Some Scrum certifications expire and some never do. The issuer and the exact credential decide. Scrum.org states that its certifications need no renewal, Scrum Alliance certifications run on a renewal cycle, and SCRUMstudy credentials carry a three-year validity period. Six Sigma follows the same rule: there is no single answer, only provider-specific ones.
This guide sets out what is known for each issuer, what you pay and do to keep a credential current, what happens if you miss a deadline, and how to check the rules for your own certificate before you spend money.
Table of Contents
- The short answer by issuer
- Scrum.org: no renewal on professional certifications
- Scrum Alliance: renewal every cycle, with SEUs
- SCRUMstudy: three years of validity
- What it costs to keep a Scrum certificate current
- What happens if your certification lapses
- Does Six Sigma certification expire?
- How to check the rules for your own certification
- Our view: treat validity as one factor, not the deciding one
- Get a SCRUMstudy credential with clear terms
- FAQ
- Sources
The short answer by issuer
There is no industry-wide expiry rule for Scrum. Each body writes its own policy, and those policies differ in length, cost and required activity. The table summarises what the issuers’ own pages say.
| Issuer and credential | Does it expire? | What the issuer says |
|---|---|---|
| Scrum.org (PSM, PSPO and other Professional Scrum credentials) | No renewal required | The Scrum.org site says no renewals are required on its certifications: once you earn one, you keep it |
| Scrum Alliance (CSM, CSPO and others) | Yes, on a renewal cycle | Renewal is tied to a fee and continuing-education credits called SEUs; check the current figures for your level on the Scrum Alliance site |
| SCRUMstudy (SFC, SMC, SAMC and others) | Yes, three-year validity | SCRUMstudy says its Scrum and Agile certifications have a three-year validity period |
Two cautions apply to the table. First, a cycle length is not the whole story: fees, credit requirements and grace periods vary by level within one issuer. Second, other bodies also issue Scrum-related credentials, each with its own policy. The rest of this article explains how to read any of them.
Scrum.org: no renewal on professional certifications
Scrum.org’s position is the simplest. Its certifications are earned by passing an assessment, and the organisation states that no renewal is required. Official PSM I pricing is set by Scrum.org, and the credential has lifetime validity with no renewal fees.
The exam format is also specific to this provider. PSM I uses an 80-question, 60-minute exam with an 85% pass score. Do not assume that this format, or any assumption about open-book rules, carries over to other issuers. Scrum.org and Scrum Alliance do not assess learning with the same model, so comparing their pass marks or difficulty line by line is misleading.
What “no expiry” does not mean: it does not mean the certificate proves current skill. Scrum evolves, and the Scrum Guide has been revised over the years. A credential earned a decade ago says you passed an assessment then. It does not show what you can do now. Employers read it that way too, so treat a lifetime credential as a starting point and keep your knowledge current by reading the latest Scrum Guide.
Scrum Alliance: renewal every cycle, with SEUs
Scrum Alliance credentials such as the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM®) work differently. They are time-limited and renewed by paying a fee and logging Scrum Education Units (SEUs), which are credits for learning and community activity. Scrum Alliance has described a renewal fee and SEU requirement for its advanced-level certifications, and the amounts differ by level, so read the current table on your Scrum Alliance account rather than relying on a figure copied from a blog.
Some facts that are specific to CSM:
- The route runs through a required 16-hour course, followed by an exam of 50 questions in 60 minutes with a 74% pass score.
- CSPO is different: it requires approved training but currently has no certification exam. There is no CSPO exam and no CSPO exam fee. What you pay is the course fee, and each Certified Scrum Trainer sets their own price.
- Renewal rules belong to Scrum Alliance. A change in your certificate’s status appears on your member profile, and the organisation’s own support team can confirm exceptions, such as renewing after a lapse.
Community reports suggest Scrum Alliance has at times let lapsed holders reinstate a credential. Those reports are anecdotal, so confirm any such route directly with Scrum Alliance before you plan around it.
GetVoucher does not sell Scrum Alliance or Scrum.org credentials. We mention them here because readers compare them with the SCRUMstudy route, and an honest comparison needs the facts of each.
