FAA medical certificate expiry calculator
Enter the class, your age on the day of the exam and the month you took it. You get the exact date each set of privileges runs out — including the step-down periods almost everybody miscalculates.
Nothing is stored and nothing is sent anywhere. The maths runs in your browser. Durations are from 14 CFR 61.23(d).
The step-down rule catches nearly everyone
A first class medical does not expire and leave you grounded. It steps down. Under 14 CFR 61.23(d) the privilege periods all start on the day of the examination and run concurrently, so when the twelve-month ATP window closes, the same certificate carries on serving commercial privileges, and then private privileges, for the remainder of their own longer periods.
Worked example. You take a first class exam in March at age 36. ATP privileges run to 31 March the following year. Commercial privileges also run to 31 March the following year. Private privileges run to 31 March five years out. One exam, three different dates, and the certificate in your pocket is still perfectly valid for private flying four years after it stopped being valid for the airlines.
The other thing people get wrong is the age test. The FAA uses your age on the date of the examination, not your age now. Turning 40 the week after your exam does not shorten the certificate you already hold.
And every period runs to the last day of the month, not the anniversary of the day you were examined. An exam on 3 March expires at the end of March, not on 3 March.
The durations in full
From 14 CFR 61.23(d). Age is measured on the date of the examination. Every period runs to the end of the month.
| Privileges being exercised | Under 40 at exam | 40 or over at exam |
|---|---|---|
| Airline transport pilot — requires a first class medical | 12 calendar months | 6 calendar months |
| Commercial pilot — requires at least a second class | 12 calendar months | 12 calendar months |
| Private, recreational and student — requires at least a third class | 60 calendar months | 24 calendar months |
Note the middle row: commercial privileges are 12 months regardless of age. Only the ATP and the private/recreational/student rows change at 40.
Four things this calculator cannot tell you
BasicMed runs on its own clock
If you are flying under BasicMed rather than a third class medical, the intervals are different and they are set out in Part 68. This tool does not model them.
A Special Issuance may be shorter
An Authorization for Special Issuance can carry its own expiry that is shorter than the standard period. If your certificate came with one, the date on the paperwork wins.
Sport Pilot needs no medical at all
A valid US driver’s licence works instead, provided your most recent medical application was not denied and no certificate has been suspended or revoked.
A limitation is not an expiry
Limitations such as corrective lenses or a colour vision restriction stay on the certificate for its whole life. They are a separate question from when it runs out.
You do not need a medical to take a first lesson
A $229 discovery flight requires no medical certificate at all. You need one before your first solo, which lands somewhere between 15 and 25 hours in — so there is plenty of time to sort it out. If you want to talk through your own situation before spending anything, the consultation is free and takes about twenty minutes.
Medical certificates
how to get your FAA medical certificatethe third class medical explainedthe first class medical explainedthe three classes comparedBasicMed versus a third classHow long FAA medical certificates last
The durations come from 14 CFR 61.23(d). Age is always measured on the date of the exam.
60 calendar months if you were under 40 on the date of the examination, and 24 calendar months if you were 40 or over. The period runs to the last day of the month, so an exam on 3 March expires at the end of March, not on 3 March.
For ATP privileges it is 12 calendar months if you were under 40 at the exam and 6 calendar months if you were 40 or over. It then continues to serve commercial privileges for 12 months and private privileges for 60 or 24 months from the same exam date.
12 calendar months for commercial privileges, regardless of your age. It then continues to serve private, recreational and student privileges for 60 calendar months if you were under 40 at the exam, or 24 months if you were 40 or over.
Effectively yes. Under 14 CFR 61.23(d) the privilege periods run concurrently from the exam date rather than one after another, so once the 12-month ATP window closes the same certificate still covers commercial privileges, and then private privileges, until those longer periods end.
No. Every period runs to the last day of the month in which it expires. A third class exam taken on 12 June at age 30 is valid through 30 June five years later, not through 12 June.
Your age on the date of the examination. Turning 40 a week after your exam does not shorten the certificate you already hold, and it does not change until your next exam.
You cannot exercise the privileges that have lapsed, though lower privileges may still be covered if their longer period is still running. There is no grace period, and there is no penalty for letting one lapse. You simply book another exam with an AME.
No. You need one before your first solo flight, which typically happens between 15 and 25 hours into training. A discovery flight at $229 requires no medical certificate at all, and Sport Pilot at $8,400 requires none either.
No. BasicMed is a separate route under 14 CFR Part 68 with its own intervals, its own physician form and online course, and real limits on aircraft weight, occupants, altitude and speed. This calculator only covers medical certificates issued under Part 67.
Yes. An Authorization for Special Issuance can carry an expiry shorter than the standard period for that class. If your paperwork states a date, that date governs, not the standard duration.
Get the full training plan and price sheet
The three private pilot packages, what each one includes, the financing options and a realistic timeline built around how often you can actually fly. Sent to you in one email. Nobody will pressure you.
- Every package price, itemised
- Financing from $2,500 down
- A timeline based on your schedule