If you earned your California CNA certificate, keeping it active is not automatic. The state requires you to renew it every two years, and that renewal has real requirements behind it: continuing education hours, a paid-work rule, and specific forms filed with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Miss the window and you can lose the credential you worked hard to earn.
This guide, reviewed by our lead instructor Tynesha Zacarias, RN, walks through exactly how to renew CNA certification in California as of 2026, step by step, so you stay certified and stay employable. Certification requirements are set by the State of California and can change, so always confirm current details with CDPH before you file.
California CNAs renew every two years
A California CNA certificate is valid for two years. Look at your wallet card or your record in the CDPH registry and find your expiration date. Everything in the renewal process is measured against that date: your continuing education, your paid work, and your paperwork all have to be completed within the 24 months before your certificate expires.
The single most important habit is to track that date and start early. CDPH recommends filing your renewal well ahead of time, and electronic submissions can take up to roughly 30 days to process. If you wait until the last week, a small delay can push you past your expiration date. Treat the two-year mark as a moving deadline you plan around, not a surprise that arrives.
Renewal keeps more than a title. An active certificate is what lets you keep working, and demand for nursing assistants across California remains steady according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. Letting the credential lapse can mean lost shifts, a pay interruption, or worse, having to retrain from scratch.
The two requirements: 48 in-service hours plus paid work
To renew, you must satisfy two separate things during your two-year cycle.
1. Continuing education / in-service hours. California requires 48 hours of in-service training or continuing education (CE) per two-year certification period. Within that total, you must complete at least 12 hours in each year of the cycle, so you cannot cram all 48 into the final months. No more than 24 of the 48 hours may be completed through a CDPH-approved online program. The remaining hours must come from live or in-person instruction, such as employer-sponsored in-service sessions or a live class.
One detail that trips people up: your hours only count if they come from a CDPH-approved provider that holds a valid Nurse Assistant Certification (NAC) number. Random online courses without that approval will not count toward renewal. When you sign up for any CE, confirm the provider is CDPH-approved and will give you proper documentation.
2. The paid-work requirement. You must also show that you performed at least 8 hours of compensated nursing or nursing-related services under the supervision of a licensed nurse or other licensed health professional during the two years before your expiration date. Volunteer time does not satisfy this. If you have not worked at least those minimum paid hours as a CNA in the cycle, you will not be eligible for a standard renewal and may have to reactivate by exam instead.
The CDPH renewal forms: 283C, 283A, and 278D
California CNA renewal is a paperwork process, and knowing the form numbers saves you time. Here is what each one does:
- CDPH 283C is the Renewal Application. This is the main form you submit to CDPH to renew or reactivate your certificate. It asks you to confirm your CE hours and your paid-work requirement.
- CDPH 283A is the continuing education documentation form, essentially your training log. It records the in-service and CE hours you completed, the provider, and the provider NAC number, so CDPH can verify your 48 hours.
- CDPH 278D is the in-service training attendance sign-in sheet that a training program completes to prove you actually attended a live session. A reputable in-service provider signs and gives you this record so your live hours hold up.
You can file your renewal online through the CDPH portal or by mail. Whichever route you choose, keep copies of everything: your completed 283C, your 283A training log, and every sign-in sheet or certificate for the sessions you attended. If CDPH has questions, clean records are what get you approved quickly. For the current forms, fees, and step-by-step filing instructions, go straight to the CDPH renewal application page.
What happens if your CNA certificate lapses
Letting a certificate expire is not the end of the world, but the cost rises fast the longer you wait, so it is worth understanding the rules before you are in a bind.
Expired two years or less. If your certificate has been expired for two years or less, you generally cannot simply renew. You reactivate by submitting the CDPH 283C application and retaking the state Competency Evaluation (the written and skills exam). You must pass both parts within two years of your expiration date.
Expired more than two years. Once you are past the two-year mark, reactivation by exam is no longer available. You typically have to retrain through a full CDPH-approved CNA training program and apply as an initial candidate again, including a fresh Live Scan background check. That means far more time and money than a routine renewal would have cost.
The lesson is simple: renewing on time is always cheaper and easier than reactivating. If you are even a few months out from your expiration date and short on hours, act now rather than gambling on the two-year grace period. When in doubt about your status, our frequently asked questions page and the CDPH registry can help you confirm where you stand.
A simple on-time renewal checklist
Use this as your two-year game plan so nothing slips:
- Write down your CNA expiration date and set a reminder 6 to 9 months before it.
- Spread your 48 in-service hours across both years, at least 12 per year, and keep online hours at 24 or fewer.
- Use only CDPH-approved providers with a valid NAC number, and collect documentation for every session.
- Make sure you have at least 8 hours of paid, supervised CNA work logged in the cycle.
- Complete the CDPH 283C renewal application and attach your 283A training log and any 278D sign-in sheets.
- File early, allow up to about 30 days for processing, and keep copies of everything.
While you are organizing paperwork, check your CPR card too. A current AHA Basic Life Support (BLS) card is not part of the CDPH CNA renewal itself, but most employers require one, and AHA cards are valid for about two years, similar to your CNA cycle. You can confirm card validity details through the American Heart Association.
Get your live in-service hours at Nura Care Institute
The part of renewal students most often scramble for is the live, in-person hours, because those cannot all be replaced with online courses. That is exactly what our in-service session is built for. Nura Care Institute offers a CNA continuing education in-service worth 6 CEUs for $50, taught in person and designed to plug straight into your 48-hour requirement and your yearly minimum.
Because we are a CDPH-approved provider led by a Registered Nurse, your hours count, and we hand you the documentation you need: a completed CDPH 278D attendance record and the entries for your 283A training log, so filing your renewal is straightforward. Stack a couple of sessions over your cycle and your live-hour requirement is handled.
Our campus is at 9198 Greenback Lane, Suite 108 in Orangevale, easy to reach from Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, Folsom, and greater Sacramento. If your certificate is already expired and you need to retrain, we also run a full Certified Nursing Assistant program. Ready to keep your credential active? Enroll in an upcoming in-service session or call us at (916) 544-1256 with questions. Keeping your CNA certification current is one of the simplest investments you can make in your healthcare career.
This article is general information and not legal advice. Certification requirements are set by the State of California (CDPH) and can change. Confirm current renewal rules, forms, and fees with CDPH before you file.