How to renew your Indiana RN license
Indiana RN licenses expire October 31 of every odd-numbered year, so the next RN deadline is October 31, 2027 — the 2026 deadline belongs to LPNs. Indiana requires zero continuing education units to renew an RN license. The fee is $50, or $75 with a multistate compact license, and the late penalty is a single flat $50 that does not escalate.
- Cycle
- 2 years, expiring October 31 of odd-numbered years — a fixed date, "regardless of the issuance date"
- Next RN deadline
- October 31, 2027. LPNs are October 31 of even years — the live 2026 deadline is theirs
- CE required
- None. No CEUs, no mandatory topics, no audit
- Fee
- $50 · +$25 to maintain a multistate compact license = $75
- Late penalty
- $50 flat (total $100), does not escalate, from November 1
- Inactive status
- No inactive or retired status exists for an Indiana RN
- Portal
- MyLicense One
- Confirm your year — RN is odd yearsIf you're looking at an October 2026 deadline, that's the LPN cycle. RNs renew October 31 of odd-numbered years, regardless of when the license was issued.
- Watch for the renewal windowThe window opens no later than 90 days before expiration in MyLicense One.
- Renew online and pay $50Sign in to MyLicense One, answer the legal and disciplinary attestation questions truthfully, and pay the $50 fee.
- Decide deliberately about the compactThe multistate license renews only if you elect to maintain it, at +$25. Skipping this step by accident drops your multistate privilege.
- APRNs: renew in credential orderRenew RN first, then APRN, then CSR/prescriptive authority, then the ePrescribing waiver.
- Save the renewed license to TrustKeep a digital copy of the confirmation so you're never hunting for it during an audit or a job application.
Requirements
IC 25-23-1-16.1(a): "a license to practice as a registered nurse expires on October 31 in each odd-numbered year." Subsection (b) puts LPNs on October 31 of each even-numbered year. The board's plain-language version: RN licenses expire October 31 of every odd-numbered year, "regardless of the issuance date."
Indiana requires no continuing education to renew an RN or LPN license. The board's exact words: "There are no CEU requirements for the renewal of LPN or RN licenses in Indiana." No opioid module, no human trafficking, no implicit bias, no infection control, no ethics hour. No practice-hour minimum either.
Where CE does apply: APRNs with prescriptive authority need 30 contact hours biennially including at least 8 in pharmacology, and the board conducts an APRN audit every two years on randomly selected licensees. Forensic nurses must complete a biennial forensic nursing educational program under IC 25-23-1-35; the implementing rule setting the hours (LSA #24-114, referencing 12 biennial hours) has not been confirmed as finally adopted.
Fees
| Fee | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| RN renewal | Amount: $50.00 | When: "$50 for the biennium or any part thereof" — 848 IAC 1-1-14(e) |
| Multistate (compact) license add-on | Amount: +$25.00 per biennium | When: Renewed with the RN renewal, only if you elect to maintain it |
| Compact total | Amount: $75.00 | When: |
| Late penalty | Amount: $50.00 → $100.00 total. A single flat tier that does not escalate | When: From November 1 of the expiration year, while expired under 3 years. Renewable online |
| Reinstatement (expired 3+ years) | Amount: $100.00 | When: On/after November 1 three years past expiration |
| Inactive status | Amount: None exists for RN or LPN. No inactive or retired category and no such fee | When: — |
| Temporary permit (endorsement / exam) | Amount: $10.00 | When: |
| Duplicate wall certificate | Amount: $10.00 | When: |
| APRN renewal / expired | Amount: $10.00 / $60.00 | When: Separate license, same deadline |
| NLC compact application (initial) | Amount: $25.00 | When: Nonrefundable; can be done any time |
A statutory note worth including: IC 25-23-1-16.1(d) deposits the lesser of 25% of each renewal fee or the per-license program cost into the impaired nurses account (ISNAP). It is a statutory allocation inside the $50, not a hidden surcharge.
What Indiana requires instead
Indiana's zero-CEU rule means the entire requirement is: submit the renewal through MyLicense One, pay $50, and answer the legal and disciplinary attestation questions truthfully. That is the whole requirement. Because there is no RN CE requirement, Indiana runs no RN CE audit and there is nothing to retain.
Do not confuse this with employer training, BLS/ACLS cards, or specialty certification renewal — those are separate obligations the state does not impose. Where CE does apply is narrower than most nurses assume: APRNs with prescriptive authority need 30 contact hours biennially (at least 8 in pharmacology) and face a randomized audit every two years; forensic nurses have a separate biennial education requirement under IC 25-23-1-35.
What changed this cycle
The RN renewal fee, the zero-CE rule, the October 31 odd-year expiration, the $25 compact add-on and the 3-year reinstatement threshold are all unchanged. Two rulemakings tidied fee administration rather than changing substance: LSA #24-604 (Nursing Fines and Penalties) was adopted February 20, 2025 and took effect April 30, 2025; LSA #25-775 codifies the existing $50 late fee into 848 IAC 1-1-14(f) — adopted by the board January 15 and February 19, 2026, with the effective date not yet reflected in the codified text. This codifies an existing charge; it is not a fee increase.
One correction worth making: Indiana did not join the compact recently. Implementation was July 1, 2020, and it is fully implemented. Nothing about compact status is pending.
Your first renewal after licensure
There is no special rule — and no relief at all. No proration, no exemption, no reduced fee, no partial-period allowance. This is unusually harsh and almost nobody covers it.