SCRUMstudy: three years of validity
SCRUMstudy states a three-year validity period for its Scrum and Agile certifications. That covers the credentials we sell, including Scrum Fundamentals Certified (SFC), Scrum Master Certified (SMC®) and SCRUM Agile Master Certified (SAMC™). The exact renewal steps, credits and fees are set by SCRUMstudy, and you should check them for your specific certificate. Our own guide, Maintaining Your SCRUMstudy certification, explains the process in practical terms.
The exam formats are worth knowing because they shape how you prepare:
- SFC: 40 questions, 60 minutes, online and unproctored.
- SMC®: 100 questions, 120 minutes, online and unproctored.
- SAMC™: also an online unproctored exam, not a generic proctored assessment.
Unproctored does not mean easier or less credible, and a proctored exam is not inherently more credible. It is a delivery format. Nor should you infer open-book rules from it. Read the exam instructions that SCRUMstudy publishes for your specific exam. For a full comparison across issuers, see our Scrum exam format guide.
What it costs to keep a Scrum certificate current
When readers ask what a Scrum Master certification costs, they usually mean the first purchase. Expiry adds a second, later cost, and it is provider-specific. Keep four items separate:
- Exam fee, which is sometimes bundled and sometimes not.
- Mandatory training, which some issuers require before you can sit the exam.
- Optional preparation, such as practice tests or extra courses.
- Renewal and retake costs, which depend on the issuer.
A lifetime credential has no fourth item for renewal. A renewable one does, plus the time needed to collect continuing-education credits. An exam-only voucher is not automatically the cheapest overall, because the true cost includes whatever training and renewal your chosen provider requires. Our two cost guides break the numbers down: Scrum Master certification cost in 2026 and how to choose the cheapest credible route.
For reference, our own current voucher prices are £249 for SMC®, £349 for SAMC™ and £0 for Scrum Fundamentals Certified. What each purchase includes (training, materials, scheduling support) differs by product, so read the product page before you buy.
What happens if your certification lapses
A lapse is not always final, but the outcome depends on the issuer. Possible situations:
- No renewal needed (Scrum.org): nothing lapses.
- Renewal window and grace period: some issuers allow renewal for a time after the due date. Scrum Alliance has historically allowed a short grace period after expiry, but confirm the current terms on its site.
- Reinstatement after a long gap: policies vary, and some issuers may ask you to retake an exam or course instead.
If your credential is close to its due date, act on the issuer’s own notice, not on a third-party summary. Dates and fees change, and the issuer’s own account page is the one that applies to you.
A word on value. A forum discussion on whether renewal is worth it keeps recurring, and the honest answer is that it depends on your role and employer. We cannot claim that a current certificate wins a job or a pay rise, and no issuer can promise that either. Ask whether renewal gives you something you will use: the discipline of ongoing learning, access to a community, or a requirement set by your employer or client.
Does Six Sigma certification expire?
Sometimes. As with Scrum, the answer depends on the certifying body and the belt level. Keep these providers separate, because their prerequisites, exams, project requirements and renewal rules are not interchangeable:
- ASQ (American Society for Quality): the Green Belt requires relevant work experience but not a documented project. The Black Belt has separate project requirements. Check ASQ’s current recertification rules on its own site.
- IASSC / PeopleCert: an independent exam-based body with its own policy. Do not apply ASQ’s rules to it.
- CSSC: its own standards and renewal terms.
- 6sigmastudy: the provider behind the vouchers we sell, with its own prerequisites, exams and validity period.
Six Sigma belt progression and role responsibilities are also not universal. A Yellow Belt, Green Belt or Black Belt can mean different things at different organisations, and different bodies set different requirements for each level. Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma are also distinct: they overlap in practice but are certified separately.
Project requirements are another provider-specific point. Some bodies ask for an assessed project, others rely on an exam, and neither route is universally better. Accreditation schemes such as ISO 18404 are not a universal requirement for Six Sigma certification either.
