When is the Kentucky RN renewal window?

It opens September 15 at 12:01 a.m. EDT and closes October 31 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT each year for LPN, RN, APRN, DT, and SANE credentials. The Nurse Portal "Apply for Renewal" link only appears inside that window. For 2026, KBN urges renewing by 4:30 p.m. EDT Friday October 30 because October 31 is a Saturday.

How much does Kentucky RN renewal cost?

$65 for RN/LPN renewal on the KBN fee schedule, which includes the statutory NISF and KARE amounts. A name change is a separate $25 application even during renewal, and card or ACH processor fees may apply. There is no published late-renewal surcharge — miss the window and you pay $135 reinstatement plus the other reinstatement requirements.

How many CE hours does Kentucky require?

The default annual path is 14 contact hours earned November 1 – October 31. KBN also accepts other competency options: an employment evaluation plus 7 hours, current national nursing certification, a post-licensure college nursing course, a preceptorship, or a peer-reviewed publication. Hours must be finished by 11:59:59 p.m. EDT October 31 even if you already paid, and there is no first-renewal CE waiver if you were licensed before May 1 of the earning period.

Can I renew before I finish my CE?

Yes. You attest that you will finish by October 31 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT; hours must be earned November 1 – October 31. Proof is not submitted unless you are audited.

What if I miss October 31?

The license lapses. You cannot work on a lapsed Kentucky license. Reinstatement costs $135, requires an IdentoGO background check, CE scaled to how long you have been lapsed, and a jurisprudence exam if you have been lapsed one year or more.

Do I fingerprint every year?

No, not for ordinary renewal. IdentoGO fingerprints apply to reinstatement and to multistate/compact eligibility (service code 27GKJR), not to routine annual renewal. Kentucky is an NLC party state — renew through KBN when Kentucky is your primary state of residence.

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Kentucky RN License Renewal: Steps, CE Requirements & Fees

Last updated: September 9, 2026 · Last verified: September 9, 2026 · Changelog · Trust editorial

Kentucky RN licenses renew every year through the Kentucky Board of Nursing. For 2026 the window opens September 15 at 12:01 a.m. EDT and closes October 31 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT (October 31 is a Saturday, so KBN urges renewing by 4:30 p.m. EDT Friday October 30). Pay $65 in the KBN Nurse Portal — the amount includes the statutory NISF and KARE fees — finish annual continuing competency, which for most RNs is 14 contact hours earned November 1 through October 31, and renew before the deadline or the license lapses. Trust stores the certificates and reminds you before October 31.

Renewal checklist

One-page printable summary — save as PDF from the print dialog.

Kentucky RN License Renewal: Steps, CE Requirements & Fees

Kentucky Board of Nursing · gettrustapp.com/renew/kentucky/rn-license

At a glance

Cycle: Annual, not birth-month. LPN, RN, APRN, DT and SANE share the same calendar window. CE earning period runs Nov 1 – Oct 31.
Window: Opens Sep 15, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. EDT; closes Oct 31, 2026 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT. "Apply for Renewal" appears only inside the window. KBN urges renewing by 4:30 p.m. EDT Fri Oct 30.
Fee: $65 RN/LPN renewal, including the $10 NISF and KARE statutory fees. Card processing 2.75% or ACH $1 may apply; application fees are nonrefundable.
Competency: Default 14 contact hours. Alternatives: employment evaluation plus 7 hours, national nursing certification, college nursing course, preceptorship, or publication.
Timing quirk: You may pay and renew before CE is finished, but every hour must be complete by 11:59:59 p.m. EDT on Oct 31.
First renewal: Issued on or after May 1 → valid through Oct 31 of the next year (verify on your dashboard). Issued before May 1 → renew in that year's window. No first-renewal CE waiver if licensed before May 1 of an earning period.
Late: No grace period and no separate late-renewal fee. Miss the deadline and you reinstate; working on a lapsed license is prohibited.
Reinstatement: $135 plus an IdentoGO criminal background check and CE scaled by lapse length; jurisprudence exam (≥80%) if lapsed one year or more.
Name change: $25 as a separate Nurse Portal application with legal documents, even during renewal.
Compact: Kentucky is an NLC party state. Multistate requires Kentucky as your primary state of residence and a fingerprint background check (IdentoGO service code 27GKJR).
Records: Keep CE documentation five years. Upload to the Nurse Portal is optional, mandatory if audited.
Portal: KBN Nurse Portal · License lookup
Board: KBN renewal (kbn.ky.gov)

