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Illinois Nursing Home Staffing Calculator
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.
Counted Illinois's way and the way CMS counts it for Care Compare, side by side, with staff per shift for any target you choose. An estimate for planning, not legal advice.
Illinois: 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. Illinois sets the hours for each day.
Source: 77 Ill. Adm. Code 300.1230, Direct Care Staffing. Checked October 13, 2026.
Part of the admin nurse hours above. Illinois counts them in full.
Illinois counts 30% of this time.
Psychiatric rehabilitation aides and coordinators, rehabilitation and therapy aides, licensed PT, OT, speech and respiratory therapists.
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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.
What Illinois counts
- Counts RNs, LPNs, certified nurse assistants, assistant directors of nursing, 50% of the director of nursing's time, 30% of the social services director's time, psychiatric services rehabilitation aides and coordinators, rehabilitation and therapy aides, and licensed physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapists.
- Leaves out meal and break times and scheduled training.
- The rule's list names certified nurse assistants, so this calculator leaves out aide-in-training and medication aide hours.
- The rule's list does not name nurses on administrative duties other than the assistant director of nursing, so this calculator leaves those hours out.
- For the 25% and 10%, this calculator counts the same 50% of the director of nursing's time and counts the assistant director of nursing as a licensed nurse.
Illinois sets the hours for each day.
- Ask the Illinois Department of Public Health whether your aides in training, medication aides or admin nurses count.
Source: 77 Ill. Adm. Code 300.1230, Direct Care Staffing. Read on October 13, 2026.
Worked example
For 60 residents needing skilled care and 40 needing intermediate care, Illinois requires 3.8 × 60 + 2.5 × 40 = 328 hours a day, at least 82 from licensed nurses and 32.8 from RNs. With 40 RN, 80 LPN and 220 CNA hours, 8 director of nursing hours (half count), 6 assistant director of nursing hours, 8 social services director hours (30% count) and 10 therapy hours: Nursing and personal care: 3.62 against 3.28, above by 0.34. Licensed nurse (25% of required): 1.30 against 0.82, above by 0.48. RN (10% of required): 0.44 against 0.33, above by 0.11.
Illinois nursing home staffing: questions
- What is the minimum nurse staffing in Illinois nursing homes?
- 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. Illinois sets the hours for each day.
- What counts toward Illinois's staffing hours?
- Counts RNs, LPNs, certified nurse assistants, assistant directors of nursing, 50% of the director of nursing's time, 30% of the social services director's time, psychiatric services rehabilitation aides and coordinators, rehabilitation and therapy aides, and licensed physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapists. Leaves out meal and break times and scheduled training. The rule's list names certified nurse assistants, so this calculator leaves out aide-in-training and medication aide hours. The rule's list does not name nurses on administrative duties other than the assistant director of nursing, so this calculator leaves those hours out. For the 25% and 10%, this calculator counts the same 50% of the director of nursing's time and counts the assistant director of nursing as a licensed nurse.
- How do you calculate Illinois's staffing hours per resident day?
- For 60 residents needing skilled care and 40 needing intermediate care, Illinois requires 3.8 × 60 + 2.5 × 40 = 328 hours a day, at least 82 from licensed nurses and 32.8 from RNs. With 40 RN, 80 LPN and 220 CNA hours, 8 director of nursing hours (half count), 6 assistant director of nursing hours, 8 social services director hours (30% count) and 10 therapy hours: Nursing and personal care: 3.62 against 3.28, above by 0.34. Licensed nurse (25% of required): 1.30 against 0.82, above by 0.48. RN (10% of required): 0.44 against 0.33, above by 0.11.
- Is Illinois's count the same as Care Compare's?
- No. Care Compare counts every PBJ nursing job code (directors of nursing, admin nurses, aides in training and medication aides included) and adjusts for acuity before giving stars. The calculator shows both counts side by side.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. It is an estimate for planning, not legal advice. Confirm with your state agency and CMS. We read Illinois's rule at its source on October 13, 2026.
An estimate for planning, not legal advice. Confirm with your state agency and CMS. Rules checked October 13, 2026; laws and CMS methods change.
The nursing home staffing calculator for every state. Other checked states: New York, Florida, California.