CMS Announces PBJ Will Move Into iQIES in August 2026
CMS has announced that the Payroll-Based Journal, or PBJ, system will move into iQIES on Aug. 17, 2026. Beginning on that date, skilled nursing facilities will submit PBJ staffing data through iQIES rather than the current PBJ system.
As always, Simple continues to monitor regulatory updates like these to help skilled nursing facilities stay informed and prepared.
What CMS Announced
CMS shared that PBJ will transition into iQIES, the secure, cloud-based system CMS uses to collect and manage quality and compliance information.
This transition is part of CMS’ broader work to modernize systems and improve security.
What Is Changing
Starting Aug. 17, 2026, all PBJ staffing data must be submitted in iQIES.
For skilled nursing facilities, this means PBJ submission workflows will need to shift to the iQIES environment. Teams that currently manage PBJ reporting should be aware of the transition date and begin watching for CMS guidance, training materials or technical updates that may explain how access, submission and validation workflows will work in iQIES.
What Is Not Changing
CMS indicated that PBJ reporting requirements and quarterly submission deadlines will not change.
Facilities should continue to follow existing PBJ reporting expectations, including collecting and submitting staffing data accurately and on time. PBJ data will continue to play an important role in nursing home staffing reporting and public reporting, including staffing-related Five-Star measures.
What This Means for Skilled Nursing Facilities
Although the reporting requirements and deadlines are staying the same, the system change may affect day-to-day PBJ workflows. SNF teams may need to review user access, submission processes, internal responsibilities and vendor readiness before the transition date.
This is especially important for teams involved in:
- PBJ data preparation
- Staffing and payroll data validation
- CMS submission workflows
- Five-Star staffing visibility
- Compliance and operational reporting
The transition also creates a good opportunity for facilities to review their current PBJ process and identify where data issues, manual steps or last-minute submission challenges may be creating unnecessary friction.
What This Means for SimplePBJ Clients
Good news! No immediate action is required for SimplePBJ users for the Aug. 14 submission deadline (staffing data for April through June 2026).
However, SimplePBJ subscribers will be required to complete additional linking steps to connect Simple in iQIES in order to submit their July through September 2026 staffing data (submission deadline of Nov. 14, 2026) and for all staffing data in the foreseeable future.
Keep an Eye Out
The Simple team will be reaching out to SimplePBJ subscribers in a staggered approach (in order to scale the task for successful completion by CMS) over the next two months to provide instructions on how to complete the linking steps in iQIES. The guidance of the Simple team will outline all the required steps for facilities to become fully linked in iQIES in advance of the Nov. 14 deadline submission and moving forward.
Simple is already working on the technical changes needed to accommodate this change so that SimplePBJ subscribers can continue to submit their file to CMS directly from the SimplePBJ site (once iQIES linking has been completed by the facility).
SimplePBJ clients do not need to navigate this change alone. We will continue monitoring CMS guidance and sharing relevant updates so facilities can stay informed and prepared as PBJ submission moves into iQIES.
Practical Steps to Consider
Before Aug. 17, 2026, skilled nursing facilities may want to:
- Keep an eye out for further linking instructions from the Simple team.
- Confirm which team members are responsible for PBJ submission and iQIES access.
- Watch for CMS training, technical guidance and updated PBJ materials.
- Review current PBJ data validation steps.
- Talk with payroll, staffing and reporting vendors about transition readiness.
- Build extra time into early submission cycles after the move to iQIES.
Simple Will Continue Monitoring Updates
Simple will continue tracking CMS updates related to the PBJ transition into iQIES and sharing information to help skilled nursing facilities understand what is changing and how it may impact reporting workflows, staffing visibility and operational readiness.
For SimplePBJ clients, our team will continue preparing for this transition, monitoring CMS guidance and communicating important updates and instructions as the August 2026 implementation date approaches.
11 Comments on “CMS Announces PBJ Will Move Into iQIES in August 2026”
With this transition, does it mean I will not log in to simplepbj portal anymore for my Jul 1- Sept 30 data? For NOv 14 deadline, I will be directly using the IQIES portal? if yes, it means I need to cancel our subscription to Netsmart for PBJ Reporting?
My IQIES log in had been deactivated for a long time since I subscribed to SimplePBJ. How will activate it again.
Please advise. Thank you very much.
Great question! Absolutely not, you will be able to continue to use SimplePBJ to send your data to CMS, bypassing the need for a submission HARP user account in iQIES and avoiding the process of connecting to iQIES directly. The key will be to get our linking request approved in iQIES by your nursing home’s PSO account when we send out the request (which should be later this month). Once that step is complete, you will be connected and good to go for the November submission deadline and future submission deadlines.
And in regards to your iQIES log in being deactivated: Not to worry! You’ll actually want to set up a new HARP user account for the iQIES system. However, once SimplePBJ is approved in iQIES for your facility, you will be able to just use SimplePBJ to send your file to CMS as usual. If you would like to setup a HARP account, you can register here:
https://harp.cms.gov/register/profile-info
Will iQIES be available to use before 8/17/26? Or do we still need to use the old system for the #rd quarter reporting?
Hello! Thank you for reaching out! Great question! No, iQIES will not be available prior to 8/17/2026 and the current configuration (QIES.net) will be used as usual for the April – June data submission period, which deadline is 8/14/2026.
I report the staffing in Skilled Nursing unit, includes the Certified Nursing Assistant, LPN, RN, and the Medical Director in Skilled Nursing. Currently I am adding the hours for the Medical Director in Skilled Nursing myself. Would this become a problem by manually adding those hours?
Hello! Thank you for reaching out! No! Manually adding those hours should not be a problem at all, as long as they are accurately collected and reported to CMS. You can add them manually in SimplePBJ if you are not already doing so. Thanks for the question!
I am not understanding what exactly I need to do in order to continue submitting PBJ. I currently use IQIES I thought.
No problem! You’ll just need to approve linking for our SimplePBJ accounts (once we are able to request them) in iQIES. Then you will be able to continue to use SimplePBJ to submit your file to CMS.
Our IQIES account has been deactivated from the time we subscribed to SimplePBJ due to inactivity. With the change after August 14,2026 – do I need to reach out to iqies to reactivate my log in even if I will be using SimplePBJ platform ?
May I also please know what is the PSO account? Where will I find it?
Hello!
That is a great question. Our guidance to find out who your PSO is to contact CMS directly. We usually direct people to contact CMS via this email and phone number: iqies@cms.hhs.gov | 1-800-339-9313.
Thank you! – Andy