Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) · rules checked October 22, 2026
There is no expiry date, no renewal form and no renewal fee. Your certification stays Active only while you provide at least 8 paid hours of nursing or nursing-related services in every 24 consecutive months, and your employer reports your employment to the Health Care Worker Registry.
If you have never worked for pay since certifying, use your certification date.
| Credential | Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) |
|---|---|
| Registry | Illinois Health Care Worker Registry (Illinois Department of Public Health) · 844-789-3676 |
| Training required | 120 hours |
| Exam | Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) — Illinois Nurse Aide Testing — $85 |
| How renewal works | Stays active through paid work inside the window — no calendar expiry while you keep working. Renewal fee: $0. |
| Keep-active work rule | There is no expiry date, no renewal form and no renewal fee. Your certification stays Active only while you provide at least 8 paid hours of nursing or nursing-related services in every 24 consecutive months, and your employer reports your employment to the Health Care Worker Registry. |
| Continuing education | No continuing education is required to stay active; staying active is based on paid work only. |
| Who reports your work | Your employer does — if they fail to, you can show as inactive while working |
Changing soon: Recertification testing fee is disputed between sources (free vs. the $85 SIUC exam fee) — re-check SIUC's fee schedule before publishing a dollar figure for recertification.
Portal, forms, the steps in order, the exact fee, and the trap that lapses Illinois aides — our guide How to renew your CNA license in Illinois walks the renewal end to end.
First: if you worked the hours but your employer never reported them, you can show as Inactive even though you worked — contact the Registry (844-789-3676) and have the employer submit the record. Otherwise, the route back is recertification testing: Recertification under 77 Ill. Adm. Code 395.265 and the IDPH CNA Facts page: pass a manual skills test administered by an Illinois-approved evaluator AND pass the written competency test again through SIUC. If you fail the written test three times you must complete a new approved Basic Nurse Assistant Training Program (BNATP) before testing again. One honest flag: IDPH materials describe recertification testing as free, while the testing administrator's published schedule lists an $85 exam fee. The sources conflict; we flag it instead of hiding it — confirm the current fee before you book.
Recertification under 77 Ill. Adm. Code 395.265 and the IDPH CNA Facts page: pass a manual skills test administered by an Illinois-approved evaluator AND pass the written competency test again through SIUC. If you fail the written test three times you must complete a new approved Basic Nurse Assistant Training Program (BNATP) before testing again.
Trap: you can be marked Inactive while actively working if your employer fails to report your employment to the Registry — always check your own record. Illinois issues no license number or paper certificate; the Registry listing is the only proof. Recertification fee reporting conflicts: the task anchor and one secondary guide say recertification testing is free, while SIUC's general fee schedule lists $85 for the (initial) exam and $55 for a no-show reschedule — confirm the recertification charge with SIUC before relying on either figure.
Application fee: $25. Must be deemed competent on another state's CNA registry, with documentation that 42 CFR 483.151/483.152 requirements were met, no administrative findings of abuse, neglect or misappropriation on any state's registry, and no disqualifying convictions. You must be ACTIVE in your home state — an inactive application cannot be processed. Mail the Out-of-State Nurse Aide Application with a $25 money order payable to SIUC / Nurse Aide Testing (no personal checks or cash). A separate fingerprint background check under the Health Care Worker Background Check Act is required before you can work. Work-history requirement: Must be active on the home-state registry at the time of application.. The $25 reciprocity fee was instituted July 1, 2023, and is charged by SIUC, not IDPH.
The table below is computed for an active aide in good standing, trained to the origin state's standard hours. Your own hours or status can change your row — run the transfer checker with your real facts.
| Certified in | Verdict for Illinois | Fee | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Alaska | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Arizona | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Arkansas | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| California | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Colorado | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Connecticut | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Delaware | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| District of Columbia | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Florida | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Georgia | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Hawaii | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Idaho | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Illinois | Same state — no transfer needed | ||
| Indiana | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Iowa | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Kansas | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Kentucky | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Louisiana | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Maine | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Maryland | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Massachusetts | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Michigan | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Minnesota | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Mississippi | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Missouri | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Montana | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Nebraska | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Nevada | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| New Hampshire | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| New Jersey | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| New Mexico | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| New York | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| North Carolina | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| North Dakota | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Ohio | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Oklahoma | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Oregon | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Pennsylvania | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Rhode Island | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| South Carolina | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| South Dakota | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Tennessee | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Texas | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Utah | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Vermont | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Virginia | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Washington | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| West Virginia | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Wisconsin | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
| Wyoming | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Illinois accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement. |
The kit carries Illinois's full recovery path — the forms, the order to file them, the phone scripts — plus transfer checklists for every destination. See the kit →
