FAA Medical & Currency Expiry Calculator
See when your US FAA medical runs out for each privilege level, when your flight review is due, and whether you're current to carry passengers and fly IFR.
Medical certificate 14 CFR 61.23
40 or older means your 40th birthday was on or before the exam date.
FAA Form 8700-2, with a state-licensed doctor. Good for 48 calendar months.
Good for 24 calendar months.
Flight review 14 CFR 61.56
A checkride for a new certificate or rating, or a completed WINGS phase, also counts.
Recent experience 14 CFR 61.57
The oldest of your last 3 takeoffs and landings in this category and class.
Night here is 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise.
Instrument currency 61.57(c) and (d)
Add your recent flights, newest or oldest first. Night landings are to a full stop and also count for day currency.
FAA medical duration table (61.23(d))
| Class | Privileges | Under 40 | 40 or older |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | ATP | 12 calendar months | 6 calendar months |
| First | Commercial | 12 calendar months | 12 calendar months |
| First | Private, recreational, student, CFI as PIC | 60 calendar months | 24 calendar months |
| Second | Commercial | 12 calendar months | 12 calendar months |
| Second | Private, recreational, student, CFI as PIC | 60 calendar months | 24 calendar months |
| Third | Private, recreational, student, CFI as PIC | 60 calendar months | 24 calendar months |
Each period ends on the last day of the month, counted from the month of the exam. Age is your age on the exam date. Source: 14 CFR 61.23 on eCFR.
How your dates are worked out
Calendar months run to the end of a month. The 90-day rule counts days.
- 1
Medical
Exam Mar 2026+ 6 calendar months= 30 Sep 2026
- 2
Flight review
Review Jun 2025+ 24 calendar months= 30 Jun 2027
- 3
90-day landings
20 Aug 2026+ 90 days= 18 Nov 2026
- 4
Instrument currency
Oldest task May 2026+ 6 calendar months= 30 Nov 2026IPC after 31 May 2027
Read more: the rules, a worked example and the medical duration table
US pilots juggle several clocks: the medical certificate (14 CFR 61.23) or BasicMed, the flight review (61.56), the 90-day passenger rules for day and night (61.57(a) and (b)), and instrument currency (61.57(c) and (d)). Most use calendar months, which always run to the last day of a month. The passenger rules count plain days.
The formula
medical: last day of (exam month + months from the 61.23 table)
BasicMed: last day of (CMEC month + 48); course: last day of (course month + 24)
flight review: last day of (review month + 24)
passengers (day or night): 3rd most recent landing + 90 days
IFR: oldest task month = earliest of (6th approach, holding, tracking)
IFR current to: last day of (oldest task month + 6)
catch-up window to: last day of (oldest task month + 12), then IPC
Worked example
A pilot aged 41 takes a first-class medical on 15 March 2026 and flies for an airline. The table gives 6 calendar months for ATP privileges at 40 or older, so the ATP privileges run to the end of September: 30 September 2026. After that the same certificate still covers commercial privileges for 12 calendar months, to 31 March 2027, and private flying for 24, to 31 March 2028.
Their last flight review was on 10 June 2025: June 2025 + 24 calendar months = June 2027, so it's good to 30 June 2027. Their 3rd most recent landing was on 20 August 2026: 11 days left in August + 30 in September + 31 in October + 18 = 90, so they can carry passengers by day through 18 November 2026. Their 3rd most recent night full-stop landing was on 2 July 2026: 29 + 31 + 30 = 90, so night currency ran to 30 September 2026.
For IFR, the 6th most recent approach was on 5 May 2026 and holding and tracking on 10 June 2026. The oldest task month is May 2026, so they're current to 30 November 2026. If they don't fly more approaches, they can catch up with a safety pilot until 31 May 2027; after that only an IPC restores it.
Checked on 12 October 2026: the ATP privileges and night currency have run out, but they can still fly as PIC on commercial privileges and carry passengers by day under VFR or IFR.
Calendar months and edge cases
- The day of the month never matters for calendar months: an exam on 1 March and one on 31 March both run to the same month end.
- A month end in February lands on the 29th in a leap year (for example, a review in February 2026 runs to 29 February 2028).
- BasicMed's 48 months for the exam are calendar months too (61.23(c)(3)), so an exam on 10 April 2025 is good to 30 April 2029.
- For the 90-day rule, a landing on 1 January 2026 keeps you current through 1 April 2026; in a leap year (2024) through 31 March. Some pilots count one day fewer to be safe.
- Strictly, 61.57(c) counts the 6 calendar months before the month of the flight, so approaches flown this month are sure to count from the 1st of next month. Ask your CFII before relying on ones flown in the same month.
Things the calculator does not cover
- Special issuance medicals and Authorizations, which can end sooner than the table. Use the date on your certificate.
- Passenger currency is per category, class and type. Work out each one separately (for example, single-engine land and tailwheel).
- Mixing aircraft, FFS, FTD and ATD time for instrument currency (61.57(c)(2) to (5)) and Part 121/135 recency rules.
- BasicMed aircraft and flight limits (61.113(i)), including flying below 18,000 ft MSL and at no more than 250 knots, and no flying for hire.
Practising holds? The holding pattern entry calculator works out the entry and timing. For time zones on a trip date, use the Zulu time converter.
Planning and training aid only. Rules from 14 CFR 61.23, 61.56, 61.57, 61.113(i) and part 68 on eCFR. Always check the current regulations and your own certificate, and ask your CFI or AME.
Common questions
How long is an FAA medical certificate good for?
Under 14 CFR 61.23(d) it depends on the class, your age on the exam date and the privileges you use. Private flying: 60 calendar months under 40, 24 calendar months at 40 or older. Commercial privileges: 12 calendar months. ATP privileges on a first class: 12 calendar months under 40, 6 calendar months at 40 or older. Each period runs to the last day of the month.
What happens when my first-class medical runs out?
It does not simply expire. A first-class medical keeps working at a lower level: once the ATP period ends, it still covers commercial privileges for 12 calendar months, and private privileges for 24 or 60 calendar months after the exam month, depending on your age on the exam date.
When is my flight review due?
Section 61.56(c) says you need a flight review within the 24 calendar months before the month you act as pilot in command. So a review done on any day in June 2025 keeps you legal to the end of June 2027. A practical test for a new certificate or rating, or a WINGS phase, also counts.
How does the 90-day passenger currency work?
To carry passengers, 61.57(a) needs 3 takeoffs and landings in the last 90 days in the same category and class (and type, if it needs a type rating). In a tailwheel airplane they must be to a full stop. At night, 61.57(b) needs 3 to a full stop between 1 hour after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise. This calculator counts 90 days from your 3rd most recent landing.
What is the IFR currency grace period?
Section 61.57(c) needs 6 approaches, holding, and intercepting and tracking courses in the 6 calendar months before the month of the flight. If you fall behind, you have 6 more calendar months to catch up with a safety pilot or an approved device, but you cannot act as PIC under IFR in that time. After that, 61.57(d) needs an instrument proficiency check.
How long does BasicMed last?
BasicMed has two clocks. The comprehensive medical exam with a state-licensed doctor must be within the previous 48 calendar months, and the online medical education course within the previous 24 calendar months. Whichever runs out first ends your BasicMed privileges until you renew it. You must also have held an FAA medical at some point after 14 July 2006.
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