Steps

Confirm you must renew
Check your expiration date in the KBN Nurse Portal or through License Verification. Licenses issued on or after May 1 may already run through the next October 31 — verify on your dashboard before paying twice.
Finish (or schedule) annual continuing competency
Hours must be earned November 1 – October 31. Option 1 is 14 contact hours from a KBN-accepted provider: KBN, another state board of nursing, or a national nursing organization listed in 201 KAR 20:220. Uploading is optional (Manage Profile → Continuing Education) unless you are audited.
Log into the KBN Nurse Portal
Sign in at kybn.boardsofnursing.org/kybn and update your email and address. File a separate name-change application ($25) if your legal name changed. Use the portal's own password reset — there is no other Kentucky renewal site.
From September 15, open Apply for Renewal
The link appears next to your RN under "Your Licenses with Kentucky" only inside the window. Declare your primary state of residence, upload Kentucky residency proof if you are newly declaring Kentucky, and answer the discipline and conviction questions, attaching documents for any "yes".
Pay $65 and select Finish
Attest that you have met or will meet continuing competency by 11:59:59 p.m. EDT on October 31. "Finish" submits the application — it is not by itself proof of renewal. A card processing fee of 2.75% or an ACH fee of $1 may apply, and application fees are nonrefundable.
Confirm the renewal and store your certificates
Check the Nurse Portal Message Center, your email, and License Verification. Finish any remaining hours before the deadline, then keep certificates for five years in Trust. Renewing by 4:30 p.m. EDT Friday October 30 gets you staffed KBN support before the Saturday close.

Add this credential to Trust

https://gettrustapp.com/add?v=1&type=rn&name=Kentucky+RN+license&state=KY&board=Kentucky+Board+of+Nursing&portal=https%3A%2F%2Fkybn.boardsofnursing.org%2Fkybn&guide=https%3A%2F%2Fgettrustapp.com%2Frenew%2Fkentucky%2Frn-license

Trust · Reviewed July 2026 · Verify current requirements at the board's official portal before renewing.

At a glance

Cycle

Annual, not birth-month. LPN, RN, APRN, DT and SANE share the same calendar window. CE earning period runs Nov 1 – Oct 31.

Window

Opens Sep 15, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. EDT; closes Oct 31, 2026 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT. "Apply for Renewal" appears only inside the window. KBN urges renewing by 4:30 p.m. EDT Fri Oct 30.

Fee

$65 RN/LPN renewal, including the $10 NISF and KARE statutory fees. Card processing 2.75% or ACH $1 may apply; application fees are nonrefundable.

Competency

Default 14 contact hours. Alternatives: employment evaluation plus 7 hours, national nursing certification, college nursing course, preceptorship, or publication.

Timing quirk

You may pay and renew before CE is finished, but every hour must be complete by 11:59:59 p.m. EDT on Oct 31.

First renewal

Issued on or after May 1 → valid through Oct 31 of the next year (verify on your dashboard). Issued before May 1 → renew in that year's window. No first-renewal CE waiver if licensed before May 1 of an earning period.

Late

No grace period and no separate late-renewal fee. Miss the deadline and you reinstate; working on a lapsed license is prohibited.

Reinstatement

$135 plus an IdentoGO criminal background check and CE scaled by lapse length; jurisprudence exam (≥80%) if lapsed one year or more.

Name change

$25 as a separate Nurse Portal application with legal documents, even during renewal.

Compact

Kentucky is an NLC party state. Multistate requires Kentucky as your primary state of residence and a fingerprint background check (IdentoGO service code 27GKJR).

Records

Keep CE documentation five years. Upload to the Nurse Portal is optional, mandatory if audited.

