Free PMP PDUs [Complete Guide to Earn & Report PDUs]

If you’re already a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) or hold other PMI (Project Management Institute) certifications, then you may know that keeping your certification active requires earning PDUs.These PMP renewal PDUs must be earned within a 3-year renewal cycle. But how exactly do you earn these PDUs, and what counts toward the total?

This guide explains what PDUs are, how many you need, and the best ways to earn free PDUs for PMP certification. We'll also cover how to report your PDUs using the PMI CCRS system and provide practical tips to make your renewal smooth and easy. 

We’ll also explain how, using the CareerSprints’ Premium Site Membership, you can earn 16 PMP PDUs for renewal and earn 6 useful certifications in the areas of Agile/Scrum (FCAS), Kanban (FCKB), DevOps (FCDO), Product Owner (POF), Business Analysis (BAF) and more, helping you build in-demand skills while meeting your PMI PDU requirements.

Whether you’re earning your 60 PDUs for PMP renewal through free or paid webinars, courses, volunteering, or other programs, by the time you finish reading this guide, you’ll have a good understanding of the steps needed to accumulate them.

Key Takeaways

• To maintain your PMP certification, you must earn 60 PDUs over a 3-year cycle.

• You need a minimum of 35 Education PDUs and a maximum of 25 Giving Back PDUs.

• Education PDUs must align with the PMI Talent Triangle, requiring a minimum of 8 PDUs each in Ways of Working, Power Skills, and Business Acumen.

• Giving Back PDUs can be earned by volunteering, mentoring, creating content, or working as a project manager.

• The required PDUs are 60 for PgMP, PfMP, and PMI-PBA; 30 for PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, and PMI-SP; and 15 for CAPM.

• You can earn PDUs by watching webinars, reading articles, listening to podcasts, and informal learning.

What Are PDUs?

PDUs stand for Professional Development Units and are points you earn by participating in learning and professional growth activities. The purpose of the PDU program, also known as the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program, is to ensure that certified individuals invest in their continuing education and development, so their learning remains current and doesn't stagnate.

Different certifications require different numbers of PDUs to be earned, and these must be reported as part of the certification renewal process.

Due to the PMP's immense popularity and large number of certification holders, the demand for PDUs among this group is the highest.

Table above shows specific PDU requirements for different PMI certifications

How Many PDUs do You Need for PMP and other certifications?

As a PMP credential holder, you must earn 60 PDUs for PMP renewal, while other PMI certifications have their own PDU requirements.

Additionally, PMI has also defined two PDU categories under which PDUs must be accumulated: 

• Education PDUs (minimum 35 PDUs): Education PDUs are earned by leveraging learning and professional development opportunities, such as classroom or online courses or listening to a webinar or podcast. These PDUs align with the skill areas defined by the PMI Talent Triangle.

  
  

        A minimum of 35 PDUs is required for the education category, with no maximum limit.

• Giving Back PDUs (maximum 25 PDUs): Giving back PDUs includes activities that contribute to the project management profession, such as working as a PM, doing presentations or creating engaging and relevant content.

  
  

In the category of giving back to the profession, the maximum threshold for reporting PDUs is 25.

'Education' and 'Giving Back to the Profession' PDUs limits

PMI Talent Triangle: What Are the 3 PDU Skill Areas?

The PMI Talent Triangle divides Education PDUs into three key skill areas based on essential project manager competencies. When reporting PDUs in PMI's CCRS system, you need to select the number of PDUs applicable to one or more of these skill areas.

1. Ways of Working [formerly Technical Project Management]: Ways of working or technical project management refer to the application of project management knowledge and methods, such as predictive, agile, or design thinking, to achieve desired project outcomes. It also includes the project manager’s ability to plan and manage key project elements such as cost, scope, schedule, risks, resources, and more.

   
   

2. Power Skills [formerly Leadership]: Power skills include skills related to leading teams or people, such as communication, negotiation, problem-solving, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, and empathy, which allow PMs to have influence over a wide spectrum of stakeholders.

