Registered Nurse (RN) License Renewal in Idaho
Idaho RNs renew with no continuing education required and a fee capped at $90. Idaho is moving to a 2-year cycle and is a Nurse Licensure Compact state.
| Renewal cycle | Every 2 years |
|---|---|
| CE hours required | Check with your board Idaho's current Board of Nursing rules (IDAPA 24.34.01) set no continuing-education requirement for RN renewal; the earlier practice-hours-or-CE rule was removed. Only advanced practice nurses have a CE requirement (30 hours, including 10 in pharmacology). |
| Renewal fee | $90.00 |
| Mandatory CE topics | None prescribed |
| Licensing board | Idaho Board of Nursing (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) |
Sourced from Idaho Board of Nursing (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses), verified July 25, 2026. Requirements change. Confirm with your board before relying on this.
Idaho is one of the simplest RN renewals in the country, and it recently got simpler. The current Board of Nursing rules require no continuing education to renew a registered-nurse license. The bigger thing to know in 2026 is that the renewal cycle itself is changing.
No continuing education for RNs
Idaho’s current rules, IDAPA 24.34.01, set no CE requirement for RN renewal. An earlier version of the rule offered a “100 practice hours or 15 contact hours” continued-competence option, but the Board’s rule revision removed it, which is why online guides disagree, some still describe the old option. Under the rule in force, a staff RN renews without documenting any continuing education. Because there’s no hour target, the CE calculator on this site isn’t shown for Idaho.
The one exception is at the top: advanced practice registered nurses still complete 30 contact hours of CE per cycle, including 10 in pharmacology. If you’re an RN at the bedside, that rule isn’t yours.
The cycle is moving to two years
Here’s the part to watch. As of April 1, 2026, Idaho’s licensing division began transitioning the Board of Nursing to biennial (two-year) licensure, renewing on the licensee’s birthday. Idaho RN licenses historically renewed on a shorter cycle, so if you’re renewing in 2026 or later, confirm your specific new expiration date with the Board, the transition means your next renewal date may not be what you’re used to. Renew late (the rule references an August 31 delinquency cutoff) and the license lapses, requiring reinstatement.
The fee
Idaho’s fee rule caps RN license renewal at $90 (IDAPA 24.34.01, Section 400), which is the standard renewal amount. A lapsed license adds a $35 reinstatement fee on top. Because the fee is set in the rule rather than adjusted administratively, it’s stable and easy to verify.
Idaho is a compact state
Idaho implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact on January 19, 2018. If Idaho is your primary state of residence, your RN license can be a multistate license, letting you practice in the other compact states without applying separately in each. That reaches into compact neighbors like Washington, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming. The privilege follows your legal residence, so it holds as long as Idaho stays home. Use the compact checker below to see exactly which states an Idaho license reaches.
Add your renewal deadline to your calendar
Enter your expiration date and download a calendar file. Your own calendar will remind you at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days out. We don't ask for your email, we store nothing, and the date never leaves your device.
Works with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook. This is a convenience, not a compliance service. Confirm your exact deadline with the Idaho Board of Nursing (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses).
Renewal fee
Idaho charges $90. The median across the 49 states that publish a figure is $100, running from $50 to $245. Ranked cheapest to dearest, Idaho is 17 of 49.
Each mark is one state. The taller line is the median, the filled dot is Idaho. States that set no flat hour count, or publish no fee, are left out of that comparison rather than counted as zero.
Where can you practice with your license?
The Nurse Licensure Compact lets a nurse who lives in a compact state hold one multistate license and practice in every other compact state. Pick where you live to see whether that's you, and where it reaches.
Member data from the NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map, verified July 2026. A multistate license requires the compact state to be your primary residence. This is a convenience, not legal advice. Confirm your status with your board or at nursecompact.com.
What will this renewal cost?
Idaho's renewal fee is filled in from the board below. Add what you expect to spend on CE courses, plus a late fee if you're past due, for a running total. Nothing you type is stored.
The renewal fee is from the Idaho Board of Nursing (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) and dated on this page; the CE and late-fee figures are your own estimates. A convenience, not a compliance service, and not legal advice. Confirm fees with your board.