Nursing Assistant Certified (NAC) · rules checked October 22, 2026
The NAC credential itself renews on fees alone: pay $95 on or before your birthday every year, with no work or CE requirement for the credential. Separately, to stay eligible to work in a nursing facility under the federal OBRA registry you must have performed at least 8 hours of paid nursing or nursing-related services in the prior 24 months, reported by your employer (form DSHS 16-193).
If you have never worked for pay since certifying, use your certification date.
| Credential | Nursing Assistant Certified (NAC) |
|---|---|
| Registry | Washington Nurse Aide Registry / OBRA Registry (Provider Credential Search) · 360-236-4700 |
| Training required | 138 hours |
| Exam | Credentia — $155 (written $55 · skills $100) |
| How renewal works | Renews every year, on your birthday, when the fee is paid. Renewal fee: $95. |
| Keep-active work rule | The NAC credential itself renews on fees alone: pay $95 on or before your birthday every year, with no work or CE requirement for the credential. Separately, to stay eligible to work in a nursing facility under the federal OBRA registry you must have performed at least 8 hours of paid nursing or nursing-related services in the prior 24 months, reported by your employer (form DSHS 16-193). |
| Continuing education | No continuing education is required to renew the NAC credential. Long-term care workers have a separate employer-side 12-hour annual CE requirement under long-term care rules (WAC 388-112A) - it is not a DOH/WABON credential renewal requirement. |
| Who reports your work | Your employer does — if they fail to, you can show as inactive while working |
Changing soon: Regulatory authority moved from the Department of Health to the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) on July 1, 2026 - the DOH page now carries that transfer notice. Training minimum in current WAC 246-841A-440 is 138 hours total (66 classroom theory including 32 specialty-topic hours, 32 skills lab, 40 clinical); older 85-hour and 108-hour figures still circulate. Exam vendor churn: knowledge exam via Credentia, skills testing through training programs / approved sites rather than a single vendor portal.
Expired 1 year or less: renew late by paying the $95 renewal fee plus a $50 late penalty. Expired 1 to 3 years: file the Expired Certification Activation application and pay $95 renewal + $50 late penalty + $52 expired certificate reissue fee.
Expired more than 3 years: you must complete a state-approved nursing assistant training program and pass the competency exam again - unless you hold an active certification on another state's OBRA registry, in which case the endorsement route can restore you.
The trap: the credential lapses if you simply miss the $95 birthday payment, even if you have been working full time - working does not renew it, and you cannot legally work as an NAC while it is expired. The opposite trap also exists: paying the fee keeps the credential active even with no work, but the separate OBRA 8-hours-in-24-months rule can still make you ineligible for nursing facility work. Skills testing is now arranged through your training program or a state-approved site and must be passed before the Credentia knowledge exam.
Application fee: $85. Apply with the Certified/Endorsement Nursing Assistant application and the $85 application fee. You must be active and in good standing on another state's OBRA Nurse Aide Registry; the state verifies your out-of-state registry placement and credentials, and you must submit work-history verification and training/exam documentation. If your training or exam cannot be verified as equivalent, testing can be required. Work-history requirement: Work-history verification is part of the endorsement packet; no fixed hour count was stated on the DOH pages reviewed.. Secondary sources (Vivian) list an extra $25 reciprocity fee on top of the $85 application fee. The current DOH fee schedule and WAC 246-841A-990 list only the $85 application for certification - the $25 figure in WAC is the Medication Assistant Endorsement application, a different credential - so only the verified $85 is recorded here.
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 Washington | Fee | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Alaska | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Arizona | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Arkansas | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| California | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Colorado | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Connecticut | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Delaware | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| District of Columbia | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Florida | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Georgia | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Hawaii | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Idaho | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Illinois | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Indiana | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Iowa | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Kansas | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Kentucky | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Louisiana | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Maine | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Maryland | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Massachusetts | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Michigan | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Minnesota | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Mississippi | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Missouri | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Montana | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Nebraska | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Nevada | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New Hampshire | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New Jersey | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New Mexico | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New York | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| North Carolina | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| North Dakota | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Ohio | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Oklahoma | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Oregon | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Pennsylvania | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Rhode Island | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| South Carolina | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| South Dakota | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Tennessee | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Texas | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Utah | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Vermont | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Virginia | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Washington | Same state — no transfer needed | ||
| West Virginia | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Wisconsin | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Wyoming | Accepted — with conditions | $85 | Washington accepts active certifications with a $85 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
The kit carries Washington's full recovery path — the forms, the order to file them, the phone scripts — plus transfer checklists for every destination. See the kit →