   
   

3. Business Acumen [formerly Strategic and Business Management]: Business Acumen includes strategic and business management-related skills such as decision-making, project strategy alignment, product and industry expertise, and maximizing business value from the project. 

   
   

You must earn a minimum of 8 PDUs in each of these categories to meet PMI’s requirements.

Breakdown of PDU Requirements by Skill Area for Each Certification

Ways to Earn Free PMP PDUs [and PDUs for other certifications]

As explained earlier, PDUs can be accumulated in both education and giving back categories. We've explained below all the activities that fall under both education and giving back to the professional categories. 

Education PDUs

Under the Education category, there are various activities you can participate in to earn your PDUs, both free and paid. Below is a list of activities you can participate in to earn them. 

One hour spent on any of these activities qualifies for one PDU claim. 

1. Courses or Training [Classroom or Live Training]

One of the best ways to earn PDUs is to participate in Instructor-led courses held in person or online. These courses must be related to the project management profession and can be offered by authorized PMI ATPs or third-party providers such as universities or training companies. It can also include educational events held by PMI chapters.

As a thumb rule, every hour spent on learning equates to one PDU [1 hour = 1 PDU].

These courses can be related to any of the three skill domains of the PMI Talent Triangle [Ways of working, Power Skills or Business Acumen].

Examples of courses related to project management could be a Scrum certification course, such as CSM or PSM training, PRINCE2 training, or courses related to sub-domains of project management, such as risk or schedule management classes. 

2. E-learning or Online or Digital Media

 Any self-paced course that covers the entire project management lifecycle or even a part of it would qualify for PDUs. You can explore other forms of free PMI PDU courses, such as on-demand videos, webinars, or podcasts, which count toward the PDUs needed to maintain your certification.

3. Reading books, articles, or white papers

Acquiring new project management knowledge through reading a book, white paper, article, or blog can also be claimed as free PDUs under self-directed learning. 

4. Organization Meetings

If you attend meetings within your organization or a PMI chapter that include an educational component, you can earn PDUs; however, the total is capped at 2 PDUs.

One example of this type of activity is attending a local PMI chapter event where a guest speaker delivers a 1-hour session on a project management topic. 

5. Informal Learning

Learning can also occur through interaction with others, such as executives or project managers. You can earn PDUs by participating in focused discussions, like study groups or team meetings, that are relevant to project management.

Giving Back to the profession PDUs

To earn PDUs under this category, you can engage in the following categories:

Work as a Project Management Practitioner: Working in the capacity of a Project Manager, you can claim PDUs for the hours you spend applying your knowledge and skills to manage your projects. According to PMI's PDU rules, only a certain number of PDUs can be claimed per 3-year cycle for this activity, which are shown below: 

• For PMP, PgMP, PfMP, PMI-PBA – no more than 8 PDUs can be claimed per cycle

• PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMI-SP – no more than 4 PDUs can be claimed per cycle

• CAPM – no more than 2 PDUs can be claimed per cycle

Creating Content: Time spent disseminating knowledge via creating videos or written content, such as authoring blogs, books or articles, or delivering webinars and presentations can also be used to earn the required PDUs.

Giving Presentations: PDUs can also be claimed for giving presentations at conferences, professional speaking opportunities, PMI events or within your organization too. 

Sharing Knowledge to help others learn and grow: Sharing knowledge through mentoring, teaching, or coaching can also count toward earning PDUs.

Volunteer: Another great way to earn PDUs is to volunteer to offer your services for PMI activities or for non-profit organizations.

For all the ‘Giving Back to the Profession’ activities mentioned above, you can claim 1 PDU for every hour invested.

Where to Find Free or Low-Cost PMI PDU Courses?

There are various ways to earn free PMP PDUs or earn them by spending very little money. These methods are practical, easily accessible, and aligned with PMI’s guidelines.

