Certification Maintenance
Certification Maintenance
Check your status and submit your credits
Your recertification cycle dates, credit totals, and petition all live in the Recertification Portal. Sign in with your ACA login.
Current Petition Guidelines (PDF)
Revised August 2025. Required for CAs recertifying in 2028 and later.
Prior Petition Guidelines (PDF)
Revised January 2022. Available only to CAs recertifying in 2026 or 2027.
How recertification works
The Certified Archivist credential is maintained on a five-year recertification cycle. Every cycle runs July 1 through June 30 five years later, no matter when your certification was originally granted. You complete recertification through one of two pathways.
Recertify by petition
Earn a minimum of 60 Continuing Education Credits (CECs) during your cycle and submit your recertification petition. This is the pathway most Certified Archivists use.
Recertify by examination
Retake and pass the Certified Archivist Examination during your cycle.
Recertification and membership are two separate obligations. Recertification keeps your credential current for the five-year cycle. Annual membership dues keep your credential in good standing each year. Earning credits does not satisfy your dues, and paying dues does not satisfy recertification. See Understanding Your CA Credential for how the two work together.
Dates to know
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| April 30 | Recommended deadline to submit all credit requests in the year your recertification is due. The Certification Maintenance Team reviews submissions on a rolling basis, and this gives volunteers time to complete review before your cycle closes. |
| June 30 | Your recertification cycle ends. If recertification is not complete, the credential becomes Expired. |
| July 1 | Membership renewal opens for the coming year, and a new five-year cycle begins for CAs who recertified. |
| September 30 | Annual membership dues deadline. If dues are unpaid, the credential enters Lapsed status on October 1. Pay your dues. |
You can check your cycle dates and credit totals in the Recertification Portal at any time. ACA also sends reminders during the year your recertification is due, so please keep your contact information current in the portal.
Recertifying by petition
Recertification by petition lets you maintain your credential by earning and submitting a minimum of 60 continuing education credits during your five-year cycle, following the petition guidelines that apply to you. The petition fee is $30.
Submitting credits
Submit continuing education activities in the Recertification Portal at any point during your cycle. The Certification Maintenance Team reviews submissions on a rolling basis, so there is no reason to wait until your final year. Entering activities as you complete them also makes documentation much easier to gather.
In the year your recertification is due, submit all remaining credit requests by April 30 so the review team has time to work through them before June 30.
If you are approaching your deadline and do not expect to reach 60 credits, contact the Regent for Certification Maintenance before June 30. Options are considerably easier to arrange in advance than after a cycle closes.
Common questions
What if I reach 60 credits before my cycle ends?
You have met the minimum requirement. You may keep entering additional credits if you like, though they are not required. Your next five-year cycle begins on the July 1 following the close of your current cycle.
Do credits carry over into my next cycle?
No. Credits must be earned within the cycle they are applied to and do not carry forward into any future cycle.
What if my membership lapses partway through my cycle?
Your five-year cycle keeps running. Lapsed or Suspended status does not pause or extend your recertification deadline. Credits you earn during that period still count toward the cycle, but the credential itself remains inactive and may not be used or represented until you are reinstated.
What happens if I do not complete recertification by June 30?
The credential becomes Expired at the close of the cycle. While a credential is Expired, you may not use the CA designation, represent yourself as a Certified Archivist, renew your ACA membership, or submit a recertification petition. Paying dues or fees does not resolve an expired credential. Under ACA policy, recertification is satisfied only by earning 60 credits within your cycle or by passing the examination.
Is there a way back after a credential expires?
Yes, though the routes are limited and none is automatic. Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible to request a recertification appeal, to document credits you earned during your cycle but never submitted, or to return by applying as a new candidate and passing the examination. Contact ACA at office@certifiedarchivists.org to discuss which pathway applies to you, and see Understanding Your CA Credential for the full requirements.
I hold Emeritus membership. Do I need to recertify?
No. Emeritus membership does not confer or maintain an active CA credential, so the five-year recertification cycle does not apply. Emeritus members may use the CA Emeritus designation but may not represent themselves as active Certified Archivists.
Recertifying by examination
Certified Archivists may instead retake the Certified Archivist Examination during their cycle. The examination fee is $75. CAs choosing this pathway must notify ACA in advance, since the examination is administered on an annual schedule.
2026 cycle: the deadline to declare intent to recertify by examination in 2026 has passed. If you are recertifying in 2026 and were planning to use this pathway, contact the ACA Office right away to discuss your options.
Updated petition guidelines
ACA has adopted a revised and simplified set of recertification guidelines to make the credit request process clearer and more equitable. As part of the transition, ACA completed a crosswalk of member credits from the prior system to the updated one. Members whose credit totals were affected were contacted directly to review their records and discuss their options.
Which guidelines apply to you
- Recertifying in 2026 or 2027: you may use either the prior guidelines or the updated guidelines.
- Recertifying in 2028 or later: the updated guidelines apply.
Whichever version you use, apply it consistently. Credits cannot be mixed across the two sets of guidelines within a single petition.
What changed
- Each of the four categories now allows a maximum of 30 credits, so credits must be earned across categories rather than all within Education.
- Increased credit availability for chairing committees or task forces and for serving as an executive officer.
- Updated credit values for writing, publishing, and editing, based on scope and length.
- Activities count regardless of whether they were completed through employment, consulting, volunteering, or personal interest.
Planning to use the prior guidelines?
If you are recertifying in 2026 or 2027 and want to petition under the prior guidelines, let ACA know. This option is mainly useful for certificants whose credit totals in a single category exceed the 30-credit maximum under the updated guidelines. After you submit the form, ACA will follow up with you directly to support your petition.
The form does not capture your name or email automatically. Please include your contact information so ACA can reach you.
COVID-19 cycle extension
Certified Archivists who were active as of August 1, 2020 received a one-time, one-year extension of their certification cycle to offset the disruption to professional activities. If your cycle in the portal shows six years rather than five, the extension has already been applied to your record. All cycles beginning after the extension follow the standard five-year July 1 to June 30 schedule.
Questions?
For questions about credit requirements, submitting activities, which guidelines apply to you, or whether a particular activity qualifies, contact the Regent for Certification Maintenance at certificationmaintenance@certifiedarchivists.org.
For questions about an expired or suspended credential, reinstatement, membership dues, or your cycle dates, contact ACA at office@certifiedarchivists.org.
If you are worried about your deadline, reach out early. We would much rather help you plan than sort things out afterward.