PMI-PBA requires 60 PDUs every three years, the same total as PMP, PgMP and PfMP. At least 35 of those 60 must be Education PDUs, with a minimum of 8 PDUs in each Talent Triangle area. Giving Back PDUs are optional and capped at 25 per cycle.
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Your three-year CCR cycle begins the day you pass the certification exam, not the day the certificate arrives or is activated.
30
PMI-ACP and PMI-RMP need 30 PDUs every three years, of which at least 18 must be Education.
60
PMP, PgMP, PfMP and PMI-PBA each need 60 PDUs every three years.
PMI-PBA needs 60 PDUs per three-year cycle. This is the same total PMI sets for PMP, PgMP and PfMP, and it is double what PMI-ACP or PMI-RMP require at 30 PDUs, or CAPM at 15 PDUs.
The three years are not a calendar convenience — they form your continuing certification cycle, and the clock on that cycle starts the day you pass the exam, not the day your certificate arrives or your PMI profile shows it active.
At least 35 of the 60 must be Education PDUs — hours spent in taught learning rather than professional activity. Inside that 35, a minimum of 8 PDUs must sit in each of the three Talent Triangle areas: Ways of Working, Power Skills and Business Acumen. That fixes 24 of the 35, leaving 11 Education PDUs you can place in whichever area you choose.
There is no ceiling on Education PDUs — you could earn all 60 this way if that suits how you work and learn. The remaining PDUs, once the 35-Education minimum is met, can come from Giving Back activity such as mentoring or volunteering, but Giving Back is capped at 25 PDUs per cycle and is entirely optional.
If you reach the end of your three-year cycle without the 60 PDUs logged, PMI suspends the certification for up to one year. Nothing is lost at that point — PDUs you earn during the suspension still count toward the requirement, and you can close the gap without starting over.
The suspension is not indefinite. If the one-year period passes and the requirement is still unmet, the certification expires. Getting it back after that means a new application, the exam fee again, and retaking the exam — not simply catching up on PDUs.
Everything below is pre-approved for PMI's CCR. Hold two certifications? The 60-PDU PMP pack counts for both.
No. Education PDUs have no ceiling — there is only a minimum of 35 out of the 60, so you can earn all 60 as Education if you choose.
No. PMI-ACP and PMI-RMP each need 30 PDUs per three-year cycle, of which at least 18 must be Education — half the total PMI-PBA requires.
No. Giving Back PDUs are capped at 25 per cycle and are optional, so at least 35 of the 60 must still come from Education.
The day you pass the PMI-PBA exam — not the day the certificate is issued or activated in your PMI profile.
Last reviewed: September 2026