ProjectManagement.com: ProjectManagement.com is an online platform where project professionals can access a wealth of resources to enhance their project management practice. Additionally, it is regularly used by PMI certification holders to participate in PDU-qualifying activities, such as watching on-demand webinars or videos to earn PDUs.

Velociteach: Velociteach offers a project management podcast where PMs can not only learn about real-world project challenges from experienced professionals but also earn the necessary PDUs in the process.

CareerSprints Premium Site Membership: If you're short on time to earn PDUs and want to accumulate them efficiently, you can consider the CareerSprints Premium Site Membership, which combines PDU collection with six certification courses in Agile, Scrum, DevOps, Kanban, Product Owner, and Business Analysis. Each course includes a 2-hour video and a 30-minute assessment that awards a certificate upon passing the exam.

With the CareerSprints Site Membership, you can earn up to 16 education PDUs.

How to Report Your PMP PDUs for Renewal in PMI CCRS?

Once you’ve earned your PDUs, it’s essential to report them correctly to PMI using the PMI CCRS (Continuing Certification Requirements System). Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to your myPMI dashboard: https://my.pmi.org/

2. Choose ‘Report PDUs’ shown next to your certification.

3. Choose the appropriate category, such as ‘Education’ or ‘Giving Back’.

   
   

4. Choose the type of activity under the category and enter the requested information. E.g. for courses, enter the provider name, course title, description, date started and ended, etc.

4. Choose the skill category under ‘PDUs claimed’ section. E.g. Ways of working, Power skills or Business Acumen.

5. Agree that the PDUs claimed are accurate and submit them.

6. Submit and keep documentation as proof in case of an audit.

   
   

   

   
   

This process is straightforward, but always double-check your entries to avoid any issues with PMI PDU reporting.

Important Tips for Earning and Reporting PDUs

• Start earning PDUs quickly after passing the PMP certification. 3 years can go by very quickly.

• For every hour spent learning, you earn 1 PDU. [1 learning hour = 1 PDU].

• PDUs that you report are subject to audit, so maintain a record of the activities you engage in to collect them.

• Ensure your learning aligns with the PMI Talent Triangle and the topics in your certification's exam content outline. For example, the topic of the PDU earned for the PMP should match a topic within the PMP exam content outline. 

• You can report PDUs for the daily work you do as a Project Manager [8 PDUs under the “Giving Back” category]

• Some Education PDUs offer multi-credit opportunities and can be claimed toward multiple certifications. For example, if you attend a course that awards two Leadership PDUs, you can count them toward every certification you hold, such as both PMP and PMI-ACP.

• Giving Back PDUs also offer multi-credit opportunities and can be counted toward multiple certifications. For example, if you claim 2 PDUs for volunteering at a PMI event, you can apply them to every certification you hold, such as PMP and PMI-ACP.

• If you do not accumulate the required PDUs within the 3-year period, PMI will suspend your PMP status for 12 months or until you complete the renewal process. During the suspension period, you are not permitted to refer to yourself as a PMP.

• Courses you did before earning a PMI certification are not eligible as PDUs. [E.g. a PMP prep course done prior to earning the PMP isn’t eligible for claiming PDUs].

Common Questions About PDUs

#1 How do I earn PMP PDUs?

You can accumulate PMP PDUs under the Education and Giving Back to the Profession category. Education PDUs include activities like attending courses, webinars, reading, or participating in informal learning.

Giving Back PDUs can be earned by mentoring, creating content, volunteering, or working as a project manager. For a full breakdown of eligible activities and examples, refer to the detailed sections above in the article.

#2 Do I need 35 or 60 PDUs for PMP renewal?

A lot of people get confused between contact hours and Professional Development Units (PDUs). 35 Contact hours are required before taking the PMP exam as part of the application process, while certified PMPs must earn PDUs every 3 years to maintain their certification. To renew your PMP, you need to earn 60 PDUs during each 3-year cycle, as part of PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program.

