PMP · PgMP · CAPM · PMI-ACP · checked against the PMI CCR Handbook, April 2026
A PDU is one hour of learning or giving back that PMI counts towards keeping your certification. PMP, PgMP, PfMP and PMI-PBA need 60 every three years. PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP and similar need 30. CAPM needs 15. Most must come from Education, and a minimum must sit in each of the three Talent Triangle areas.
How many do I need?PDU stands for Professional Development Unit. One PDU is one hour spent learning about project, program or portfolio work, or giving back to the profession. You claim them in quarter-hour steps. PMI uses them to check that you are still learning after you passed the exam.
Courses, webinars, reading, podcasts, and structured learning at work. Most of your PDUs must come from here. It is also the only place the Talent Triangle minimums can be met.
Working as a practitioner, volunteering, mentoring, writing, speaking. They count, but they are capped, and they cannot fill the Talent Triangle minimums.
No. Contact hours get you into the exam. PDUs keep the certification after you pass. They are counted separately and never swap.
It depends on the certification you hold. Every PMI certification runs on a three-year cycle. Here is the full table.
| Certification | PDUs every 3 years | Education minimum | Minimum in each Talent Triangle area | Giving Back maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMP, PgMP, PfMP, PMI-PBA | 60 | 35 | 8 | 25 |
| PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMI-SP, PMI-CP, PMI-CPMAI | 30 | 18 | 4 | 12 |
| CAPM | 15 | 9 | 2 | 6 |
Source: PMI Continuing Certification Requirements Handbook, April 2026. Disciplined Agile certifications run on a separate one-year cycle and are not covered here.
Because PMI wants you to grow in three directions, not one. Your day job fills one side of the triangle on its own. The other two sides need deliberate learning, and PMI will not renew you without them.
Predictive, agile and hybrid delivery. Scheduling, risk, requirements, quality, using AI in delivery. Running projects builds this naturally.
Leadership, communication, negotiation, conflict, coaching, working across generations. Rarely taught on the job. Almost always the first gap.
Business cases, benefits, strategy, finance, industry knowledge, governance at the top table. The second gap, and the one people find last.
Short in one area? The 24-PDU bundle gives you 8 in each. For the full rule, read the Talent Triangle minimums explained.
Five ways. Only the first one reliably counts towards every minimum.
Yes. Education. They count towards the Talent Triangle minimums when the provider states the split. The fastest route when you have a gap.
Yes. Education. Free but slow. Most land in Ways of Working, so they rarely fix a Power Skills or Business Acumen gap.
Yes. Education. Structured sessions your employer runs. Keep the agenda and attendance record in case of audit.
Yes, a few. Giving Back. A small, capped number each cycle for working as a practitioner. Does not count towards any Talent Triangle minimum.
Yes. Giving Back. Capped at 25 for the 60-PDU certifications, 12 for the 30-PDU ones, 6 for CAPM. Does not count towards any minimum.
Yes. Start with the free 1-PDU course on how CCR works. Then see every way to earn 60 PDUs and when free is worth the time.
Three steps. About five minutes per activity.
Complete the activity and save the certificate. For a course, note the PMI claim code on it.
Report PDUs, choose the category, enter the code or the details, and pick the Talent Triangle split.
PMI can audit you. Keep certificates and records for 18 months after your cycle ends.
Nothing dramatic on day one. But the clock does not stop, and your next cycle date does not move.
Three years from the day you passed. All PDUs should be reported by then.
Yes, 90 days. Report late PDUs and pay the renewal fee inside this window and you are fine.
Miss the window and you are suspended for one year. You cannot use the letters. Finish the PDUs and you are reinstated.
A year of suspension with no action and the certification expires. The only way back is the exam.
Already suspended? Here is what to do this week. Wondering about the fee? PMP renewal cost, explained.
Pick the certification you hold. Each pack is built to clear the total and every Talent Triangle minimum for that one certification. Self-paced. Certificates on completion. A PMI claim code for every course.
60 PDUs, more than 8 in each area, all Education. Counts towards your PMP too.
Renew PgMPThe full 60 in one bundle, or the 24-PDU gap-filler if you only need the 8-8-8.
Renew PMPHold PfMP, PMI-PBA, PMI-RMP or another PMI certification? Power Skills and Business Acumen PDUs count towards every certification you hold. See which pack fits.
About five minutes per course. Each course in a pack comes with its own PMI claim code. Enter it in CCRS, confirm the Talent Triangle split it fills in for you, and the PDUs appear on your dashboard. This short story walks through it.
Learning the material takes the hours PMI expects. Claiming it does not.
60 PDUs every three years. At least 35 must be Education, with a minimum of 8 in each of Ways of Working, Power Skills and Business Acumen. Giving Back is capped at 25. The same rule applies to PgMP, PfMP and PMI-PBA.
PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMI-SP, PMI-CP and PMI-CPMAI need 30 PDUs every three years, at least 18 from Education, with 4 in each Talent Triangle area. CAPM needs 15, at least 9 from Education, with 2 in each area.
Partly. Power Skills and Business Acumen Education PDUs count towards every PMI certification you hold. Ways of Working PDUs are specific to the certification they were earned for, though all of them count towards PMP. Giving Back PDUs apply across all certifications.
Only in a narrow case. PDUs earned in the last year of a cycle, after you have already met the requirement, can be carried into the next cycle. Anything earned earlier in the cycle stays in that cycle.
No. The minimum in each Talent Triangle area sits inside the Education requirement. Volunteering, mentoring and working as a practitioner are Giving Back and do not count towards it.
A code issued by a PMI-registered course provider. Entering it in CCRS fills in the course details and the Talent Triangle split for you. If a bundle contains several courses, each course has its own code and is claimed separately.
Usually within minutes of reporting them in CCRS. Claims made with a provider’s code are pre-approved and are rarely queried. Self-reported activities can take longer if PMI asks for proof.
Kavita Sharma. She holds the PMP and the PgMP, has renewed both through several cycles herself, and has coached PMP, PgMP and PMI-ACP candidates since 2014. Her courses are registered with PMI, so the PDUs come with claim codes.
This page is checked against the PMI CCR Handbook each time PMI updates it. Last checked: April 2026 edition.
Pick your certification and get exactly the PDUs that finish your cycle.
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