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Nursing License Lapsed? Reinstatement by State

A lapsed RN license is an administrative miss until you work a shift after the expiration date. There is no practice grace period. Confirm the public status, stop working, file the correct application — late renewal, reactivation, reinstatement, or delayed registration — and pay the board fee. The amounts below come from the issuing boards for California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Ohio; verify on the portal before you file.

Last updated: August 18, 2026 · Last verified: August 18, 2026 · Changelog · Trust editorial

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The first five things to do today

  1. Stop practicing. Not at the end of the shift. There is no grace period.
  2. Run the public lookup and screenshot it. Expired, delinquent, non-renewed, and inactive are different statuses with different forms.
  3. Tell your manager or agency the same day. They see the same public record.
  4. Total your CE and gather certificates. Missing documentation is the usual reason an application stalls.
  5. File the form that matches the status word on the lookup. Filing the wrong one costs weeks.

What "lapsed" actually means

  • Expired / delinquent / non-renewed: you missed the renewal. Practice is prohibited; the record can usually be brought current.
  • Inactive: a status you elected. Returning is a defined reactivation process.
  • Registration expired (New York): the license does not expire; the registration that authorizes practice does.
  • Revoked or suspended: discipline. Talk to a license-defense attorney.

Two risks follow a lapse: unlicensed practice with the board, and a credentialing and billing problem for your employer covering every hour worked past the date.

Reinstatement by state

Fees from board schedules, retrieved August 18, 2026. Verify on the portal before you file.

StateStatus after the deadlineCost to come currentPath back
CaliforniaDelinquent — cannot practice$280 delinquent renewal ($190 timely) · $350 eight-year renewalUnder 8 years: delinquent renewal in BreEZe plus 30 CE hours earned in the two years before you file.
TexasDelinquent$68 renewal + $60 (under 90 days) or $120 (90 days or more)Renew in the Texas Nurse Portal. Inactive reactivation is $10 or $20 plus the $68.
FloridaDelinquent, then null and void at 2 years$130 after expiration · $205 notified delinquent (120 days) · $75 on timeCurrent plus previous cycle CE must post in CE Broker before the next deadline. Null and void cannot be reactivated.
New YorkRegistration expired (the license is for life)$73 registration + $10 for each month delayedOnline renewal up to 4 months past expiration; after that, the Delayed Registration Application.
OhioLate 16 Sep–31 Oct, lapsed 1 Nov$50 late fee · $100 reinstatement24 CE hours in the 24 months before application, with 1 or 2 Category A hours depending on how long you have been out.
IllinoisNon-renewedRestoration fee set by IDFPR — verify on the portalRestoration through IDFPR; open the walkthrough for the current cycle and CE.
WashingtonExpiredFees set by WA DOH — verify on the portalReactivation through DOH; the annual cycle is 8 CE hours plus 96 practice hours.

California BRN

  • Status after the deadline is delinquent. You cannot practice.
  • Under 8 years: delinquent renewal in BreEZe plus 30 hours of CE earned in the two years before you file.
  • Fees (rn.ca.gov fee schedule): timely $190, delinquent $280, eight-year renewal $350.
  • 8 years or more: the eight-year renewal if you are currently licensed in another US jurisdiction or Canada, otherwise the eight-year retake (NCLEX-RN). Fingerprints are required on the eight-year and active paths — Live Scan, or a hard card at $49 DOJ+FBI plus any vendor charge.

Texas BON

  • Miss the expiration and the license is delinquent. Inactive or retired status is elected before expiration, at no fee.
  • Late from delinquent (Ch. 223 fee schedule): $60 under 90 days, $120 at 90 days or more, plus the $68 RN renewal.
  • Inactive reactivation: $10 (under 4 years) or $20 (over 4 years) plus the $68.
  • Four or more years without practice or a license from any authority: refresher, orientation, or program of study, plus the jurisprudence exam and 20 CNE (Rule 217.6). Ordinary reactivation has no NCLEX-retake clock.
  • Portal: Texas Nurse Portal.

Florida BON

  • On-time Active→Active $75. After expiration Active→Active $130. Notified delinquent (120 days) Active→Active $205 (floridasnursing.gov).
  • A delinquent license can still renew before the next cliff, with current plus previous cycle CE posted in CE Broker.
  • Null and void two years after expiration. It cannot be reactivated — you reapply.
  • Retire for a one-time $55 and reactivate later; voluntarily relinquishing discontinues the license number.
  • HB 975 electronic fingerprinting: the Board will not approve an application until it is complete.