Portal

KBN Nurse Portal · License lookup

Board

KBN renewal (kbn.ky.gov)

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Requirements

Annual continuing competency (LPN/RN) — hours must be earned during November 1 – October 31. Pick one path (KBN RN/LPN CE page; 201 KAR 20:215):

14 contact hours of nursing CE from an accepted provider.
Satisfactory employment evaluation covering at least six months of the earning period plus 7 contact hours.
Current national nursing certification related to your practice role, obtained, renewed or in effect during the earning period.
Post-licensure college nursing course with a grade of C or higher (or Pass) during the earning period. One semester credit hour counts as 15 contact hours; one quarter hour as 12.
Preceptorship — at least 120 hours one-on-one with a student or new employee during the earning period, documented on the KBN preceptor form.
Publication of a nursing-related article in a peer-reviewed health journal during the earning period.

Providers must be KBN, another state board of nursing, or a national nursing organization listed in 201 KAR 20:220. Keep completion certificates showing your name, the course title, date, hours, provider, and who approved the provider.

One-time content-specific CE does not replace annual competency — complete it once, when it applies to you (see the KBN content-specific CE page):

Alzheimer's and other dementia — 1 hour, all nurses. Licensed as of July 15, 2024 → by October 31, 2027; licensed after that → within three years of initial licensure.
Suicide prevention — 2 hours (1 general plus 1 on chronic toxic stress/pathways) for out-of-state program graduates, or Kentucky program graduates before August 2025, within three years of initial licensure.
Domestic violence — 3 hours for out-of-state program graduates, or Kentucky program graduates before May 1988, within three years of initial licensure.
Pediatric abusive head trauma — 1.5 hours for out-of-state program graduates, or Kentucky program graduates before December 2011, within three years of initial licensure.

HB 778, signed April 10, 2026, adds a pediatric controlled-substance ingestion and inhalation topic on a three-year cycle. Confirm the effective date with KBN before treating it as part of your annual checklist.

APRN licensure carries its own CE and a separate $55 per designation renewal — it is not covered by this RN guide.

Fees

Fee	Amount	When it applies
RN/LPN annual renewal	Amount: $65	When: Paid in the Nurse Portal between Sep 15 and Oct 31 (includes NISF and KARE statutory fees)
Card processing	Amount: 2.75%	When: Added when you pay by card; ACH is $1
Name change	Amount: $25	When: Separate application with legal documents, even if filed during renewal
RN reinstatement	Amount: $135	When: After the license lapses — plus background check and scaled CE
Late renewal	Amount: None published	When: Kentucky has no late-renewal fee or grace period; the license simply lapses

Amounts come from the KBN fee schedule and the Summer 2026 KBN Connection renewal notice. APRN renewal is a separate credential at $55 per designation and is out of scope for this RN guide.

What changed this cycle

The 2026 window runs September 15 through October 31 as usual, but October 31 falls on a Saturday. KBN's Summer 2026 renewal notice asks nurses to finish by 4:30 p.m. EDT Friday, October 30 so staff can help with portal or payment problems.

The one-time Alzheimer's and dementia hour is still open for nurses licensed as of July 15, 2024 — it is due by October 31, 2027. HB 778's pediatric controlled-substance topic is signed but pending implementation guidance.

Your first renewal after licensure

If your Kentucky license was issued on or after May 1, it generally runs through October 31 of the next year — check the expiration on your Nurse Portal dashboard before you pay, so you do not renew a cycle you already hold. Licenses issued before May 1 renew in that year's September–October window.

There is no first-renewal CE waiver if you were licensed before May 1 of an earning period: you owe the full annual competency requirement for that Nov 1 – Oct 31 period.

