas, which are half-price).  But you're saving the $1100 certification fee (because it is waived).

If you wait until later, then you have to pay the $1100 certification fee, plus all the back years of dues that you didn't pay since you obtained your license, plus a "reinstatement fee" (yes, even if you were never certified in the first place), to a maximum cap of an additional $1100.

So: if you're going to need reciprocity within the next 9-10 years, you'll come out ahead by paying the annual dues.  If you don't need reciprocity for more than years, you'll come out ahead waiting and paying the $2200. 

This doesn't take into consideration the increases in fees that happen every 3 or 4 years - but as all fees (dues, certification fees, and reinstatement fees) tend to rise at about the same percentage, the above should still be valid.

There's another wrench in this though: every now and then NCARB offers "amnesty" of back years' dues, for those who decide to get certified that month.  There's no way to predict when this will happen - there are years where it has happened twice, and there have also been stretches of 5 or more years where it didn't happen at all, and it's not always very well publicized.
 

I hate NCARB.  They are beurocratic vampires.  

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