New York NYSED

  • The license is for life. The registration that authorizes practice runs every 3 years at $73.
  • Online renewal is available in the last five months of the period, or up to 4 months after expiration.
  • Late filing costs $10 for each month delayed (Education Law §6502(3)). After four months, or from inactive, file the Delayed Registration Application — not Form 1.
  • You may inactivate the registration for free if you are not practicing in New York.
  • New York is not a compact state.

Ohio Board of Nursing

  • RNs renew in odd years, LPNs in even years, due 15 Sep. Late fee $50 from 16 Sep to 31 Oct. The license lapses 1 Nov.
  • Reinstatement fee $100 (ORC 4723.08(A)(14)).
  • Reinstatement CE (OAC 4723-14-03): 24 hours in the 24 months before application. Lapsed or inactive under 2 years, or currently licensed elsewhere: 24 hours including 1 Category A. Lapsed or inactive 2 years or more with no current license elsewhere: 24 hours including 2 Category A (scope of practice, safe practice, delegation).
  • Lapsed or inactive 5 years or more: BCI and FBI background checks.
  • Portal: elicense.ohio.gov. Walkthroughs: Ohio RN, Ohio LPN.

Illinois and Washington

Illinois restoration runs through IDFPR — open the Illinois walkthrough for current fees. Washington reactivation runs through WA DOH; the cycle is annual, 8 CE hours plus 96 practice hours — see the Washington walkthrough.

Or start from your state's walkthrough, then check your renewal readiness.

What it costs

  • Lost shifts while the board processes the application.
  • A pulled contract. Travel start dates do not wait for board processing.
  • Rush CE. Last-minute hours cost more and post more slowly.
  • Cliffs. California's eight-year path, Florida's null and void at two years, Texas's four-year refresher requirement.
  • Disclosure drag. Every future endorsement application asks.

Talking to your employer

  1. My license expired on [date]; I stopped practicing as of [time].
  2. I filed [form] with [board] and paid the fee; CE is complete and documented.
  3. I will send the verification link the moment the status changes.

Do not work the pending shift. That is the decision that turns paperwork into an investigation.

Compact licenses and lapses

If your home-state multistate license lapses, the privilege is dead in every compact state at once. Fix the home state first, then check every single-state license in the same sitting — lapses cluster.

Florida restates Compact Rule 302.4: a party state will not renew or reinstate a single-state license while you hold a multistate license in another party state.

Full guide to tracking multiple licenses →

Preventing the second one

  • Track window-open, not expiration.
  • Keep a current email on every board.
  • Finish CE at the start of the cycle.
  • Use reminders that reach you on assignment.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. If your lapse involves practice after the expiration date or a board complaint, talk to a license-defense attorney in that state.

FAQs

Can I finish the shift?

No. There is no practice grace period in any state — stop the moment you know the license has expired.

Is a lapse discipline?

No. Missing a renewal is administrative. Practicing while lapsed is the violation boards discipline.

What does California cost?

$280 for a delinquent RN renewal, against $190 on time. The eight-year renewal is $350.

What does Texas cost?

$68 renewal plus $60 if you are less than 90 days delinquent, or plus $120 at 90 days or more.

When does a Florida license go null and void?

Two years after expiration if you stay delinquent through the next deadline. After that it cannot be reactivated — you reapply.

New York — did my license expire?

The license did not. The registration did. Late filing is $10 for each month delayed, and after four months you file the Delayed Registration Application.

What does Ohio reinstatement involve?

A $100 reinstatement fee and 24 CE hours in the prior 24 months — with two Category A hours if you have been out two years or more with no current license elsewhere.

Does a home-state lapse kill compact work elsewhere?

Yes, immediately. The multistate privilege depends on an active home-state license, so it stops in every compact state at once.

Sources — retrieved August 2026

Changelog

  1. August 18, 2026 — Board-cited fees for California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Ohio. Ohio added. New York $10 per month from Education Law §6502(3). Removed unverified Illinois and Washington dollar amounts and the stale Washington CE line. Sources added.

Trust tracks this for you.

Reminders at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days so the next cycle is not a reinstatement. Credentials stay on the iPhone. We never see them.

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Next steps

Open the renewal walkthrough that matches your credential — each one lists the cycle, the window, the CE, and the fees.

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