CCMP® Recertification: The Three-Year Cycle and PDUs

Oct 15 / Marc-André Rochefort

Version française : Renouvellement CCMP® : comment fonctionnent le cycle de trois ans et les PDU

By Marc-André Rochefort, Eng., MBA, CCMP®, MCMP™, Prosci® certified, founder of Leanova Academy, an ACMP® Qualified Education Provider™.
Last reviewed: October 2026

Disclosure: Leanova Academy sells courses that can count toward PDUs, so we have a stake in this topic. ACMP® rules below link to official sources so you can check them yourself.

Key takeaways

  • Your CCMP® is valid for three years from the day you pass the exam. To renew it, you accumulate 60 professional development units, or PDUs, during that period and submit them in the third year with a renewal fee.
  • One PDU corresponds to one hour spent on an activity, with the exception of professional experience, which ACMP® counts differently.
  • ACMP® lists the ways to earn PDUs: conferences, QEP™ courses, non-QEP™ courses, webinars, reading, working in change management, and giving back to the profession.
  • The renewal fee is US$100 for ACMP® members and US$150 for non-members.
  • If you miss the deadline, your certification is suspended for one year and then expires. After that, you have to submit a new application and start from the beginning.
  • Leanova Academy's courses, including the MCMP™ 10-hour training and the LCeX™ certifications, can count toward your PDUs, generally at one PDU per hour of training.

Your CCMP® runs on a three-year cycle that starts when you pass the exam. To keep it active, you accumulate 60 PDUs during the cycle, submit them in the third year and pay a renewal fee of US$100 if you're an ACMP® member or US$150 if you're not. Most practitioners earn a large share of those PDUs through their normal work and learning. The real risk isn't the total. It's reaching year three without the documentation to prove it.

When does your clock actually start?

ACMP® states that once you pass the CCMP® exam, your certification is in effect for three years. Count from your pass date, not from your application date, your training start date or the day your certificate arrives. Keep the confirmation you received when you passed, because that date drives your whole renewal plan.

How do you earn PDUs?

ACMP® lists seven ways to earn PDUs. Each PDU corresponds to one hour spent on an activity, except for experience, which ACMP® counts differently. The details, including what documentation you need, are in the Candidate Handbook on ACMP®'s Credentials & Training Resources page.

  • QEP™ courses: training from an ACMP® Qualified Education Provider™, already aligned with the five process groups of the ACMP® Standard.
  • Non-QEP™ courses: other change management training, which also counts.
  • Conferences and webinars: including ACMP® events and chapter sessions.
  • Reading: books and articles on change management.
  • Working: your own change management practice during the cycle.
  • Giving back to the profession: contributing your time and expertise to the field. Check the handbook for what qualifies.

In practice, a working practitioner who takes a course or two, follows a few webinars and keeps practicing reaches 60 PDUs without strain, provided every activity is logged as it happens.

What does renewal cost, and what if you miss it?

The renewal fee is US$100 for ACMP® members and US$150 for non-members, according to ACMP®'s CCMP® FAQ. PDUs are recorded in ACMP®'s online system, and renewal applications can be selected for audit, so keep every certificate, receipt and agenda.

The consequences of missing the deadline are spelled out on ACMP®'s PDU page. If you don't reach 60 PDUs or don't submit your renewal within the cycle, your certification is suspended and you may not refer to yourself as a CCMP® holder. The suspension lasts one year, after which the certification expires. To get it back, you submit a new application and start the process from the beginning.

How do you build PDUs into a normal working year?

You don't need to scramble in month 34. Three habits make renewal routine.

  • Log as you go: the date, the activity, the hours and the proof, such as a certificate, a receipt or an event agenda.
  • Spread your learning: a course or a few webinars each year beats cramming in year three, and keeps your knowledge current.
  • Track your practice: note each engagement, what you did and which process groups it touched. 30 CCMP® Exam Terms Every Candidate Should Know helps you describe it in the Standard's vocabulary.

Where do Leanova Academy courses fit into your cycle?

Leanova's courses can count as course PDUs, generally at one PDU per hour of training. Keep the certificate and the course description: ACMP® decides what it accepts.

If you're eligible for the next credential, the MCMP™ 10-hour training (US$395, ACMP® course code Q000655) does double duty. It adds 10 hours of training to your cycle and moves an MCMP™ application forward. The MCMP™ requires an active CCMP® in good standing, 8,400 hours of change management experience within the past ten years, 10 hours of training different from your CCMP® training, and 6 hours of mentoring. MCMP™ vs CCMP®: Which ACMP® Credential Should You Pursue First lays out the trade-offs.

For applied, AI-focused learning during your cycle, the LCeX™ certification pathway offers LCeX-Essentials™ (US$195, 5 hours, ACMP® course code Q000654) and LCeX-Specialist™ (US$295, code Q000656), both ACMP® QEP™-accredited. Its top level, LCeX-Master™, is the same course as the MCMP™ 10-hour training above, so you only need one of them. Our CCMP® and MCMP™ bundles combine several of these courses at a lower price.

A practical checklist for your third year

  • Confirm your pass date and work out the end of your three-year cycle.
  • About a year before that date, reread the PDU rules in the Candidate Handbook.
  • Total your logged PDUs and gather the proof for each activity.
  • Budget the US$100 or US$150 renewal fee.
  • Submit before the cycle ends, with time to spare in case something needs fixing.

This article is also available in French: Renouvellement CCMP® : comment fonctionnent le cycle de trois ans et les PDU.

Sources, checked October 2026: ACMP® PDUs and renewal, CCMP® FAQ (renewal fee), Candidate Handbook and MCMP™ requirements. Leanova prices are current list prices and may change. ACMP®, CCMP®, MCMP™ and QEP™ are trademarks of the Association of Change Management Professionals.