Free · no account · rules checked October 13, 2026
Nursing Home Staffing Calculator (HPRD / PPD)
Nursing hours per resident day (HPRD, also called PPD) is the RN, LPN and nurse aide hours worked in a day divided by that day's residents.
Counted the way CMS counts it for Care Compare, next to New York, Florida, Illinois and California's own counts, with staff per shift for any target you choose. An estimate for planning, not legal advice.
By clicking Calculate, you agree to the Terms, including the release, assumption of risk, and indemnity in Section 28.15 and that what you enter and do on this page may be recorded, and you acknowledge the Privacy Policy. Results are estimates for planning, may be inaccurate, and are not guaranteed. They are not a recommendation, legal advice, or a compliance finding.
How the nursing home staffing calculator works
Enter your residents and nursing hours
One day, a week or a quarter. Total hours by job, or the number of people on each shift.
Pick a target
Your state if it is one we checked (New York, Florida, Illinois, California), your own number, or none for the CMS count alone.
Read both counts and the staff per shift
The CMS count, your state's own count, warnings CMS acts on, and how many RNs, LPNs and CNAs each shift needs for the target.
How to calculate nursing hours per resident day
Nursing hours per resident day equals the RN, LPN and nurse aide hours worked, divided by the resident days. For a quarter, CMS adds up every day's hours and every day's census first, then divides once, counting only days with at least one resident.
Example: one day, 100 residents, the CMS way
- RN 56 hours (40 RN, 8 director of nursing, 8 RN admin)
- LPN 80 hours
- Aides 250 hours (220 CNA, 10 in training, 20 medication aides)
- 386 ÷ 100 = 3.86 hours per resident day
The same day, counted New York's way
- Total (CNA, LPN, RN): 3.40 against 3.50, short by 0.10
- Certified nurse aide: 2.20 against 2.20, at the target
- RN and LPN: 1.20 against 1.10, above by 0.10
- New York leaves out admin nursing time and aides who are not certified.
What counts toward nursing hours, the CMS way
| Counts | Does not count |
|---|---|
| RNs, the RN director of nursing, RNs with admin duties (PBJ 5, 6, 7) | Private duty nurses paid by a resident or family |
| LPNs and LVNs, including admin duties (PBJ 8, 9) | Hospice staff |
| Certified nurse aides, aides in training, medication aides (PBJ 10, 11, 12) | Feeding assistants |
| Agency and contract staff | A 30-minute meal break per shift, taken or not |
Sources: CMS, Five-Star Quality Rating System Technical Users' Guide, September 2026; CMS, PBJ Policy Manual v2.8, August 2026 (meal break policy); CMS, PBJ Policy Manual FAQ, August 2026. Read on October 13, 2026.
The numbers CMS acts on
- 4 or more days in a quarter with no RN hours, on days with residents, means a one-star staffing rating for that quarter.
- More than 12 total nursing hours or more than 5.25 nurse aide hours per resident day, over the quarter or its weekends, and Care Compare shows "Not Available".
- Weekend staffing (Saturdays and Sundays) is its own measure.
- Federal rules require an RN for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week, and a full-time RN director of nursing, unless waived.
Sources: CMS, Five-Star Quality Rating System Technical Users' Guide, September 2026; Federal Register, December 3, 2025 (CMS-3442-IFC, effective February 2, 2026).
The 3.48 HPRD rule was removed
The 2024 federal minimum of 3.48 total nurse staffing hours per resident day, with 0.55 RN and 2.45 nurse aide hours and an RN on site 24 hours a day, was removed by a CMS rule effective February 2, 2026. The calculator does not offer it as a target. Federal Register, December 3, 2025.
State minimums we checked
New York
New York requires 3.5 hours of care per resident per day, with at least 2.2 hours from certified nurse aides and at least 1.1 hours from registered or licensed practical nurses.
New York State Department of Health, Nursing Home Minimum Staffing; 10 NYCRR 415.13, Nursing services and minimum nursing staff requirements
New York staffing calculatorFlorida
Florida requires a weekly average (Sunday to Saturday) of 3.6 hours of direct care per resident per day, at least 2.0 hours from certified nursing assistants and at least 1.0 hour from licensed nurses per resident per day.
