Washington CNA Renewal: Birthday Deadline, Fees, and Late Renewal Rules

A Washington CNA credential, formally the Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C), expires on your birthday every year and is renewed online through the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) licensing portal by paying the renewal fee on the current DOH fee schedule. A standard NA-C has no continuing education requirement. If you miss your birthday, you can still renew for up to three years by paying the renewal fee plus a late fee; after three years or more of lapse, the DOH generally requires you to retrain and retest. Holders of the medication assistant endorsement must additionally document 8 hours of medication-specific continuing education and 250 hours of employment as a medication assistant each cycle.

This guide covers the deadline, the online steps, what happens when you are late, and the situations that trip people up.

Renewal rules at a glance

Why the deadline is your birthday

Washington ties health profession credentials to the holder's birthday rather than to the issue date. The advantage is that you never have to look up when your credential was issued; the disadvantage is that a credential issued shortly before your birthday will come due for its first renewal quickly. If the DOH issues your NA-C in March and your birthday is in April, your first renewal is only a few weeks away.

Your exact expiration date appears on the Provider Credential Search record and in the DOH portal. Employers see the same date when they verify you, so many facilities run a monthly report of staff whose credentials expire in the next 30 to 60 days.

How to renew, step by step

1. Log in to the DOH online licensing portal with the account you used to apply. If you applied on paper or have lost access, use the portal's account recovery or contact DOH customer service before your birthday, not on it.
2. Confirm your demographic information. Update your mailing address, email, and phone if they have changed. The DOH sends renewal reminders to the address on file, and an outdated address is the most common reason people say they "never got the notice."
3. Answer the renewal attestation questions. These ask about criminal convictions, disciplinary actions, and health conditions since your last renewal. Answer honestly; a "yes" does not automatically block renewal, but a false "no" is a separate violation.
4. Medication assistants only: enter your continuing education and employment hours.
5. Pay the renewal fee by card. The amount is set by the DOH fee schedule and can change, so read the total on screen rather than assuming last year's figure.
6. Check the Provider Credential Search a few days later to confirm your new expiration date shows. Save a screenshot or PDF for your employer.

You can renew up to 90 days before your expiration date. Renewing early does not shorten the next cycle; the new expiration is still your next birthday.

What happens if you miss your birthday

The credential goes to expired status the day after your birthday. Three consequences follow immediately:

• You cannot work as a nursing assistant. Employers must remove you from direct-care assignments until the credential is active again. Working on an expired credential is a violation for you and for the facility.
• A late fee applies. The DOH charges the renewal fee plus a late fee on the current schedule.
• The expiration is visible. The Provider Credential Search shows the status change, and employers who verify during the gap will see it.

Within the first three years, the fix is administrative: log in, pay the renewal fee and late fee, answer the attestation questions, and the credential is reactivated. No exam and no training are required for a standard NA-C.

The three-year line

At three years or more of lapse, the DOH generally requires you to complete an approved training program again and pass both parts of the exam. The DOH's eligibility routes include E5 for people lapsed more than three years who complete retraining, and E8 for OBRA reactivation, which allows a single retest attempt in which you must pass both exam parts on the first try or return to training. Which route applies depends on your history, so contact the DOH before enrolling anywhere. Two companion articles cover these cases: reinstating an expired CNA license in Washington and what to do when your CNA has lapsed over three years.

Renewal while working out of state or on leave

• Working in another state: Keep the Washington NA-C active if you might return. Renewal is online and requires no Washington employment, so there is no reason to let it lapse.
• Parental, medical, or military leave: Renewal is still due on your birthday. There is no inactive status that pauses a standard NA-C; renew during leave to avoid a late fee and a reactivation step when you return.
• Living abroad: The portal works from anywhere with a card payment. Update your address to a reliable US mailing address if possible so reminders arrive.

Renewing a NAR instead of a NA-C

A Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR) also expires on your birthday and renews through the same portal. Renew a NAR only if you are still working toward certification; once you hold a NA-C, the NAR can be allowed to lapse with no consequence. The distinction is explained in NAR vs NAC in Washington.

What renewal does not require

Because people arrive at renewal from other states with different expectations, it helps to be explicit about what Washington does not ask for on a standard NA-C:

• No continuing education hours
• No minimum number of hours worked
• No employer verification of employment
• No CPR card submission (employers may require one, but the DOH does not ask for it at renewal)

Other states commonly require some or all of these, and job seekers who hold Washington and another state's credential often keep two different renewal calendars. The absence of a work-hours requirement also means a Washington NA-C stays valid through gaps in employment as long as the fee is paid. That said, the federal nurse aide registry rules do affect people who have not worked for a long period, which is where the OBRA reactivation route comes from; see OBRA reactivation in Washington.

Renewal reminders: build your own

The DOH sends reminders, but the responsibility is yours regardless. A reliable system:

• Put a recurring calendar event 60 days before your birthday with the portal link.
• Keep your DOH portal password in a password manager.
• Update the DOH within days of any address or email change.
• After each renewal, screenshot the Provider Credential Search record showing the new date and send it to your employer.

Nursing facilities in the Puget Sound area verify credentials continuously, so an expired status is usually caught by HR before you notice. Catching it yourself first is cheaper.

Frequently asked questions

When does a Washington CNA license expire? On your birthday, every year. The exact date is on your Provider Credential Search record.

How much does CNA renewal cost in Washington? The renewal fee is set on the DOH nursing assistant fee schedule, and a late fee is added if you renew after your birthday. The DOH updates the schedule periodically, so check the current figure.

Does Washington require continuing education for CNA renewal? No, not for a standard NA-C. Only the medication assistant endorsement requires 8 hours of medication-specific CE and 250 employment hours per cycle. See does Washington require continuing education for CNAs.

Can I renew my Washington CNA online? Yes. Renewal is completed through the DOH online licensing portal with a card payment.

What if my CNA expired two years ago? Log in, pay the renewal fee and the late fee, and answer the attestation questions. No retest is required for a lapse under three years.

Can I work while my renewal is processing? If you renewed before your birthday, yes; the credential stays active. If you renewed after it expired, wait until the Provider Credential Search shows active status before returning to direct care.

If your credential has lapsed past the retraining line, Huduma CNA Programs' CNA Traditional program meets the state's 108-hour requirement and administers the skills test on site; current start dates are on the schedules page.