SHRM Recertification Deadline: Do Not Miss It

Your SHRM Recertification Deadline Is Coming — Here’s What You Need to Do

Your SHRM recertification deadline is the single most important date on your professional calendar. Miss it, and the credential you studied months to earn — the one that helped you land promotions, negotiate raises, and build credibility — can be revoked. Not suspended. Not paused. Revoked.

The good news is that this is entirely avoidable. Whether your deadline is 12 months away or 30 days out, there’s a clear path to getting your PDCs done and your recertification submitted on time. This guide walks you through how to find your SHRM recertification deadline, what happens if you miss it, and a practical plan based on how much time you have left.

How the SHRM Recertification Cycle Works

SHRM uses a three-year recertification cycle for both SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP holders. During each cycle, you need to earn 60 professional development credits (PDCs) to maintain your certification.

Here’s where people get tripped up: your cycle doesn’t follow the calendar year. It’s tied to your birth month.

• Your three-year cycle begins the day you pass your certification exam
• It ends on the last day of your birth month, three years later
• Every subsequent cycle follows the same birth-month pattern

So if your birthday is in October and you passed your exam in January 2023, your first cycle ends October 31, 2026 — not January 2026. This catches people off guard because the first cycle isn’t always exactly 36 months.

How to Find Your Exact SHRM Recertification Deadline

A surprising number of SHRM-certified professionals don’t know their exact deadline until it’s uncomfortably close. Here’s how to find it:

1. Log in to the SHRM Certification Portal at portal.shrm.org
2. Navigate to your certification dashboard
3. Look for your recertification cycle end date — it’s displayed on the main screen
4. Check your current PDC count against the 60-credit requirement

While you’re there, verify that all the PDCs you’ve earned are actually showing up. Credits from SHRM-approved providers typically get reported automatically, but activities you’ve logged yourself need manual entry. If something is missing, fix it now rather than scrambling later.

Pro tip: Take a screenshot of your certification dashboard right now. Save it to your phone for a quick reference of your deadline and current PDC count.

What Happens If You Miss Your SHRM Recertification Deadline

Understanding the consequences is what motivates real action. SHRM has a two-stage process after your cycle ends, and each stage gets progressively worse.

Stage 1: The 60-Day Grace Period

If your cycle ends and you haven’t submitted your recertification with 60 PDCs, SHRM gives you a 60-day grace period. You can still earn remaining PDCs and submit your application, but you’ll pay a late fee:

• SHRM members: $240 (instead of the standard $165)
• Non-members: $285 (instead of the standard $210)

That’s an extra $75 for not planning ahead. During this window, your credential is in a suspended state — you shouldn’t represent yourself as certified, which creates awkward situations with employers.

Stage 2: Credential Revocation

If the grace period passes and you still haven’t recertified, your credential is revoked. The only way to get it back is to retake the certification exam from scratch:

• Re-studying: 2-4 months of preparation
• Exam fee: $300 (members) or $400 (non-members)
• Study materials: $200-$500
• Risk of failure: the SHRM-CP pass rate hovers around 65-70%
• A gap on your resume where your active certification should be

As we cover in our guide on what happens when you don’t recertify your HR certification, the consequences go beyond the credential itself. Some employers require active SHRM certification as a condition of employment. Losing yours could affect your current role, salary, or eligibility for future positions.

Compare that to recertifying on time: $165 in fees and as little as $250/year for unlimited PDC courses. The math is clear — staying on top of your deadline saves you hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours.

Month-by-Month Planning Guide: How to Hit Your Deadline

Your strategy should match the time you have left. Find your situation below.

If You Have 6-12 Months Left

You’re in good shape. This is the time to build a sustainable habit rather than cram.

1. Audit your PDC count. Log into the SHRM portal and see where you stand.
2. Calculate your gap. If you need 30 more PDCs in 12 months, that’s 2.5 per month — very manageable.
3. Pick a primary source. Online courses from a SHRM-approved provider are the most efficient option. RecertifyHR offers 68+ SHRM pre-approved courses you can take at your own pace.
4. Set a monthly goal. Put a recurring calendar event for earning a specific number of PDCs each month.
5. Don’t forget free PDCs. SHRM membership gives you 3 PDCs per year automatically. Webcasts, chapter events, and HR leadership activities add up fast.

If You Have 1-3 Months Left

Urgency needs to kick in. You have enough time, but zero room for procrastination.

1. Treat this as a project with a hard deadline. Block 3-5 hours per week on your calendar specifically for PDC courses.
2. Focus on self-paced online courses. You control the pace — no waiting for live sessions. A platform like RecertifyHR lets you work through material as quickly as you absorb it.
3. Stack multiple sources. Combine online courses with SHRM webcasts (many are free, worth 1 PDC each) and employer-provided professional development.
4. Log everything immediately. Every PDC you earn, log it in the SHRM portal the same day.
5. Set a personal deadline 2 weeks early. Give yourself a buffer for unexpected disruptions.

If You Have Less Than 1 Month Left

This is emergency mode. Act today — not tomorrow, not this weekend. Today.

1. Calculate exactly how many PDCs you need. Log in right now and get the number.
2. Sign up for a self-paced course platform immediately. RecertifyHR has 68+ SHRM pre-approved courses — all self-paced, all available the moment you sign up. With focused effort, you can earn all 60 PDCs in weeks.
3. Clear your calendar. Dedicate 1-2 hours per day to completing courses. Most take 45-90 minutes each.
4. Submit your recertification the moment you hit 60 PDCs. Don’t wait.

