Becoming an LPN or CNA in Florida: Requirements, Fees, Exams and Pay

The short version

Florida licenses both roles through the same agency, the Florida Board of Nursing, and both now require electronic fingerprinting before an application can be approved. The difference is the length of the road. A licensed practical nurse (LPN) finishes a state-approved practical nursing program, typically about a year long, passes the NCLEX-PN and pays $110 to the Board plus $200 to the testing vendor. A certified nursing assistant (CNA) can sit the state competency exam with nothing more than a high school diploma or being 18, with no training program required unless the exam is failed three times. Florida had 62,230 LPNs and 152,738 CNAs holding an active in-state license at the end of June 2025, and the state has been a Nurse Licensure Compact member since 2018, so a Florida LPN license can be a multistate one.

How to become an LPN in Florida

The Board lists the requirements for licensure by examination under section 464.008 of the Florida Statutes and asks applicants to complete the steps in this order to avoid processing delays. Its Fast-Track Examination Guide walks through the paperwork for each kind of graduate.

1. Graduate from an approved practical nursing program

You qualify to sit the NCLEX-PN with any one of these: graduation from a Florida-approved or accredited nursing education program; graduation from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education that holds an NCLEX code; graduation from a program approved by another jurisdiction that holds an NCLEX code; a military nursing program with an NCLEX code; or an international program the Board judges equivalent. The Department of Health's program comparison tool lists 193 approved or accredited practical nursing programs in Florida (and 313 registered nursing programs), with each program's retention rate and first-time NCLEX pass rate, so compare before you enroll. Nationally, a practical nursing program typically takes about one year.

One shortcut worth knowing: a student currently enrolled in an RN program who has completed coursework equivalent to an LPN program can apply for an LPN license under the Practical Nursing Equivalency option, with extra documentation at application time. That lets you work as an LPN while you finish the RN degree.

2. Complete a Level 2 background screening

Since House Bill 975 (2024), fingerprints must be submitted electronically. Book an appointment with any Livescan service provider approved by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, give the provider the Board of Nursing's Originating Agency Identification (ORI) number so the results reach the Board, and keep your Transaction Control Number to track the screening. A wrong or missing ORI means the Board never receives your results. The provider sets its own fee, and the results go to the state's Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse for the Board to review. The Department's background screening page lists the approved providers.

3. Apply online and pay the fees

Submit the licensure-by-examination application through the Department of Health's online services portal. The fees are $110 to the Board of Nursing for the application and license and $200 to the testing vendor for the NCLEX; the Livescan fee varies by provider. If you answer yes to any screening question about health, criminal or disciplinary history, send the supporting documents the Board lists (a self-explanation letter, court dispositions, three to five professional letters of recommendation for criminal history). The Board reviews every application for completeness within 30 days of receiving it with the fees.

4. Pass the NCLEX-PN

Once the Board confirms your eligibility, it transmits authorization to the testing vendor, which sends you instructions to schedule. The NCLEX is offered year-round at the vendor's professional testing centers, in Florida or anywhere else. After you pass and every other requirement is met, the Board issues your license. If you already passed the NCLEX elsewhere but do not qualify for Florida's endorsement pathway, there is a separate "already passed the NCLEX" application, and you do not register or test again if your passing result can be verified.

Already an LPN in another state?

Nurses licensed elsewhere apply through Florida's MOBILE endorsement pathway rather than by examination. If you live in another compact state, you may already be able to work in Florida on your home state's multistate license without a Florida license at all: Florida joined the Nurse Licensure Compact on 19 January 2018, and NCSBN's map still lists it as a full member. A nurse practicing in Florida on another compact state's multistate license pays no Florida fees and completes no Florida continuing education. The reverse also holds: a Florida LPN who declares Florida as their primary state of residence can add a multistate upgrade to a clear, active, unencumbered license for a $100 Board fee, with a fresh Livescan screening, no felony conviction and a Social Security number. See our compact nursing states list and the guide to transferring a nursing license.

How to become a CNA in Florida

Florida is unusual in that a training program is optional. Section 464.203 of the Florida Statutes says the Board certifies anyone who can read and write, passes the Level 2 background screening, and meets one of three routes:

• completed an approved training program and passed the nursing assistant competency examination; or
• holds a high school diploma or its equivalent and passed the examination; or
• is at least 18 years old and passed the examination.

The catch is in the exam rules: if you fail the competency examination three times, you are not eligible to test again until you complete an approved training program. Graduates of an approved program who apply within six months of finishing take and pass only the written portion, per the Board's CNA page; everyone else takes both parts.

