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Getting certified

How do PMP® renewal and PDUs work?

A PMP stays active on 60 professional development units (PDUs) per three-year cycle: at least 35 in Education, with at least 8 in each of the three PMI® Talent Triangle® areas, and no more than 25 in Giving Back. One PDU is one hour. You report them, pay the renewal fee no later than 90 days after the cycle ends, and PMI issues new cycle dates (PMI CCR Handbook, as of October 2026).

Exam
PMP
Updated
Oct 13, 2026

01The 60-PDU split

PMP renewal requirements per three-year cycle, PMI CCR Handbook and PMI's maintain page, as of October 2026

CategoryPDUs per cycleWhat fits
Education, total35 minimumCourses, webinars, podcasts, reading and informal learning; no upper limit
Ways of Working8 minimum, inside EducationDelivery approaches and techniques: predictive, agile, hybrid and others
Power Skills8 minimum, inside EducationCollaborative leadership, communication, empathy, an innovative mindset
Business Acumen8 minimum, inside EducationDecisions that tie the project to the organization's strategy and to wider trends
Giving Back, total25 maximumVolunteering, creating knowledge, working as a professional
Working as a professional8 maximum, inside Giving BackThe project management work you are paid to do

Total: 60 PDUs. Education can exceed 35; Giving Back cannot exceed 25.

02One renewal cycle

  1. Years 1 to 3

    Earn and report PDUs

    Report as you go in PMI's Continuing Certification Renewal System (CCRS), from your dashboard.

  2. Once you reach 60

    Renew early if you like

    With the PDU requirements met, you can submit the renewal payment at any point in the cycle.

  3. Cycle end + 90 days

    Payment deadline

    The latest date PMI accepts the renewal payment.

  4. Cycle end + 18 months

    Keep your evidence

    PMI audits a random share of certification holders; keep documentation for every PDU claim at least this long.

03The renewal fee, and why no number appears here

PMI sets the renewal fee by membership status and region and shows it only inside your myPMI dashboard, as its CCR Handbook says (as of October 2026). Figures quoted on blogs are not confirmed by any public PMI page, so check the dashboard before you budget. PMI membership renewal is a separate fee from certification renewal.

If you do not earn and report the PDUs within the cycle, PMI suspends the certification. For the fees on the way in, see PMP exam cost; renewal is the last step on the route to the PMP.

04PDUs in practice

Can I earn PDUs for free?

Yes. Giving Back PDUs, from volunteering, creating knowledge such as articles or presentations, and working as a professional, cost only time, up to 25 per cycle. Education PDUs can come from self-directed reading, podcasts and recorded webinars as well as paid courses (PMI CCR Handbook, as of October 2026).

Does my day job count?

Up to 8 PDUs per cycle, under Working as a professional in the Giving Back category.

05Sources

  1. PMI Continuing Certification Requirements Handbook (April 2026) checked Oct 13, 202660 PDUs, categories, payment deadline, record keeping, fee policy
  2. PMI: maintain your certification checked Oct 13, 2026Education and Giving Back split, Talent Triangle minimums
  3. PMI: the new PMP exam checked Oct 13, 2026existing holders