Nurse Aide · rules checked October 22, 2026
Your 24-month federal work eligibility period starts the date you pass the competency test. To renew it you must have worked at least 8 hours in that 24 months, providing hands-on care for pay under RN or LPN supervision, in an approved setting (federally certified nursing home, hospice, home health agency, ICF/IID, state-licensed hospital, developmental disabilities facility, or qualifying rural medical center). You file the renewal yourself in TMU starting about 60 days before the period ends, listing your work; Headmaster emails your employer a link and the employer must verify the work before your eligibility extends another 24 months. No registry renewal fee is charged.
If you have never worked for pay since certifying, use your certification date.
| Credential | Nurse Aide |
|---|---|
| Registry | Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry (DHS, hosted on Headmaster TMU) · 888-401-0465 |
| Training required | 120 hours |
| Exam | Headmaster — $144 (written $37 · skills $107) |
| 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 | Your 24-month federal work eligibility period starts the date you pass the competency test. To renew it you must have worked at least 8 hours in that 24 months, providing hands-on care for pay under RN or LPN supervision, in an approved setting (federally certified nursing home, hospice, home health agency, ICF/IID, state-licensed hospital, developmental disabilities facility, or qualifying rural medical center). You file the renewal yourself in TMU starting about 60 days before the period ends, listing your work; Headmaster emails your employer a link and the employer must verify the work before your eligibility extends another 24 months. No registry renewal fee is charged. |
| Continuing education | No continuing education requirement for registry renewal. |
| Who reports your work | You or your employer |
Changing soon: Headmaster raised Wisconsin exam prices effective June 7, 2026 (Candidate Handbook V.75): knowledge $37.49 and skills $107.21, total $144.70 - older DHS FAQ pages still show the previous $125 combined price.
Portal, forms, the steps in order, the exact fee, and the trap that lapses Wisconsin aides — our guide How to renew your CNA license in Wisconsin walks the renewal end to end.
If you go more than 24 months without qualifying paid work, you lose federal eligibility only: to work again in federally certified nursing homes, home health agencies, hospices or ICF/IIDs you must retake and pass the competency test (knowledge and skills). You do not have to retrain, and in the meantime you may still work in hospitals and facilities that are not Medicaid-certified, because state eligibility does not lapse.
Under DHS 129.09(8), a name that has had no employment history update on the registry in the previous 5 years is removed from the registry (except names with substantiated findings, which stay). To be placed on the registry again after removal, you must complete another full nurse aide training program and competency evaluation.
Wisconsin's split system is the trap: there are two eligibilities on one listing. Federal eligibility expires every 24 months without 8 hours of qualifying work; state eligibility never expires, so an 'inactive' aide can still legally work in hospitals and non-Medicaid facilities. Renewal used to be done by employers in mass mailings - aides now self-file in TMU and the renewal is not complete until the employer clicks the verification link, so a renewal can silently fail if the employer never responds.
Application fee: $25. Apply online through Headmaster TMU with the $25 administration fee, proof of training, a copy of your Social Security card and a government photo ID, and be active and in good standing in your home state. Proof of training must show you completed at least a 75-hour state-approved program with the completion date (registry printouts or certificates without the program name and date are not accepted). If you cannot provide proof of training, an employer must instead verify at least 2,088 hours of nurse aide work under an RN/LPN in the 2 years before you apply. Applicants whose only certification is Alabama and who trained more than 2 years ago must also provide that employment verification. Work-history requirement: Only if proof of training is unavailable: 2,088 hours of nurse aide employment under RN/LPN direction in the 2 years preceding application.. Wisconsin's own training programs are 120 hours, but endorsement only requires a 75-hour minimum program - the gap is closed by the 2,088-hour employment-verification alternative, not by retesting, unless neither proof route can be met.
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 Wisconsin | Fee | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Alaska | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Arizona | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Arkansas | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| California | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Colorado | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Connecticut | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Delaware | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| District of Columbia | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Florida | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Georgia | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Hawaii | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Idaho | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Illinois | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Indiana | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Iowa | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Kansas | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Kentucky | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Louisiana | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Maine | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Maryland | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Massachusetts | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Michigan | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Minnesota | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Mississippi | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Missouri | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Montana | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Nebraska | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Nevada | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New Hampshire | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New Jersey | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New Mexico | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New York | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| North Carolina | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| North Dakota | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Ohio | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Oklahoma | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Oregon | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Pennsylvania | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Rhode Island | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| South Carolina | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| South Dakota | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Tennessee | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Texas | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Utah | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Vermont | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Virginia | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Washington | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| West Virginia | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Wisconsin | Same state — no transfer needed | ||
| Wyoming | Accepted — with conditions | $25 | Wisconsin accepts active certifications with a $25 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
The kit carries Wisconsin's full recovery path — the forms, the order to file them, the phone scripts — plus transfer checklists for every destination. See the kit →