Florida Statutes section 400.23(3), 2026
Florida staffing calculatorIllinois
Illinois requires 3.8 hours of nursing and personal care each day for a resident needing skilled care and 2.5 hours for a resident needing intermediate care. At least 25% of the required hours must come from licensed nurses and at least 10% from registered nurses.
77 Ill. Adm. Code 300.1230, Direct Care Staffing
Illinois staffing calculatorCalifornia
California requires 3.5 direct care service hours per patient day, at least 2.4 of them from certified nurse assistants, every day.
California Department of Public Health, AFL 21-11 (3.5 DHPPD staffing audits)
California staffing calculatorEvery other state: we haven't checked its rule yet. Pick it in the calculator and enter your state's number as your own target.
Staff per shift from a target
People on a shift = target hours per resident × residents ÷ number of shifts ÷ hours each person counts for, rounded up. With the PBJ meal break, an 8-hour shift counts 7.5 hours. For New York's 3.5 with 100 residents on three 8-hour shifts, the even split starts at 11, 11, 11 CNAs, 4, 5, 5 LPNs and 1, 0, 0 RNs (day, evening, night), with one RN on days for the federal 8-hour rule. Change any shift in the calculator and it re-checks.
Nursing home staffing calculator: questions
- What is HPRD in a nursing home?
- HPRD means nursing hours per resident day: the RN, LPN and nurse aide hours worked, divided by the residents. Some facilities call it PPD (per patient day) or HPPD (hours per patient day). CMS publishes it on Care Compare from Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) data.
- How do you calculate PPD in a nursing home?
- Add the nursing hours worked and divide by the resident days. For one day with 100 residents and 386 nursing hours, that is 386 ÷ 100 = 3.86. For a quarter, CMS adds up all the hours and all the resident days first, then divides once.
- Do agency nurses count toward HPRD?
- Yes. CMS counts employees and agency or contract staff. It does not count private duty nurses paid by a resident or family, hospice staff, or feeding assistants.
- Does the director of nursing count toward staffing hours?
- CMS counts the RN director of nursing in RN hours. States differ: New York and Florida leave administrative nursing time out, Illinois counts 50% of the director of nursing's time, and California credits it only in limited cases. The calculator follows New York, Florida and Illinois, and leaves it out of California's count, saying so on screen.
- Is the 3.48 HPRD minimum still in effect?
- No. The 2024 federal minimum of 3.48 total nurse staffing hours per resident day, with 0.55 RN and 2.45 nurse aide hours and an RN on site around the clock, was removed by a CMS rule effective February 2, 2026. The older requirement is back: an RN for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week, and a full-time RN director of nursing, unless waived.
- What gives a nursing home a one-star staffing rating?
- CMS gives a one-star staffing rating for the quarter when staffing data show 4 or more days with no RN hours on days with residents, when no staffing data are submitted by the deadline, and for three months when a facility does not respond to a CMS staffing audit or the audit finds significant differences between the hours reported and the hours verified.
- What staffing levels does CMS treat as not plausible?
- More than 12 total nursing hours per resident day, more than 5.25 nurse aide hours per resident day, or zero nursing hours, over a quarter or over its weekend days. Care Compare then shows "Not Available".
- Why does CMS rate weekend staffing separately?
- Care Compare reports total nurse staffing on Saturdays and Sundays as its own measure, with hours and resident days added up over the quarter's weekend days. The calculator's weekend box compares your weekend with all days.
- Can this calculator predict my Care Compare star rating?
- No. Care Compare adjusts staffing for how sick residents are (case-mix) before it gives stars, and that adjustment uses MDS data this page does not have. Use the number to plan staff, not to predict a star.
- Which states does the calculator know?
- New York, Florida, Illinois and California, each read at the state's own source on October 13, 2026. For every other state, enter your state's number as your own target. The CMS count works in every state.
- What happens to what I type?
- The arithmetic runs in your browser. What you type, the results, and what you do on the page may be recorded by our analytics and session recording tools, as our Privacy Policy describes.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. It is an estimate for planning, not legal advice. Confirm with your state agency and CMS. Each rule links to its source and shows the date we checked it.
An estimate for planning, not legal advice. Confirm with your state agency and CMS. Rules checked October 13, 2026; laws and CMS methods change.
Also: healthcare staffing ratios guide, scheduling for senior living, the free overtime calculator and the free shift schedule generator.