The CNA application, step by step

1. Apply to the test administrator, not the Board. Every applicant for certification by examination submits the application and the testing fees to the state's contracted test administrator, Prometric. The Board's page states that all fees are paid directly to the test administrator and the Livescan provider, and does not list amounts; the current fee is in the candidate information bulletin on the administrator's site.
2. Get the Level 2 screening done. Schedule electronic fingerprinting with an approved Livescan provider using the Board's CNA ORI number, EDOH0380Z. You can do this before you apply. If you already have a shareable screening in the Agency for Health Care Administration's Clearinghouse, it loads within 72 hours of the Board receiving your application, provided the name, date of birth and Social Security number match. A screening without a photograph is not shareable between agencies, so make sure one is taken at fingerprinting.
3. Board review. Within 30 days of receiving your application from the test administrator, the Board reviews the file and notifies you of any deficiencies. Approved applicants are notified by email and the eligibility goes back to the test administrator within 72 hours.
4. Take the exam. The administrator schedules the exam within 7 to 14 business days and emails an admission ticket. The written test is 90 minutes and 60 multiple-choice questions in English; an oral version is available on request, as the statute requires, and the Board notes a Spanish option. The performance section is a hands-on skills demonstration. Fail one or both parts and you reapply with the administrator, reusing whatever is already on file.
5. Get on the registry. Pass both parts and the Board issues the certificate and lists you on the state nurse aide registry, which nursing homes are required to check before they hire.

CNAs who hold a certificate in another state use the Board's MOBILE endorsement application instead of testing.

What LPNs and CNAs earn in Florida

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates for Florida put the mean LPN wage at $62,150 a year ($29.88 an hour), with a median of $61,770 ($29.70 an hour), across 38,620 employed licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses. That is below the national mean of $67,050 and median of $64,400 for the occupation. Florida's nursing assistants average $39,160 a year ($18.83 an hour), median $37,510 ($18.03 an hour), across 96,960 jobs, against a national mean of $42,700 and median of $42,260. Pay by metro area, mean annual wage, May 2025:

Nationally the BLS projects employment of LPNs and of nursing assistants each to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations, with about 203,300 openings a year for nursing assistants and orderlies as workers retire or move up. For current openings, browse LPN jobs in Florida and CNA jobs in Florida, or compare Florida with every other state in our LPN salary by state and CNA pay by state guides.

Keeping the license: renewal and continuing education

LPN renewal

Florida LPN licenses renew every two years; the current cycle expires at midnight Eastern time on 31 July 2027. Renewing before expiry costs $75 (active to active); after expiry it is $130, and a license left unrenewed goes delinquent and becomes null and void two years after its expiration date. Each biennium requires 24 contact hours of continuing education, reported through the state's CE tracking system: 16 general hours from an accredited provider, plus 2 hours each in prevention of medical errors, Florida laws and rules and human trafficking, and 2 hours on recognizing impairment in the workplace every other renewal. A one-time 1-hour HIV/AIDS course is due before the first renewal, and a 2-hour domestic violence course every third biennium on top of the 24. LPNs first licensed by examination during the current biennium are exempt from the general hours at their first renewal and complete only the mandatory courses; a license issued for less than the full two years owes one hour per month held. A fingerprint-retention fee of $43.25 is collected at renewal when your retained prints have expired. Our nurse CE requirements by state guide has the detail.

CNA renewal

CNA certificates renew every two years in two groups that expire on 31 May (2027 for one group, 2028 for the other). To renew, a CNA must have performed nursing-related services for pay within the previous 24 consecutive months (otherwise the certificate lapses and you reapply, including a new background screening), and must complete 24 hours of in-service training during the biennium in areas including infection control and bloodborne pathogens, domestic violence, documentation, resident rights and communication with cognitively impaired clients. Renewing on time costs $55; after expiry it is $105, and a certificate not renewed within two years of expiring is void.

From CNA to LPN to RN

Many Florida nurses climb this ladder: CNA certification in weeks, an LPN license in about a year, then an LPN-to-RN bridge. The Board uses the same application portal, the same Level 2 screening and the same compact rules for LPNs and RNs, so nothing done at the LPN stage is wasted; our guide to becoming a registered nurse in Florida covers the RN step, including the state's 313 pre-licensure RN programs and the $110 plus $200 fee structure the two licenses share. Whichever rung you are on, the Board's single rule of thumb holds: do the fingerprinting first, apply second, and keep your Transaction Control Number.

Sources

• Florida Board of Nursing, Nursing (RN & LPN): licensure by examination, MOBILE endorsement and multistate upgrade, current requirements, process and fees, read 13 October 2026.
• Florida Board of Nursing, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): initial certification by examination, current requirements, process and exam rules, read 13 October 2026.
• Florida Board of Nursing, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Renewal, 2025-2027 biennium requirements, continuing education and fees, read 13 October 2026.
• Florida Board of Nursing, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Renewal, current renewal requirements, in-service training and fees, read 13 October 2026.
• Florida Legislature, Florida Statutes section 464.203, Certified nursing assistants; certification requirement, 2026 statutes, read 13 October 2026.
• Florida Department of Health, Compare Florida Prelicensure Nursing Education Programs, program counts by profession, read 13 October 2026.
• Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance, Annual Report and Long-Range Plan, Fiscal Year 2024-25, Table 1, licensees as of 30 June 2025, read 13 October 2026.
• National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Nurse Licensure Compact member states map, current status, read 13 October 2026.
• National Council of State Boards of Nursing, NCLEX FAQs, year-round testing, read 13 October 2026.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (29-2061), May 2025, national, Florida and metro estimates, read 13 October 2026.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Nursing Assistants (31-1131), May 2025, national, Florida and metro estimates, read 13 October 2026.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, 2025 pay and 2025-35 projections, read 13 October 2026.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Nursing Assistants and Orderlies, 2025 pay and 2025-35 projections, read 13 October 2026.