Common questions

RenewRN is a nurse's home base for licensing and career: we track your CE and license renewals, keep board-verified requirements current for all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and publish free guides, calculators, and certification and career resources. To be clear on scope, we are not a nursing school or a clinical-placement service, not a job board, and not a substitute for legal advice. For coursework and clinical placements, that is your program; for anything binding, your state board of nursing has the final word.

Yes. The free plan includes 1 license, unlimited CE logging, an in-app renewal countdown, and full access to CE requirements and course recommendations for all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. Email reminders and unlimited license tracking are part of Pro, the active push when a deadline matters most.

No, and we never will. Your compliance status is free: open your dashboard and you can see exactly which mandatory topics and CE hours you still need for your license, measured against your state's rule. Some trackers make you pay to find that out. We don't. Pro adds the proactive alerts that chase the deadline for you and tracking for more than one license, but seeing where you stand always stays free.

Absolutely. We use industry-standard encryption to protect your data. We never sell your information, and we never share it beyond the services that run RenewRN (like our hosting, payment, and email providers).

We support nurses in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., with state-specific CE requirements, renewal deadlines, and fee information for every state. View all state CE requirements.

RenewRN supports Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN/LPN), Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) credentials. We also support NP subspecialties including FNP, CRNA, CNM, and PMHNP.

Yes. Every state plus Washington, D.C. has a dedicated APRN page covering renewal requirements, prescriptive authority, collaboration rules, state controlled-substance registration, pharmacology CE for prescribers, and the national certification cycles (AANPCB, ANCC, NBCRNA, AMCB). Where a rule is board-sourced you'll see the source; where it isn't, the page lists exactly what to confirm with your board.

Free accounts get an in-app countdown on your dashboard plus a push reminder at the 90-day mark, so you can see how many days are left whenever you log in. Pro adds email reminders at 90, 60, 30, 7, and 1 day before your license expires (plus push at every threshold): the active push to keep you from missing the date.

The free plan covers 1 license with unlimited CE logging, an in-app countdown, and a push reminder at 90 days. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited license tracking and email reminders, especially useful for travel nurses who hold licenses in multiple states.

Yes. The RenewRN Rules dataset (state-by-state license renewal rules) is available through a free REST API, bulk downloads, and an MCP server for evaluation and non-commercial use with attribution. Commercial licensing is available too. The data page has the docs, and the Data License has the terms.

Practicing with an expired license is illegal in all 50 states and can result in disciplinary action, fines, or criminal charges. Most states offer a grace period or late renewal window, but you may need to pay additional fees and complete extra CE hours. Some states require a full reinstatement application after extended lapses. RenewRN tracks your deadlines, and Pro members get email reminders at 90, 60, 30, 7, and 1 day before expiration so you never miss a deadline.

Reinstatement requirements vary by state and how long your license has been lapsed. Common requirements include completing additional CE hours, passing a refresher course or competency exam, paying reinstatement fees, and submitting a new application. Some states require supervised practice hours. Check your state’s board of nursing for specific reinstatement procedures.

Reinstatement costs vary by state. Published board reinstatement fees range from about $25 to $350. The bigger cost is what comes with them: many states require additional CE hours, refresher courses, or supervised practice, and the process can take weeks to months of not working. RenewRN’s free reminders help you avoid reinstatement entirely.

In nearly every state, yes. The pathway depends on how long you've been out: shorter lapses usually mean reinstatement paperwork plus catch-up CE, while longer lapses can add a board-approved refresher course or, in some states, a full re-application. Our re-entry guides break down the published rules for every state.

Complaints follow a published arc: intake review, then investigation, then dismissal, an agreed settlement, or a hearing. A complaint is not a finding, and most investigations take months, not weeks. Our board complaints guide walks through the process and links every state board. It describes what boards do; it isn't legal advice.

It depends on the state. Many states accept CE from nationally accredited providers (like ANCC or AANP), but some require state board-approved courses only. If you hold licenses in multiple states, check each state’s requirements. RenewRN shows you exactly what each state accepts.

Keep certificates of completion for all CE courses, including provider name, date, hours, and topic. Most states require you to retain records for at least 4 years. RenewRN stores your CE certificates digitally so you’re always audit-ready.

One CEU (Continuing Education Unit) equals 10 contact hours. Most state boards express requirements in contact hours. For example, if your state requires 30 contact hours, that’s equivalent to 3 CEUs. RenewRN tracks your progress in contact hours to match your state’s requirements.

CE Broker is a third-party CE tracking system used by a number of state nursing boards. The boards that require CE Broker reporting for renewal are Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and West Virginia. Several other boards (Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wyoming) make CE Broker available as an optional CE-tracking tool but don't require it for renewal: you self-report your hours, and you typically only need to show documentation if you're audited. If your state requires CE Broker, you must report your CE hours through their system in addition to tracking them. RenewRN helps you stay organized so reporting to CE Broker is straightforward.

Most states do not allow CE hour carryover. Hours must be earned within the current renewal period. A few states permit limited carryover. Check your state’s specific rules on RenewRN to see if carryover applies to you.

Many states grant a partial or full CE exemption for first-time licensees during their initial renewal cycle. The exemption period varies: some states waive CE entirely for the first cycle, while others require a prorated amount. Check your state page on RenewRN for specific first-time exemption details.

It depends on the provider and your state. In-service training offered by your employer may count if it’s provided by an accredited CE provider and covers approved topics. Some states accept a limited number of employer-provided hours. Always verify that the training meets your state board’s accreditation requirements.

The NLC lets nurses hold one multistate license that's valid for practice in every compact member jurisdiction. As of 2026, 43 jurisdictions are part of the NLC. You must meet uniform licensure requirements and declare a primary state of residence. RenewRN tracks compact status so you know which states honor your multistate license.

Many states mandate specific CE topics such as opioid prescribing, implicit bias, human trafficking awareness, suicide prevention, or cultural competency. Requirements vary significantly by state. Visit your state's page on RenewRN to see exactly which mandatory topics apply to your license.

Most states accept online CE courses, and many nurses complete 100% of their requirements online. However, some states require a portion of CE to include hands-on skills verification or live interaction. Check your state’s requirements on RenewRN to confirm online CE eligibility.

Start CE courses at least 6 months before your renewal deadline. That gives you time to handle accreditation issues, retake a course if needed, and not scramble through topics you actually want to learn. RenewRN’s reminders keep you on pace through the cycle.

Most audit failures come down to one of three things: a certificate the board can't verify (provider wasn't accredited, certificate is unreadable, link expired), CE hours that fall outside the renewal cycle, or missing a mandatory topic your state required. RenewRN stores certificates with each entry, flags hours logged outside the cycle, and tracks every mandatory topic for your state.