FAA medical expiry and pilot currency explained

By Zulu Calculator · Updated 12 October 2026 · Aviation

An FAA medical certificate runs to the last day of a month, a set number of calendar months after the month of your exam. How many months depends on the class, your age on the exam date and the privileges you use: from 6 months for an airline pilot aged 40 or older, up to 60 months for private flying under 40. On top of the medical, you need a flight review every 24 calendar months, 3 landings in 90 days to carry passengers, and 6 approaches with holding and tracking in 6 calendar months to fly IFR.

This guide explains each clock in plain English, with worked dates. To get your own dates and reminders, use the FAA medical and currency calculator.

Who these rules apply to

These are US rules in 14 CFR Part 61, for pilots flying on an FAA certificate. They do not cover:

• pilots flying on another country's licence (EASA, UK CAA, GCAA, DGCA and others have their own medical and recency rules);
• special issuance medicals and Authorizations, which can end sooner than the table below (use the date on your certificate);
• airline and charter recency under Part 121 and 135, which adds its own checks;
• mixing aircraft, simulator and training device time for instrument currency (61.57(c)(2) to (5)).

The rules here come from 14 CFR 61.23 (medical and BasicMed), 61.56 (flight review) and 61.57 (recent experience) on eCFR. Sections 61.23 and 61.57 were checked on eCFR on 12 October 2026.

How long is an FAA medical good for?

The table in 61.23(d) sets the number of calendar months. "40 or older" means your 40th birthday was on or before the exam date.

medical valid to = last day of (exam month + months from the 61.23(d) table)

A first or second class medical does not simply expire when its top privilege ends. It steps down and keeps covering the lower privileges until their own period ends.

Example 1: an airline pilot aged 41

A pilot aged 41 takes a first-class medical on 15 March 2026.

• ATP privileges: 6 calendar months after March 2026, so to 30 September 2026.
• Commercial privileges: 12 calendar months, to 31 March 2027.
• Private privileges: 24 calendar months, to 31 March 2028.

So on 12 October 2026 this pilot can no longer use ATP privileges on that medical, but can still fly as pilot in command on commercial privileges.

Example 2: the 40th birthday edge case

A pilot takes a second-class medical on 3 February 2026. Their 40th birthday is on 3 February 2026, the same day. Because the birthday is on or before the exam date, they count as 40 or older:

• Commercial: 12 calendar months, to 28 February 2027.
• Private: 24 calendar months, to 29 February 2028 (2028 is a leap year).

If their birthday were one day later, on 4 February, they would be under 40 on the exam date. The private period would then be 60 calendar months, to 28 February 2031: three years longer for one day's difference. A younger private pilot with a third class taken on 31 January 2026 is good to 31 January 2031.

How long does BasicMed last?

BasicMed (61.23(c)(3)) lets you fly some private flights without a standard medical. It has two separate clocks, and whichever runs out first ends your BasicMed privileges:

• a comprehensive medical exam (CMEC, FAA Form 8700-2) with a state-licensed doctor within the previous 48 calendar months;
• the online medical education course within the previous 24 calendar months.

You must also have held an FAA medical certificate at any time after 14 July 2006. BasicMed comes with aircraft and flight limits in 61.113(i), including flying below 18,000 ft MSL, at no more than 250 knots, and not for hire.

BasicMed valid to = earlier of: last day of (CMEC month + 48) and last day of (course month + 24)

Example 3: BasicMed with two dates

A pilot had the CMEC on 10 April 2025 and did the course on 20 May 2025. The exam is good to 30 April 2029. The course is good to 31 May 2027. The course runs out first, so BasicMed ends on 31 May 2027 unless the pilot repeats the course before then.

When is my flight review due?

Under 61.56(c), you need a flight review within the 24 calendar months before the month you act as pilot in command. A practical test for a new certificate or rating, or a completed WINGS phase, also counts.

flight review valid to = last day of (review month + 24)

A review on 10 June 2025 is good to 30 June 2027. A review in February 2026 runs to 29 February 2028.

The 90-day rule: carrying passengers

Section 61.57(a) needs 3 takeoffs and landings in the previous 90 days before you carry passengers, in the same category and class, and type if a type rating is needed. In a tailwheel airplane they must be to a full stop. For passengers at night, 61.57(b) needs 3 takeoffs and landings to a full stop at night, which here means 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise. Night full-stop landings also count for day currency.

Unlike the other rules, this one counts plain days, not calendar months.

current to = date of your 3rd most recent landing + 90 days

• 3rd most recent landing on 20 August 2026: current to 18 November 2026.
• 3rd most recent night full-stop landing on 2 July 2026: night currency ran to 30 September 2026.
• A landing on 1 January 2026 keeps you current through 1 April 2026. In a leap year (1 January 2024) it is 31 March. Some pilots count one day fewer to be safe.

Instrument currency and the grace period

To act as PIC under IFR, 61.57(c) needs, in the 6 calendar months before the month of the flight: 6 instrument approaches, holding procedures, and intercepting and tracking courses. The clock starts from the oldest of these tasks.

current to = last day of (oldest task month + 6)
catch-up window to = last day of (oldest task month + 12), then an IPC is needed

Example 4: falling behind on IFR

A pilot's 6th most recent approach was on 5 May 2026, and holding and tracking were on 10 June 2026. The oldest task month is May 2026, so they are IFR current to 30 November 2026.

On 15 January 2027 they have not flown more approaches. They cannot act as PIC under IFR, but they are in the catch-up window: they can fly the missing tasks with a safety pilot or an approved device until 31 May 2027, 136 days away. After that, only an instrument proficiency check (61.57(d)) restores currency. If they pass an IPC on 14 December 2026 instead, the clock restarts from December 2026 and they are current to 30 June 2027.

Practising holds? The holding pattern entry calculator works out the entry and timing.

All the clocks at a glance

Common mistakes

• Counting from the exam day instead of the month end. Calendar months always run to the last day of the month.
• Using your age today instead of on the exam date. The 40 split is fixed when you take the exam.
• Thinking a first-class medical is dead after 6 or 12 months. It still covers lower privileges.
• Forgetting one of the BasicMed clocks. The course at 24 months usually runs out first.
• Counting touch-and-goes for night or tailwheel currency. Those need full-stop landings.
• Counting approaches flown this month. Strictly, 61.57(c) looks at the 6 calendar months before the month of the flight. Ask your CFII before relying on approaches flown in the same month.
• Treating one currency as covering every aircraft. Passenger currency is per category, class and type.

If you log in hours and minutes, the decimal flight time calculator turns them into the tenths most logbooks use. Airline pilots also have duty and rest limits under Part 117, which are separate from currency; the FAA Part 117 calculator works those out.

What to do if you are not sure

Use the dates printed on your own certificate first, especially for a special issuance. If your dates don't match what you expected, ask your Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) about the medical, and your CFI or CFII about the flight review and currency. Your local FAA office can answer questions about how a rule applies to you. When in doubt, fly with an instructor or a safety pilot until you are sure you are current.

This guide explains the rules in plain English for planning. It is not legal, financial or flight-operations advice; check your contract, the official source linked above, your employer or your operator.