Our 6sigmastudy-based vouchers are Six Sigma Yellow Belt (SSYB™) at £0, Six Sigma Green Belt (SSGB™) at £149, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB™) at £290, a Dual 6Sigma Pack at £418 and a Black Belt (SSBB) voucher at £299. To read how the belts differ, see our guide to understanding Six Sigma.
A note on DMAIC and renewal
Renewal is about the credential, not the method. DMAIC is used within Six Sigma, Lean and broader process improvement, and holding a certificate that has a validity period says nothing about whether a project needs DMAIC or another approach. Methods such as PDCA are neither always simpler nor always faster. Choose the method by the problem, not by the certificate.
How to check the rules for your own certification
Use this routine before you buy, and again once a year.
- Name the exact credential and issuer. “Scrum Master certification” could be CSM, PSM I, SMC® or another. The rules attach to the credential.
- Find the issuer’s official page. Use the certification body’s own site or your account, not a summary on a blog or a video.
- Write down five facts: validity period, renewal fee, credits or activities needed, grace period, and what happens after a lapse.
- Check the date of the information. Fees and policies change. If a page is old, confirm with the issuer.
- Set a reminder three to six months before your due date.
If you are choosing between issuers and want a self-paced route, our comparison of Scrum Alliance and Scrum.org covers learning models and cost differences. To decide whether a Scrum Master or Product Owner credential suits your role, read Scrum Master vs Product Owner. The current Scrum Guide makes the Product Owner accountable for maximising the value of the product and for Product Backlog management, which is a useful reference when you choose a path.
Our view: treat validity as one factor, not the deciding one
We see readers weigh expiry too heavily in one direction or the other. Some assume a lifetime credential is better because it costs nothing later. Others assume a renewable one is more serious because it needs upkeep. Neither follows. What matters is whether the certification fits your role, your budget and the way you learn, and whether you will keep your practice up to date either way.
Here is how we would think about it. If you are new to Scrum, start with something low-risk to learn the vocabulary: Sprints last one month or less, Scrum Teams are typically ten or fewer people, and several teams working on one product can share a Product Owner, Product Backlog and Product Goal. Our free Scrum Fundamentals Certified route is built for that stage. Once you are sure Scrum is part of your career, pick a credential on its merits and put the renewal date in your calendar. Do not buy anything because a summary claimed it “never expires” or “lasts for life” without reading the issuer’s page.
Certification supports learning and signals commitment. It does not prove real-world performance, and we do not promise jobs, salaries or promotions from it.
— Rayan
Get a SCRUMstudy credential with clear terms
If you want a SCRUMstudy route, we sell vouchers for Scrum Fundamentals Certified at £0, Scrum Master Certified (SMC®) at £249, SCRUM Agile Master Certified (SAMC™) at £349, and a Dual Agile Pack at £519 for the Scrum Master and Product Owner certifications. Training resources and scheduling support differ by product, so check each page.
Start with Scrum Fundamentals Certified, go straight to Scrum Master Certified (SMC®), or browse the full Scrum and Agile range.
FAQ
Does Scrum certification expire?
It depends on the issuer. Scrum.org states that no renewal is required on its certifications. Scrum Alliance certifications are renewed on a cycle with a fee and SEUs, and SCRUMstudy states a three-year validity period. Check the exact credential.
How do I renew a Scrum Master certification?
Follow the issuer’s own process. Scrum Alliance ties renewal to a fee and SEUs, and SCRUMstudy credentials have their own renewal steps, explained in our guide to maintaining a SCRUMstudy certification. Scrum.org certifications need no renewal.
Does Six Sigma certification expire?
Some do and some do not. ASQ, IASSC/PeopleCert, CSSC and 6sigmastudy each set their own prerequisites, exams, project requirements and renewal rules. Look up your belt and issuer on the official site before relying on any general answer.
Can I renew a Scrum certification after it has expired?
Sometimes. Whether you can, and what it costs, depends on the issuer’s current policy, including any grace period. Contact the issuer’s support team and ask in writing before you pay for anything.
Sources
- Scrum.org home page: certification renewal statement
- SCRUMstudy: validity period of Agile and Scrum certifications
- Scrum Alliance: renewal information for advanced-level certifications