Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) · rules checked October 22, 2026
Certification must be renewed every 2 years online through the Department of Public Health Health Professions Licensing System (paper renewal ended December 4, 2023). To renew you must have worked for pay as a nurse aide, under the supervision of a nurse for a health care employer, for at least 8 hours performing nursing-related duties within the past 2 years. No renewal fee is listed in official DPH guidance.
If you have never worked for pay since certifying, use your certification date.
| Credential | Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) |
|---|---|
| Registry | Massachusetts Nurse Aide Registry (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Health Professions Licensure) · 617-753-8144 |
| Training required | 75 hours |
| Exam | D&S Diversified Technologies / Headmaster (D&SDT-Headmaster) — $100 (written $30 · skills $70) |
| How renewal works | A calendar renewal and a paid-work rule both apply. Renewal fee: $0. |
| Keep-active work rule | Certification must be renewed every 2 years online through the Department of Public Health Health Professions Licensing System (paper renewal ended December 4, 2023). To renew you must have worked for pay as a nurse aide, under the supervision of a nurse for a health care employer, for at least 8 hours performing nursing-related duties within the past 2 years. No renewal fee is listed in official DPH guidance. |
| Continuing education | No continuing education is required to renew. |
| Who reports your work | You do — nobody files it for you |
Changing soon: DPH moved renewal and reciprocity online/to Headmaster in December 2023, and exam-fee/free-first-attempt reporting conflicts between sources — re-check TMU pricing before launch.
Expired but still working: per Mass.gov, you may still be able to renew through work experience if you are currently employed as a nurse aide and worked continuously from before your certification expired to the present with NO break in employment.
If you are not currently employed, had a break in employment, or cannot document 8 paid hours in the past 24 months, you must reinstate by retesting: apply in Headmaster's TMU and pass both the knowledge and skills exams again.
By federal rule (42 CFR 483.156(c)(2)) cited by DPH, the Registry cannot extend the renewal period — there is no grace-period extension. The exam is offered in English, Spanish, Chinese and Haitian Creole. Fee reporting varies by source and year (retake schedule lists knowledge $40 / audio $50 / skills $70, while 2026 guides list knowledge $30 / skills $70, and one secondary source says eligible first-time candidates have tested free since July 1, 2024) — confirm the current first-attempt price in TMU before publishing a total.
Massachusetts has a published process to petition for removal of a single, neglect-only registry finding after at least 1 year. Abuse and misappropriation findings cannot be removed. Details — free, and with no strings — on the registry findings page.
Application fee: $0 · typical processing: Reciprocity applications typically take about 15 days to process; a facility may employ a qualifying reciprocity applicant for up to 4 months while the application is pending, at the facility's risk.. Reciprocity is for aides certified and current/in good standing in another state who have NEVER been certified in Massachusetts (if you were ever on the MA Registry, you must use the renewal/reinstatement route instead). Since December 4, 2023, reciprocity applications are processed through D&S Diversified Technologies / Headmaster (TMU Form 9110). No fee. Work-history requirement: Must be current and in good standing in the home state..
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 Massachusetts | Fee | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Alaska | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Arizona | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Arkansas | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| California | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Colorado | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Connecticut | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Delaware | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| District of Columbia | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Florida | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Georgia | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Hawaii | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Idaho | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Illinois | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Indiana | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Iowa | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Kansas | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Kentucky | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Louisiana | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Maine | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Maryland | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Massachusetts | Same state — no transfer needed | ||
| Michigan | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Minnesota | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Mississippi | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Missouri | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Montana | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Nebraska | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Nevada | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| New Hampshire | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| New Jersey | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| New Mexico | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| New York | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| North Carolina | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| North Dakota | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Ohio | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Oklahoma | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Oregon | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Pennsylvania | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Rhode Island | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| South Carolina | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| South Dakota | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Tennessee | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Texas | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Utah | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Vermont | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Virginia | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Washington | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| West Virginia | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Wisconsin | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
| Wyoming | Accepted — with conditions | $0 | Massachusetts accepts active certifications with a work-history requirement. |
The kit carries Massachusetts's full recovery path — the forms, the order to file them, the phone scripts — plus transfer checklists for every destination. See the kit →
