The Illinois CNA Registry is the official state list that confirms a person is currently authorized to work as a certified nursing assistant in Illinois. Run by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) in partnership with the Illinois Nurse Aide Testing program, the registry is the single source of truth that employers, recruiters, and licensing reviewers consult before they put a CNA on the floor at a hospital, nursing home, hospice, home health agency, or long-term care facility anywhere in the state.
If your name does not appear on the registry, or if your status reads "expired," "inactive," or "on the abuse list," you legally cannot work as a nurse aide in Illinois. That single fact is why every step in the process — from completing an approved program to passing the state exam, to renewing every 24 months — pivots back to this database. This guide walks through how the illinois cna registry works, how to look up your status, and how to renew.
Illinois is one of the largest CNA labor markets in the country, with more than 90,000 active certified nursing assistants on the registry at any given time. The state runs on a 120-hour minimum training rule, a written and skills exam administered by Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and a 24-month renewal cycle. Compare that to texas cna registry rules, which use Prometric, or Alabama's 75-hour minimum: every state runs its own playbook, but Illinois is unusually centralized.
The registry is a public database. Anyone with your full legal name and date of birth can verify whether you are an active Illinois CNA, whether any sustained abuse, neglect, or theft finding sits on your record, and whether your competency was earned by training and exam or by interstate reciprocity. Employers are required by federal law (42 CFR 483.156) to check the registry before they hire you, and many run a fresh check every renewal cycle.
For workers, the registry serves three jobs. It proves you are legally allowed to take the job. It carries your test scores and program record. And it determines your renewal date — Illinois resets your active window every time you log at least eight hours of paid nurse aide work in a 24-month period.
The illinois cna license registry lookup tool lives at the IDPH Health Care Worker Registry page. You do not need a login. Search by your last name and date of birth, or by your seven-digit registry ID if you already have it. Results show your status — active, expired, revoked, or on the abuse finding list — plus your training program, your competency exam date, and your renewal due date.
Here is what each status means in practice. "Active" means you are clear to work. "Expired" means you missed the 24-month paid work threshold and need to retest. "Revoked" or "abuse finding" means a sustained complaint sits on your record and you cannot work as a CNA in Illinois — and most states will pick that finding up if you try to apply elsewhere. The federal abuse registry pulls from every state, so you cannot outrun a sustained finding by moving.
If the lookup returns no result, three things are likely. You took the exam under a different legal name. Your training program never reported your completion to the state. Or your name is misspelled in the database. Call IDPH directly at the Health Care Worker Registry line — most of these issues resolve in one phone call with your test date and program name. For broader help finding your number, see our cna license lookup guide.
Illinois renews your CNA status automatically — but only if you log at least 8 paid nurse aide hours in any 24-month window. Volunteer time and unpaid clinicals do not count. Miss the window and you must retest before you can work again.
To get onto the registry for the first time, you complete three steps. First, finish an illinois approved cna training program — at least 120 hours, including 40 hours of supervised clinical practice. Second, pass the Illinois Nurse Aide Competency Exam, which has a written and a manual skills component. Third, your program submits your results to IDPH and you appear on the registry, typically within 10 business days.
Approved programs run at community colleges, vocational schools, and some employer-sponsored sites. Tuition runs roughly $500 to $1,800 depending on the school. Some employers — hospital systems, large nursing home chains, and the state itself through workforce grants — cover the full cost in exchange for a 6- to 12-month work commitment. If you are paying out of pocket, check the state's apprenticeship registry first; an Illinois CNA apprenticeship can pay you while you train.
The exam itself costs about $115 for both parts in 2026. You can retake either part separately if you fail. Three failed attempts on either component and the state requires you to retake the full training program before you test again. Most candidates pass the written portion on the first try. The skills portion trips up roughly one in five test takers, usually on hand hygiene timing or measuring intake and output.
Your illinois cna license number is a seven-digit ID assigned the day your name lands on the registry. It is not printed on a physical card by default. To find yours, run the registry lookup tool, enter your last name and date of birth, and the registry returns your number alongside your status. Many Illinois CNAs do not know their number until an employer asks for it on day one.
You can also request a wallet-sized verification card from IDPH for a small fee (about $10). Most employers accept a printed screenshot of the registry lookup result. Travel agencies and contract employers, especially for cna travel contracts, almost always want the number itself plus a screenshot — they file both with their compliance teams.
Finish a 120-hour Illinois-approved CNA training course, including 40 hours of supervised clinical practice at a partner facility chosen by the school.
Take the written and manual skills test through SIU Carbondale. You have three attempts per section before being required to retake the entire training program.