Two primary sources settle it. 848 IAC 1-1-14(e): "The fee for licensure renewal is fifty dollars ($50) for the biennium or any part thereof." And the board's licensing page: RN licenses expire October 31 of every odd-numbered year "regardless of the issuance date."
So a nurse newly licensed in September 2025 had to renew by October 31, 2025 — roughly six weeks after getting the license — at the full $50. A nurse licensed any time from November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2027 renews on October 31, 2027 at full price, no matter how much of the biennium they held the license.
Prorated CE is moot: there is no RN CE requirement to prorate, which is why Indiana never needed the first-renewal exemption most states have. Compact wrinkle: add a multistate license mid-biennium and you pay the $25 initial application fee, then $25 again at the next renewal, with no credit for the partial biennium.
How to renew, step by step
- 01Confirm your year — RN is odd yearsIf you're looking at an October 2026 deadline, that's the LPN cycle. RNs renew October 31 of odd-numbered years, regardless of when the license was issued.
- 02Watch for the renewal windowThe window opens no later than 90 days before expiration in MyLicense One.
- 03Renew online and pay $50Sign in to MyLicense One, answer the legal and disciplinary attestation questions truthfully, and pay the $50 fee.
- 04Decide deliberately about the compactThe multistate license renews only if you elect to maintain it, at +$25. Skipping this step by accident drops your multistate privilege.
- 05APRNs: renew in credential orderRenew RN first, then APRN, then CSR/prescriptive authority, then the ePrescribing waiver.
- 06Save the renewed license to TrustKeep a digital copy of the confirmation so you're never hunting for it during an audit or a job application.
If you're late
November 1: the license is automatically invalid. IC 25-23-1-16.1(a): failure to renew on or before the expiration date "will automatically render the license invalid without any action by the board." No notice, no hearing — invalidity is self-executing at 12:00 a.m. Practicing is unlicensed practice.
No grace period. The $50 late fee is a penalty for renewing late, not permission to keep working while late. And 848 IAC 1-1-8 removes the excuse: "Failure to receive the application for renewal shall not relieve the licensee of the responsibility for renewing the license by the renewal date."
Expired under 3 years: renew online. $50 + $50 penalty = $100. Practice may not resume until it's actually processed.
Expired 3 years or more: $100 reinstatement, and you must hold at least one active license from another U.S. state or territory. If you don't, you are scheduled for a personal appearance before the Board. This is the sharpest cliff in the Indiana system and is almost never mentioned in third-party guides.
The cost barely moves; the procedural burden jumps. There is exactly one penalty tier ($50, flat) across the entire under-three-years window, then a different process at three years.
No fixed re-examination threshold. Neither IC 25-1-8-6, IC 25-23-1-16.1 nor 848 IAC 1-1 sets a year count that automatically triggers NCLEX re-examination or a formal refresher. Remediation is discretionary and case-by-case under IC 25-1-8-6(b), imposed in practice at the personal appearance. Treat any third-party claim of a fixed Indiana re-exam rule as unverified.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to renew my Indiana RN license in 2026?
- No. RN is odd years — your next deadline is October 31, 2027. The October 31, 2026 deadline is the LPN deadline. RN/LPN bridges and dual-credential households get this backwards constantly.
- How many CEUs do I need for Indiana?
- Zero. The board says so outright: "There are no CEU requirements for the renewal of LPN or RN licenses in Indiana." Nurses buy CE bundles they don't need every cycle. Your employer, your BLS/ACLS cards and your specialty certifications may require CE — the state does not.
- Is my first renewal prorated?
- No. The rule says $50 "for the biennium or any part thereof," and the license expires October 31 of the odd year "regardless of the issuance date." New grads licensed in the late summer or fall of an odd year renew almost immediately, at full price.
- Can I put my license on inactive status?
- There is no inactive or retired status for an Indiana RN. Taking time off means either paying $50 every two years or letting it lapse and reinstating. "Current/Not Practicing" exists only for APRNs without a collaborative practice agreement.
- Is there a grace period?
- No. The license is invalid "without any action by the board." One shift worked on November 1 unrenewed is unlicensed practice.
- Does the late fee escalate month by month?
- No. Indiana has exactly one penalty tier — $50 flat — for the entire under-three-years window. What changes at three years is the process, not the price.
- My license lapsed four years ago. What do I owe?
- You need $100 and an active license in another state. Without one, you'll be scheduled for a personal appearance before the Board.
- Do I have to retake the NCLEX after a long lapse?
- There's no fixed threshold that requires it. Remediation and additional training are discretionary, decided case by case.
- Does my compact license renew automatically?
- No — it's a paid opt-in at every renewal. "Compacts are renewed as a part of the RN renewal if you wish to maintain it," at +$25 per biennium. Click through too fast and you can drop your multistate privilege, then travel-assign on a single-state license.
- I'm an APRN — which do I renew first?
- RN first, then APRN, then CSR/prescriptive authority, then the ePrescribing waiver. Starting with the APRN doesn't work. They're separate licenses with separate fees ($50 + $10), both due October 31 of the odd year.
- I never got a renewal notice — does that excuse being late?
- Not a defense. 848 IAC 1-1-8 is explicit. Notices go to the email on file — keep it current, since that's also how the board reaches you about an APRN audit or a reinstatement board appearance.
Last verified against Indiana State Board of Nursing sources:
Changelog
Every revision to this guide, newest first. Last updated .
- Reviewed and verified requirements, fees, and deadlines against Indiana State Board of Nursing sources.
Trust tracks this renewal for you.
Indiana's October 31 odd-year deadline is easy to confuse with the LPN even-year cycle. Trust tracks your exact license type and reminds you before the automatic-invalidity date hits.
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