Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) · rules checked October 22, 2026
You must work at least 8 paid hours as a CNA or in nursing-related services in every 24 consecutive months. You submit the renewal form during your expiration month; your employer signs it verifying your work dates, or you attach a W-2 or pay stubs if the employer cannot sign.
If you have never worked for pay since certifying, use your certification date.
Checked in part: most of Idaho's rules were confirmed on primary sources on October 22, 2026, but a few details could only be confirmed in part. Where a figure is marked "not published," use the registry link on this page to confirm — we would rather show you the gap than fill it with a guess.
| Credential | Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) |
|---|---|
| Registry | Idaho Nurse Aide Registry (Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Bureau of Facility Standards) · 1-800-748-2480 |
| Training required | 120 hours |
| Exam | Prometric (written/oral knowledge test); manual skills test arranged through approved training/testing sites — Not published — confirm with the registry (written $34 · skills Not published — confirm with the registry) |
| 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 | You must work at least 8 paid hours as a CNA or in nursing-related services in every 24 consecutive months. You submit the renewal form during your expiration month; your employer signs it verifying your work dates, or you attach a W-2 or pay stubs if the employer cannot sign. |
| Continuing education | No continuing education is required to renew if the work requirement is met. |
| Who reports your work | You do — nobody files it for you |
First: if you worked the 8 hours but the renewal was never filed, the registry may still accept the renewal form with employer signature or pay stubs. Otherwise, the lapsed route is: Route 5 (lapsed): ask the Idaho Nurse Aide Program (IDNAP@dhw.idaho.gov) for an Approval to Test letter, then pass both the manual skills test and the written test again. No retraining is required.
Route 5 (lapsed): ask the Idaho Nurse Aide Program (IDNAP@dhw.idaho.gov) for an Approval to Test letter, then pass both the manual skills test and the written test again. No retraining is required.
Expiration is NOT two years from your last renewal: it is calculated 24 months from your last day worked, so a renewed certificate can expire sooner than expected (DHW example: last worked June 2025 = expires June 2027 even if the old date was June 2026). Exam cost is split: the Prometric written test is $34 (from July 1, 2026; oral also $34, plus site fees) and the manual skills test carries a separate fee set by the testing site, which DHW and Prometric do not publish (one state college site lists $75), so there is no single statewide total exam fee. Idaho's 120-hour training standard is published by its approved programs; the DHW registry pages themselves do not state an hour total. Registry charges no fee to process any forms or certifications.
Application fee: $0. Must hold a current, active CNA certification in another state, be in good standing with no abuse/neglect/misappropriation findings, live in Idaho or have Idaho employment, and submit registry verification (PDF, no screenshots) plus a NATCEP completion certificate or transcript showing one completed semester of nursing school. Reciprocity is free. Applicants certified in Montana or Iowa use a separate Idaho transfer application for those states.
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 Idaho | Fee | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Alaska | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Arizona | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Arkansas | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| California | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Colorado | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Connecticut | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Delaware | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| District of Columbia | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Florida | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Georgia | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Hawaii | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Idaho | Same state — no transfer needed | ||
| Illinois | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Indiana | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Iowa | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Kansas | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Kentucky | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Louisiana | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Maine | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Maryland | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Massachusetts | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Michigan | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Minnesota | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Mississippi | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Missouri | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Montana | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Nebraska | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Nevada | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| New Hampshire | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| New Jersey | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| New Mexico | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| New York | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| North Carolina | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| North Dakota | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Ohio | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Oklahoma | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Oregon | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Pennsylvania | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Rhode Island | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| South Carolina | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| South Dakota | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Tennessee | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Texas | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Utah | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Vermont | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Virginia | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Washington | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| West Virginia | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Wisconsin | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
| Wyoming | Accepted as-is | $0 | Idaho endorses an active, good-standing certification with no application fee and no retest. Application and background check still apply. |
The kit carries Idaho's full recovery path — the forms, the order to file them, the phone scripts — plus transfer checklists for every destination. See the kit →