Not sure where to start? Try our free Change Management course (worth 1 PDC) to see how the platform works. It takes about an hour, and the credit is reported automatically.

Fastest Ways to Earn PDCs When Your Deadline Is Close

If your SHRM recertification deadline is bearing down, here are the fastest legitimate ways to accumulate PDCs.

Online Self-Paced Courses

This is the fastest option. Unlike conferences or live webinars, you’re not waiting for a scheduled date. As an official SHRM Education Partner, RecertifyHR offers 68+ pre-approved courses across the full range of HR competencies. Over 2,800+ HR professionals use the platform to stay on track. At $250/year for unlimited access, it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to handle recertification — especially when you need credits fast.

SHRM Membership and Webinars

SHRM membership gives you 3 PDCs per year automatically — that’s 9 free PDCs per cycle. On top of that, SHRM and various HR organizations offer on-demand webinars worth 1-1.5 PDCs each, typically 60-90 minutes long. Check the SHRM Learning System for current options.

Professional Activities You May Already Be Doing

Don’t overlook qualifying activities outside of formal courses:

• Instruction: Teaching, training, or presenting on HR topics (up to 30 PDCs per cycle)
• On-the-job activities: Developing HR policies, leading change initiatives, conducting assessments
• Research and publishing: Writing articles or white papers on HR topics
• Leadership: Serving on an HR-related board, committee, or SHRM chapter leadership role

If you’ve done these activities but haven’t logged them, go back and claim those PDCs retroactively — as long as they occurred within your current three-year window. For a comprehensive list of earning methods, see our complete guide to earning SHRM PDCs.

Setting Up a System So You Never Stress About Your Deadline

The professionals who never worry about their SHRM recertification deadline have one thing in common: they have a system.

Set calendar reminders at 12 months, 6 months, 3 months, and 1 month before your deadline. Add a quarterly reminder to log any unrecorded PDCs in your SHRM portal.

Keep your own tracking spreadsheet as a backup — activity name, date, PDC value, provider, and whether it’s logged in the portal. A simple Google Sheet updated after each activity is all you need.

Build PDCs into your routine. At roughly 20 PDCs per year (about 1.5-2 per month), the workload is very manageable when spread out. One online course per month, one webinar per quarter, and logging qualifying work activities gets you there with time to spare.

The Exam Retake: Why It’s Not a Real Backup Plan

SHRM allows you to recertify by retaking the exam instead of earning 60 PDCs. On paper, it sounds viable. In practice, it’s a gamble:

• You can only schedule the exam within the last 12 months of your cycle
• If you fail, your credential is immediately revoked — PDCs you’ve earned don’t count as a fallback
• The exam costs $300-$400 and requires months of study

Earning PDCs is lower risk, lower cost, and more valuable to your career development. If you’re weighing your options, our SHRM-CP recertification guide breaks down both paths in detail.

Common Mistakes That Lead to Missed Deadlines

1. Assuming you have more time than you do. Three years feels like forever until the final few months. Most people procrastinate for two years and panic in year three.
2. Not knowing your exact deadline. “Sometime in the fall” isn’t specific enough. Know the exact date.
3. Earning PDCs but not logging them. If it’s not in the SHRM portal, it doesn’t count. Log activities as you complete them.
4. Relying on one big event. If your plan is “I’ll attend a conference in year three,” you’re one scheduling conflict away from a crisis.
5. Confusing SHRM PDCs with HRCI credits. They’re different systems. Always verify SHRM approval before counting a course toward your PDCs.
6. Using the grace period as a strategy. The 60-day grace period is a safety net, not a planning tool.

Frequently Asked Questions About the SHRM Recertification Deadline

When exactly does my SHRM recertification cycle end?

Your recertification cycle ends on the last day of your birth month, three years after your initial certification date. For example, if your birthday is in March, your cycle ends on March 31. You can find your exact date by logging into the SHRM Certification Portal. Every subsequent cycle follows the same birth-month pattern.

What is the SHRM recertification grace period, and how does it work?

SHRM provides a 60-day grace period after your cycle end date. You can still earn PDCs and submit your application during this window, but you’ll pay a late fee: $240 for members or $285 for non-members. If you don’t recertify by the end of the grace period, your credential is revoked entirely.

Can I earn all 60 SHRM PDCs in the last month before my deadline?

Yes. There’s no SHRM rule against earning all your PDCs in a short timeframe — the credits just need to fall within your current cycle. With a self-paced platform like RecertifyHR, you can complete courses at your own speed. While spreading learning out is ideal, an intensive push over a few weeks is absolutely feasible when your deadline is close.

What happens to my PDCs if my credential is revoked?

If your credential is revoked, your accumulated PDCs do not carry over. They reset to zero. To regain certification, you must retake and pass the exam. A new three-year cycle begins from scratch. The PDCs from your previous cycle are permanently lost.

Is the recertification deadline different for SHRM-CP vs. SHRM-SCP?

No. The recertification process, timeline, and requirements are identical for both SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP. Both require 60 PDCs per three-year cycle, both end on the last day of your birth month, and both have the same grace period and fee structure.

How do I confirm my PDCs are properly recorded?

Log into the SHRM Certification Portal and check your recertification dashboard. You’ll see a running total and a detailed activity log. Credits from approved providers like RecertifyHR are reported automatically and typically appear within a few days. Self-reported activities (on-the-job projects, presentations) show separately. Review quarterly to catch missing credits early, and contact both the provider and SHRM if a credit doesn’t appear within two weeks.