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How to earn SHRM recertification PDCs for free

Updated 2026-10-20. Rules are summarised from the official handbooks linked below; numbers about current webinars come from our live list.

SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP holders recertify by earning 60 professional development credits (PDCs) in each three-year cycle, or by retaking the exam in the last year of the cycle. The cycle ends on the last day of your birth month (SHRM Recertification Handbook). Only the processing fee has to cost money. The 60 PDCs can come from free activities.

What we're tracking right now

The rules that matter

SHRM categoryCap per 3-year cycleFree ways to earn
Advance Your EducationNo maximumWebinars, webcasts, podcasts and e-learning: each 15-minute block = 0.25 PDC. Conferences and seminars count the same way. Reading a BASK-aligned book plus a summary = 3 PDCs.
Advance Your Organization30 PDCsDocumented work projects that build an HR competency: 10 PDCs for 40+ hours, 20 for 80+, 30 for 120+.
Advance Your Profession30 PDCsPresenting (first time in a cycle), writing (1 PDC per white paper or blog post, up to 6), volunteering, and taking SHRM surveys or focus groups (0.25 PDC per 15 minutes).

Source: SHRM Recertification Handbook, pages 4–8. Activities must relate to the SHRM BASK (body of applied skills and knowledge). Check the handbook for the full list and any updates.

Step 1: Use free webinars that come with a SHRM activity code

The easiest PDCs come with an activity code (also called a program code). The provider shows it at the end of the session or emails it afterwards. You log in at portal.shrm.org, choose "Add PDCs", and enter the code. The main free sources:

Step 2: Count webinars that don't give a code

SHRM's handbook lists e-learning such as webcasts and podcasts under Advance Your Education, at 0.25 PDC per 15 minutes. It also says that when you add PDCs without a code, you pick a PDC category and enter the activity details yourself. That means a free webinar marked "credits not stated" on our list can still count if its content relates to the SHRM BASK. Keep the registration email, the agenda and your notes in case you're audited.

Step 3: Add free non-webinar PDCs

Up to 30 PDCs can come from a documented project at work (Advance Your Organization), and up to 30 from contributing to the profession (Advance Your Profession). Neither costs anything. One honest mix: one 120-hour work project (30 PDCs) plus about one free one-hour webinar a month for 2.5 years (30 PDCs) gets you to 60.

Step 4: Log as you go and submit on time

  • Enter each activity in the SHRM Certification Portal soon after you finish it. SHRM's own events upload automatically if you use the same SHRM login. Third-party webinars (vendors, chapters, law firms) have to be entered yourself.
  • Once you're a year into your cycle and have 60 PDCs, SHRM invites you to submit. If you finish with more than 60, up to 20 can carry over to your next cycle.
  • Processing fee: USD $165 for members or $210 for non-members ($240/$285 late, during the 60-day grace period). Source: SHRM handbook, shrm.org recertification.

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Independent and not affiliated with SHRM or HRCI. Credit amounts and types come from each provider's public page as of 2026-10-20. "Not stated" means the provider didn't publish it. Always confirm before you count on a credit.