How to renew your Pennsylvania RN license
Pennsylvania RN licenses renew every two years for $122, on staggered deadlines of April 30 or October 31. Renewal requires 30 hours of board-approved continuing education, including two hours of child abuse recognition training — and, effective May 1, 2026, a one-time two-hour organ and tissue donation course.
How to renew your Pennsylvania RN license
- Cycle
- 2 years, staggered — April 30 or October 31 (even or odd year); check your license
- Eligibility
- Active PA RN; 30 CE hours; no unresolved discipline
- CE
- 30 hours, incl. 2 hrs child abuse (Act 31, DHS-approved providers)
- New for 2026
- One-time 2-hr organ/tissue donation CE, effective May 1, 2026
- Fee
- $122 renewal · $105 multistate conversion (optional, separate)
- Documentation retention
- 5 years — CE certificates with PA approval numbers + DHS ID
- Portal
- PALS — pals.pa.gov
- Compact
- Full NLC state since July 7, 2025 — multistate available ($105 conversion)
- Check your assigned expiration datePA RN renewals are staggered — April 30 or October 31, even or odd year. The date is assigned to your license; check PALS or your wall card. Report an address change within 14 days or you may miss the notice.
- Confirm you meet eligibilityActive PA RN, 30 board-approved CE hours in the biennium, no unresolved discipline. First renewal is exempt from the 30 hours except the 2-hour child abuse course.
- Complete 30 CE hours — with the required contentInclude 2 hours of DHS-approved child abuse recognition, and the one-time 2-hour organ/tissue donation course when it applies (due within 5 years of initial licensure or of the effective date, whichever is later).
- Gather documentationKeep CE certificates for 5 years — each with provider name, PA board approval number, course title, date, and hours. The DHS child abuse certificate must show a DHS-approved provider ID.
- Log into PALSRenew at pals.pa.gov. Have your license number, SSN last 4, and payment ready. Update your address of record if it's changed since last renewal.
- Complete application and attestationsAnswer the discipline questions, confirm CE completion, and confirm you completed the organ donation course if applicable. A Yes on discipline moves the application to manual review.
- Pay $122Standard biennial renewal fee. Payment by credit card or ACH in PALS. Save the receipt and updated license PDF to Trust.
- Consider the multistate upgradeMultistate conversion is a separate $105 transaction in PALS. PA must be your primary residence; RN/LPN only (CRNPs excluded). Conversion doesn't change your renewal date.
Requirements
Eligibility: active PA RN, 30 board-approved CE hours completed in the biennium before renewal, no unresolved discipline, and current address on file (address changes must be reported within 14 days).
30 board-approved CE hours in the biennium. No carryover. Keep certificates 5 years — random audits.
2 of the 30 hours: child abuse recognition/reporting from a DHS-approved provider. Generic CE will not count — check the approved list at pa.gov/act-31.
New for 2026: 2 hours of organ and tissue donation/recovery education, one time — available free from OPOs like CORE and Gift of Life. Due within 5 years of initial licensure, or within 5 years of the May 1, 2026 effective date for currently licensed nurses.
Opioid CE applies to CRNP prescribers, not plain RNs. First renewal is exempt from the 30 hours except the 2-hour child abuse course. No practice-hour requirement for routine renewal.
Documentation to keep for 5 years: a CE certificate for every hour claimed (provider name, PA board approval number, course title, date, hours), the DHS child abuse certificate showing a DHS-approved provider ID, and the organ donation certificate once completed. If audited, PA gives you 30 days to produce these.
NLC (implemented July 7, 2025): existing PA licenses stayed single-state; multistate is opt-in — $105 conversion in PALS, PA as primary residence, FBI + state background checks. Conversion doesn't change your renewal date. A PA multistate license now works in 40+ compact states.
Missed renewal notices don't excuse lateness — report address changes within 14 days.
How to renew, step by step
- 01Check your assigned expiration datePA RN renewals are staggered — April 30 or October 31, even or odd year. The date is assigned to your license; check PALS or your wall card. Report an address change within 14 days or you may miss the notice.
- 02Confirm you meet eligibilityActive PA RN, 30 board-approved CE hours in the biennium, no unresolved discipline. First renewal is exempt from the 30 hours except the 2-hour child abuse course.