Your training program submits your results to IDPH. Your name and seven-digit registry ID typically appear within 10 business days of passing both portions of the exam.
Illinois does not charge a renewal fee. The state's deal is simple: log at least eight hours of paid nurse aide work in any rolling 24-month window, and your registry status renews automatically. There is no continuing education requirement. There is no paperwork. The employer's payroll record is the proof.
Where this trips people up: per diem CNAs, on-call staff, and CNAs who switch into adjacent roles (medical assistant, patient care tech, mental health tech, surgical tech) sometimes go a full 24 months without logging the eight paid CNA hours. If you are pivoting into a non-CNA role but want to keep your registry active, take a single shift at a registry-recognized employer every two years.
If your status lapses, you do not appeal — you retest. Schedule the written and skills exams through SIU Carbondale, pay the fee, and your active status restores the day your passing scores hit the registry. Most CNAs who lapse get back onto the registry inside six weeks.
Illinois grants reciprocity to any CNA in good standing on another state's registry, provided your original training program met the federal 75-hour floor. Most states meet or exceed this. Apply through IDPH Form 50-1156, attach a copy of your current out-of-state registry record, and pay no fee — Illinois does not charge for reciprocity transfers.
Processing usually takes three to four weeks. While you wait, you cannot work as a CNA in Illinois even if you have a current license in your home state. Plan the transfer before you move. A couple of caveats: if your home state has a sustained finding on your record, Illinois will deny the transfer. If you trained in a state with an under-75-hour program — rare but real — Illinois will require gap hours through an approved bridge course. Smaller New England state moves are quick — the maine cna registry reciprocity packet looks almost identical.
Free. Just log 8 paid CNA hours in 24 months. No CE required, no paperwork, no fee. Employer payroll records are the proof.
Free for out-of-state CNAs in good standing. Submit IDPH Form 50-1156 with a copy of your current registry record. Processing takes 3-4 weeks.
Required if your status lapses. Schedule written and skills exams through SIU Carbondale. Fee is about $115. Active status restores when passing scores hit the registry.
The Illinois Department of Labor pegs the 2026 median CNA wage at about $19.20 per hour. Experienced CNAs in Chicago metro hospitals hit $24 to $28. Long-term care facilities pay less than hospitals, generally $17 to $20 per hour, though the differential narrows once you add shift premiums and overtime. Suburban Cook County and DuPage County run a couple of dollars above downstate rates.
Travel CNA contracts in Illinois — most often filled through Chicago-area agencies — pay $1,400 to $1,900 per week including stipends, with 13-week minimums. Crisis rates during winter flu surges have hit $2,400 per week. If you are open to relocating for a stretch, the travel cna path more than doubles your take-home compared with a staff role.
The state's largest CNA employers include the University of Chicago Medicine, Advocate Aurora Health, Northwestern Memorial, Rush, OSF Healthcare, and the Carle Foundation in central Illinois. Long-term care chains like Symphony Care Network and Petersen Health Care run hundreds of openings statewide on any given week.
Three causes account for nearly all involuntary removals. Sustained abuse, neglect, or misappropriation findings are the most serious — they show on your record permanently and prevent reciprocity transfers nationwide. Background check disqualifying offenses are second: certain felonies (sexual offenses, violent offenses, drug trafficking) trigger automatic disqualification under the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act. Falsifying training records or exam answers is third.
If you receive a complaint notice from IDPH, do not ignore it. You have 30 days to respond in writing. CNAs who respond on time, with documentation and (if needed) legal representation, win their cases at a much higher rate than CNAs who let the deadline pass.
A surprising number of Illinois CNAs use the role as a bridge into LPN or RN work. The state has a strong cna to lpn pipeline, with community college programs in Chicago, Rockford, Peoria, and Carbondale offering 12- to 18-month LPN bridges that count CNA work hours toward clinical experience. CNA-to-RN takes longer — typically a full two-year associate program — but Illinois community colleges run dedicated CNA-to-RN tracks at heavily discounted tuition for in-state students.
If you are still figuring out whether the CNA role is right for you, read the broader what's a cna overview first. It covers the day-to-day duties, the physical demands, the typical career arc, and how the role compares to home health aide, medical assistant, and patient care technician positions.
The state publishes a current list of approved programs on the IDPH website. Roughly 240 schools and employer-based programs are approved as of 2026. The list breaks into three buckets: community colleges, private vocational schools, and employer-sponsored sites such as nursing homes and hospital systems. Each bucket has different price tags, time commitments, and post-graduation employment patterns.