#3 What are some ways to earn PMP PDUs for free?

To earn 60 free PDUs for the PMP, you can watch on-demand webinars on ProjectManagement.com, read blogs or whitepapers, listen to project management podcast episodes, and attend PMI chapter events. 

You can also claim PDUs by mentoring others, volunteering, or logging hours from your regular project management work. We've provided a complete list of free and low-cost options to earn PDUs in the article above.

#4 How many PDUs can I claim for reading a book?

Reading a book is classified as self-directed learning, allowing you to claim 1 PDU for every hour spent reading. However, the book must be specifically related to project management; it cannot be just any book. It's essential to maintain documentation of your learning activities, including notes and reading dates, as this may be required during a PMI audit.

#5 Do I need to be a PMI member to earn PDUs?

No, you don't need to be a PMI member to earn PDUs, but you will be able to access more PDU earning activities and opportunities if you are a PMI member. Some courses or activities on the PMI website won't be accessible to you without a PMI membership. Therefore, to ease the process of earning PDUs, it may be beneficial to maintain the PMI membership.

#6 Does PMI charge a renewal fee to maintain the PMP?

Yes, PMI charges a $60 renewal fee for members and $150 for non-members. These fees are in addition to any costs associated with earning PDUs.

#7 What happens if I don't earn PMP PDUs before the renewal date?

If you don't earn the PDUs by the renewal date (within 3 years of your certification date), then PMI will suspend your PMP status, which will last for 1 year. PMI states that you cannot refer to yourself as a PMP or other certification holder or use the PMP designation. 

However, you can earn the required number of PDUs within this period to prevent yourself from going into the expired status. An expired PMP means you’ll be considered as someone who does not hold the PMP and would need to go through the full certification process again.

#8 My PMP cycle is going to expire in the next few days. How can i get some PDUs quickly?

If your PMP cycle is expiring soon, the CareerSprints Premium Site Membership is a fast way to earn PDUs. It offers short certification courses in Agile, Scrum, DevOps, Kanban, Product Owner, and Business Analysis, each with a 2-hour video and a 30-minute assessment. You can earn up to 16 Education PDUs and report them to PMI immediately after passing.

#9 Can I use the 35 contact hours I earned prior to acquiring my PMP toward PDUs?

No, you cannot use the 35 contact hours you earned for applying for the PMP certification toward PDUs. Only activities completed after you earn your PMI certification are eligible for PDUs.

Conclusion

Maintaining your PMP certification keeps you sharp, relevant and competitive in the project management field, especially when employers want to verify your current PMP status. Therefore, continue learning new project management best practices through courses or other means and continue collecting the PDUs needed for renewal.

We hope this guide gave you some useful insights on ways to earn PDUs and keep your certification status active. If you have any further questions about PDU collection or reporting, feel free to email us at info@careersprints.com.

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If you're looking for an end-to-end PMP prep solution which helps you pass the PMP certification exam on the first try, we offer a comprehensive PMP Blended Programme that includes personalized coaching, support, exam guidance and mentorship from a PMP coach. Additionally, we provide more than 40 hours of detailed course videos, tailored study plans, assistance with PMP application approval, 35 contact hours, lots of practice exams and classroom training 2-3 times per month.

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About the Author

Rohit Gupta is a PMP and PRINCE2 certified project management trainer with 15+ years of experience training a global audience of more than 50,000 candidates.

He has helped over 500 professionals get their PMP applications approved and mentored 300+ candidates to earn their PMP certifications. As a lead coach at CareerSprints, Rohit continues to guide project managers with personalized, real-world preparation strategies.

Rohit is recommended by many PMP exam candidates for his ability to guide them through the PMP application process and for his personalized, structured coaching style that helps them achieve certification success.

He also holds other prestigious and in-demand certifications such as ITIL expert, Scrum Master Certification, FCAS certification and DevOps Foundation Certification.

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