How do calendar months work for medical certificates?

A medical certificate valid for N calendar months expires at the end of the Nth calendar month after the month of examination. For example, a medical issued in July 2024 valid for 24 calendar months expires at the end of July 2026. The day of the month does not matter — only the month and year.

What is a medical downgrade?

A First class medical certificate downgrades to Second class after its First class duration expires, then to Third class after its Second class duration expires. This means a single examination provides three levels of privilege over different time periods. A Second class medical similarly downgrades to Third class.

Does age affect medical certificate duration?

Yes. Pilots who are under 40 at the time of examination receive longer durations. For example, a First class medical is valid as First class for 12 months if under 40, but only 6 months if 40 or older. Third class medicals last 60 months under 40 and 24 months at 40 or older.

BasicMed (FAR 61.113(i)) allows eligible pilots to operate certain aircraft without a traditional FAA medical certificate. It requires a state-licensed physician exam every 48 months and an AOPA online medical course every 24 months. Pilots must have held a valid FAA medical at some point after July 14, 2006.

Medical Certificate Expiration Calculator

Calculate your FAA medical certificate expiration date and class downgrade timeline. Uses calendar-month arithmetic per 14 CFR 61.23.

Traditional Medical Certificate

Medical Class

Age at Examination

Date of Examination

BasicMed — An Alternative to a Third-Class Medical

Under FAR 61.113(i) and AC 68-1A, eligible pilots may operate certain aircraft without a traditional FAA medical certificate under the BasicMed program. BasicMed requires:

A valid U.S. driver’s license
A physical examination by any state-licensed physician every 48 calendar months, using the AOPA Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist
Completion of an AOPA online medical course every 24 calendar months
The pilot must have held a valid FAA medical certificate at any point after July 14, 2006

BasicMed operating limitations include: aircraft with a maximum certificated takeoff weight of 6,000 lbs or less, no more than 6 occupants, no operations for compensation or hire, no operations outside the United States (unless authorized by the foreign country), and no operations above FL180 or above 250 knots IAS.

This section provides general information only. See FAR 61.113(i) and AC 68-1A for complete requirements. BasicMed does not apply to operations requiring a First or Second class medical.

BasicMed Expiration Calculator

AOPA Online Course Date

Physician Examination Date

Special issuance, deferred or denied applications, medical conditions, or other individual circumstances require separate evaluation by the FAA Aerospace Medical Certification Division. This tool does not account for those circumstances.

Frequently Asked Questions

Medical Certificate Validity in Depth

An FAA medical certificate does not expire on a fixed number of years from issue; its validity depends on the class of medical you hold and, critically, on your age at the time of the examination. The rules are written so that older pilots revalidate more frequently, reflecting the higher likelihood of medically significant changes. This calculator applies the correct look-forward period to your exam date and age so you know the precise last day your medical remains valid for each level of privilege.

Understanding medical validity matters because a lapsed medical is one of the most common inadvertent regulatory violations. Pilots often remember the year of their exam but forget that a first-class medical downgrades to second-class and then third-class privileges as time passes, and that the age-40 threshold changes the third-class duration. Getting the dates exactly right protects both your certificate and your insurance standing.

Step-by-Step: How the Calculation Works

Under 14 CFR 61.23, a first-class medical is valid for first-class privileges for 12 calendar months if you were under 40 at the exam, or 6 calendar months if you were 40 or older. A second-class medical is valid for second-class privileges for 12 calendar months regardless of age. For third-class privileges, the certificate is valid for 60 calendar months if you were under 40 at the exam, or 24 calendar months if 40 or older.

A key subtlety is that a higher-class medical continues to serve lower-class privileges after its higher privileges lapse. A first-class medical, once its first-class window closes, still functions as a third-class medical for the remainder of the third-class period. The calculator computes each of these nested expiration dates from your single exam date, using calendar months that run to the end of the relevant month.

More Worked Examples

Example 1 — Under 40, third-class

You take a third-class exam at age 35 in June 2026. The 60-calendar-month rule applies, so the certificate is valid for third-class privileges through the end of June 2031. If you turn 40 during that window, the duration does not shorten retroactively — age is fixed at the date of the exam.

Example 2 — Over 40, first-class

You take a first-class exam at age 52 in June 2026. First-class privileges last 6 calendar months, through the end of December 2026. The same certificate then covers second-class privileges to the end of June 2027 and third-class privileges to the end of June 2028, because the shorter first-class clock does not shorten the lower-class windows.

Pilot Decision-Making Context

Knowing these dates lets you schedule the renewal exam at the right cadence rather than too early, which wastes the tail of a valid certificate, or too late, which grounds you. Many pilots deliberately time the exam for early in a month so the calendar-month rule effectively grants them a few extra weeks of validity.

The calculator also helps you decide which class to renew. If you no longer fly for hire, you may only need third-class privileges, and a pilot under the BasicMed pathway may not need a traditional medical at all for many operations. Comparing your actual flying against the privileges each class grants keeps you from paying for a higher-class exam you do not use.

When to Use a More Advanced Method

This tool addresses traditional FAA medical certificates. BasicMed operates under a separate framework with its own recurring requirements and operating limitations, and it is not a substitute for a medical certificate in all circumstances. Confirm your eligibility and limitations against the current regulations before relying on either pathway.

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This calculator is for educational and planning purposes only. Always refer to your aircraft's POH/AFM, current NOTAMs, and official weather briefings. No calculator is a substitute for pilot-in-command judgment or CFI guidance. Read our full Safety Disclaimer.