Community college programs are the most common path. Colleges like City Colleges of Chicago, Triton College, Harper College, College of DuPage, and John A. Logan College in southern Illinois run 6- to 8-week intensive courses. Tuition typically falls between $700 and $1,400, with financial aid options including Pell grants for qualifying students. Community college programs tend to have the highest first-attempt pass rates on the state exam — many cluster in the 85% to 92% range.
Private vocational schools cost more but move faster. Some private programs run accelerated 4-week schedules at $1,400 to $2,200. Quality varies. Before enrolling at a private school, check three things: that the program is current on the IDPH approved list, that the school publishes its state exam pass rate, and that it provides job placement assistance. A school that cannot produce its pass rate is hiding something.
The exam has two parts, taken on the same day or on different days depending on your test center. The written portion is 100 multiple-choice questions covering personal care, safety, infection control, mental health, communication, basic nursing skills, restorative skills, and resident rights. You have 90 minutes and need a 75% score to pass. The skills portion is a live demonstration in front of a state evaluator: you draw five random skills from a pool of 22 and must complete each one correctly within the allotted time.
SIU Carbondale operates the test centers and publishes a 40-page candidate handbook that lists every skill, every required step, and every common error. Read the handbook. Memorize the indirect care sequence (knock, identify yourself, identify the resident, explain the task, gather supplies, provide privacy, wash hands, raise the bed, lower the bed at the end, call light within reach). Most candidates who fail the skills portion miss one indirect step, not a clinical step.
Illinois operates a formal CNA apprenticeship program funded through the state's Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job training at a participating employer with the 120-hour classroom and clinical curriculum. You earn a paycheck while you train, typically $15 to $17 an hour during the apprenticeship period. After completion you are guaranteed a full-time CNA position at the apprenticeship employer for at least 6 months.
Apprentice CNAs also build registry-eligible work hours from day one. That matters because the 24-month renewal clock starts the moment you appear on the registry, and apprenticeship hours count as paid nurse aide work even before you finish the formal training portion. By the time you sit for the state exam, you already have a job, a paycheck history, and enough paid hours logged to comfortably meet the first renewal window without scrambling.
The apprenticeship route is especially strong for career changers, parents returning to work, and high school graduates without college plans. Application is through the state's apprenticeship portal or directly with participating employers. Wait times vary. Popular Chicago-area apprenticeships fill within days of being posted, while downstate openings often stay open for weeks. If you can be flexible on geography, the apprenticeship path puts money in your pocket while you earn the credential.
The registry is the legal backbone of CNA work in Illinois. It is also one of the simpler state systems to navigate once you understand the rhythm: 120 hours of training, one state exam, a 24-month renewal cycle gated on paid work hours, and free reciprocity for out-of-state transfers. There is no annual fee, no continuing education, and the lookup tool is free and public.
The most common pitfall is letting the 24-month paid-work window lapse. Set a calendar reminder for the 22-month mark. Pick up at least one shift at a registry-recognized employer before the window closes. That single habit will save you the $115 retest fee and the four to six weeks of waiting that comes with it.
Two further reads worth bookmarking: our state-by-state cna license lookup walkthrough, which covers every state's registry portal, and our cna license renewal guide, which compares renewal rules across all 50 states so you know what changes if you move. Both pieces are kept current with each annual state board update, so you can return for fresh fee numbers and updated form links.
Most common path. City Colleges of Chicago, Triton College, Harper, College of DuPage, John A. Logan. Runs 6 to 8 weeks. Tuition $700 to $1,400. Pell grants available. First-attempt pass rates of 85% to 92%. Strong job placement networks.
Faster but pricier. Accelerated 4-week schedules at $1,400 to $2,200. Quality varies. Always check the IDPH approved list, the school's published pass rate, and whether job placement is offered. Walk away from any school that cannot produce its pass rate.
Best deal if you can wait. Advocate, Northwestern, University of Chicago Medicine. Free training with a small stipend. The trade is a 6 to 12 month work commitment after you certify. Read the contract — early departure may trigger prorated tuition repayment.
Paid on-the-job training at $15 to $17 per hour. Funded by Department of Commerce. Combines classroom hours with paid CNA work. Guaranteed full-time position for at least 6 months after certification. Apply through state apprenticeship portal or directly with participating employers.
Advocate, Northwestern, and University of Chicago Medicine run free training that pays a small stipend. The trade is a 6-12 month work commitment at the system after you certify.
Department of Commerce-funded apprenticeship combines paid on-the-job training at $15-$17/hr with the 120-hour curriculum. Guaranteed 6-month job placement on completion.
Illinois workWORKnet and WIOA grants cover tuition at community college programs for qualifying low-income or displaced workers. Apply through your local American Job Center.