- 03Complete 30 CE hours — with the required contentInclude 2 hours of DHS-approved child abuse recognition, and the one-time 2-hour organ/tissue donation course when it applies (due within 5 years of initial licensure or of the effective date, whichever is later).
- 04Gather documentationKeep CE certificates for 5 years — each with provider name, PA board approval number, course title, date, and hours. The DHS child abuse certificate must show a DHS-approved provider ID.
- 05Log into PALSRenew at pals.pa.gov. Have your license number, SSN last 4, and payment ready. Update your address of record if it's changed since last renewal.
- 06Complete application and attestationsAnswer the discipline questions, confirm CE completion, and confirm you completed the organ donation course if applicable. A Yes on discipline moves the application to manual review.
- 07Pay $122Standard biennial renewal fee. Payment by credit card or ACH in PALS. Save the receipt and updated license PDF to Trust.
- 08Consider the multistate upgradeMultistate conversion is a separate $105 transaction in PALS. PA must be your primary residence; RN/LPN only (CRNPs excluded). Conversion doesn't change your renewal date.
If you're late
Expired but recent: monthly late penalty on top of the $122 renewal fee, and no practice until renewed. Work performed after your assigned date but before renewal is practicing without a license.
Lapsed <5 years: reactivate through PALS with 30 CE hours (including the DHS child abuse course and, if applicable, organ donation course) completed in the biennium before the reactivation application. Standard renewal fee plus accrued late fees apply.
Lapsed 5+ years: one of three paths — (a) retake NCLEX; (b) complete a board-approved reactivation program with an achievement exam; or (c) hold a current license elsewhere with 3,600+ practice hours in the last 5 years. The board reviews reactivation applications individually.
Multistate impact: if you converted to multistate, letting the PA license lapse also lapses your multistate privileges in every NLC state. Employers verifying via Nursys see the change within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
- When is my PA renewal due?
- April 30 or October 31, every two years. The date is assigned to your license — check it rather than guessing.
- Can any provider teach the child abuse CE?
- No — DHS-approved providers only. It's the most common audit failure.
- What's the new organ donation requirement?
- 2 hours, one time, effective May 1, 2026 — due within 5 years of initial licensure or of a renewal, whichever comes first. Free versions exist via OPOs (CORE, Gift of Life).
- Can I get a multistate license in Pennsylvania now?
- Yes — the NLC has been fully live since July 7, 2025. $105 conversion via PALS, PA must be your primary residence, RN/LPN only (CRNPs excluded).
- Does PA require practice hours to renew?
- No — CE only. Practice hours matter only for 5+ year reactivations.
- Do CE hours carry over to the next biennium?
- No. Any hours over 30 in a biennium are lost — plan your CE close to the renewal date rather than banking early.
- What's the audit rate and what do they ask for?
- PA audits a random sample each biennium. If audited, produce CE certificates (with PA approval numbers), the DHS child abuse certificate, and the organ donation certificate if applicable, within 30 days.
- Does the multistate license require its own renewal?
- No — it renews with your single-state license on the same schedule. You pay one $122 renewal fee; multistate status carries forward as long as PA remains your primary residence.
Last verified against Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing sources:
Georgia vs Illinois vs Pennsylvania
Quick reference for the three state RN renewals we cover in depth. Verify at the board's official portal before you renew.
| Requirement | Georgia | Illinois | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle | 2 yr — Jan 31 (even/odd cohorts) | 2 yr — May 31 (all RNs) | 2 yr — Apr 30 (odd years) |
| Fee | $65 + $5 | $80 | $122 |
| Late fee | $75 (Feb only) | $10/mo up to $50 | $5/mo, capped |
| CE hours | 30 hrs OR 1 of 4 alternatives | 20 hrs (incl. mandatory topics) | 30 hrs (incl. child abuse, opioids) |
| Mandatory topics | None | Sexual harassment, implicit bias, Alzheimer's | Child abuse (2 hr), opioids (2 hr), organ donation (1 hr, 2026) |
| CE audit retention | 4 years | 5 years | 5 years |
| Reporting | CE Broker | Nurse Portal attestation | PALS attestation |
| Compact (NLC) | Yes — eNLC | No | Yes — implementing 2026 |
Trust tracks this renewal for you.
Trust reminds you at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days before your PA deadline — and flags the DHS-approved child abuse and 2026 organ donation courses so audits don't bite.
Keep exploring renewals
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