How to renew, step by step

01
Confirm you must renew
Check your expiration date in the KBN Nurse Portal or through License Verification. Licenses issued on or after May 1 may already run through the next October 31 — verify on your dashboard before paying twice.
02
Finish (or schedule) annual continuing competency
Hours must be earned November 1 – October 31. Option 1 is 14 contact hours from a KBN-accepted provider: KBN, another state board of nursing, or a national nursing organization listed in 201 KAR 20:220. Uploading is optional (Manage Profile → Continuing Education) unless you are audited.
03
Log into the KBN Nurse Portal
Sign in at kybn.boardsofnursing.org/kybn and update your email and address. File a separate name-change application ($25) if your legal name changed. Use the portal's own password reset — there is no other Kentucky renewal site.
04
From September 15, open Apply for Renewal
The link appears next to your RN under "Your Licenses with Kentucky" only inside the window. Declare your primary state of residence, upload Kentucky residency proof if you are newly declaring Kentucky, and answer the discipline and conviction questions, attaching documents for any "yes".
05
Pay $65 and select Finish
Attest that you have met or will meet continuing competency by 11:59:59 p.m. EDT on October 31. "Finish" submits the application — it is not by itself proof of renewal. A card processing fee of 2.75% or an ACH fee of $1 may apply, and application fees are nonrefundable.
06
Confirm the renewal and store your certificates
Check the Nurse Portal Message Center, your email, and License Verification. Finish any remaining hours before the deadline, then keep certificates for five years in Trust. Renewing by 4:30 p.m. EDT Friday October 30 gets you staffed KBN support before the Saturday close.

If you're late

If the license is not renewed before 11:59:59 p.m. EDT on October 31, it lapses. Kentucky has no late-renewal path that keeps you working: Kentucky nursing law prohibits practicing on a lapsed license or credential.

Reinstatement is a different application:

Fee: $135 for RN/LPN reinstatement on the KBN fee schedule.
Background check: IdentoGO state and federal criminal background check, required for reinstatement but not for routine annual renewal.
CE scaled to the lapse: within 12 months → 14 hours (or evaluation plus 7, or 500 hours of non-Kentucky nursing employment in the past five years, or another 201 KAR 20:215 method); 12 months to 2 years → 28 hours; rising to 120 hours after more than five years, all earned within one year of the application being received.
Jurisprudence exam with a score of 80% or higher if you have been lapsed one year or more.
Upload documents in the Nurse Portal or Message Center under RN/LPN Reinstatement. Processing often takes about 14 business days once documents are complete, longer with any "yes" disclosure.

There is no fee that lets you keep practicing past October 31.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Kentucky RN renewal window?: It opens September 15 at 12:01 a.m. EDT and closes October 31 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT each year for LPN, RN, APRN, DT, and SANE credentials. The Nurse Portal "Apply for Renewal" link only appears inside that window. For 2026, KBN urges renewing by 4:30 p.m. EDT Friday October 30 because October 31 is a Saturday.
How much does Kentucky RN renewal cost?: $65 for RN/LPN renewal on the KBN fee schedule, which includes the statutory NISF and KARE amounts. A name change is a separate $25 application even during renewal, and card or ACH processor fees may apply. There is no published late-renewal surcharge — miss the window and you pay $135 reinstatement plus the other reinstatement requirements.
How many CE hours does Kentucky require?: The default annual path is 14 contact hours earned November 1 – October 31. KBN also accepts other competency options: an employment evaluation plus 7 hours, current national nursing certification, a post-licensure college nursing course, a preceptorship, or a peer-reviewed publication. Hours must be finished by 11:59:59 p.m. EDT October 31 even if you already paid, and there is no first-renewal CE waiver if you were licensed before May 1 of the earning period.
Can I renew before I finish my CE?: Yes. You attest that you will finish by October 31 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT; hours must be earned November 1 – October 31. Proof is not submitted unless you are audited.
What if I miss October 31?: The license lapses. You cannot work on a lapsed Kentucky license. Reinstatement costs $135, requires an IdentoGO background check, CE scaled to how long you have been lapsed, and a jurisprudence exam if you have been lapsed one year or more.
Do I fingerprint every year?: No, not for ordinary renewal. IdentoGO fingerprints apply to reinstatement and to multistate/compact eligibility (service code 27GKJR), not to routine annual renewal. Kentucky is an NLC party state — renew through KBN when Kentucky is your primary state of residence.

Last verified against Kentucky Board of Nursing sources: September 9, 2026

Sources — retrieved July 2026