Enter the date of your FAA medical examination, your age on that date and the class issued, and this calculator returns the expiry date for every level of privilege that certificate carries under 14 CFR 61.23(d). It does the calendar-month arithmetic for you, including the part most pilots get wrong: a medical certificate expires on the last day of the month it lands on, not on the anniversary of the examination.
If you want the rules behind the numbers rather than just the dates, our guide to FAA medical certificate classes sets out what each class authorises and why one certificate has several expiry dates at once.
Calculate Your Expiry Dates
How The Rule Works
Three principles drive every number the calculator returns, and once you know them you can do it in your head.
Durations Run In Calendar Months, To The End Of The Month
Every duration in 61.23(d) is expressed as "the last day of the nth month after the month of the date of the examination". So a third class examination on 2 March for a 30-year-old expires on 31 March five years later, and so does one taken on 30 March. The day of the month you are examined is irrelevant. You always get the remainder of the month at both ends, which quietly matters when a checkride slips by a week.
Your Age Is Fixed On The Day Of The Examination
The age that decides whether you get 60 months or 24, or 12 months or 6, is your age on the date of the examination — not your age when the certificate runs out. A pilot examined at 39 years and 11 months holds private privileges for five full years, well into their forties. A pilot examined a month later holds them for two. If you are close to 40 and have any intention of flying, being examined before the birthday is worth real money.
One Certificate Carries Several Expiry Dates At Once
This is the part that confuses people reading a single date printed on a certificate. A first class medical does not stop working when the first class window closes. The same document keeps authorising commercial privileges for 12 calendar months and private privileges for 60 or 24 calendar months. Pilots describe this as the medical stepping down, and it means a professional pilot between jobs does not need to keep buying first class examinations to keep flying privately.
Two Worked Examples
A 34-year-old takes a first class medical on 18 June 2026. ATP pilot-in-command privileges run through 30 June 2027. Commercial privileges run through 30 June 2027. Private, student and flight instructor privileges run through 30 June 2031, because they were under 40 at the examination.
A 44-year-old takes a third class medical on 3 February 2026. Private, recreational, student, sport and flight instructor privileges run through 28 February 2028 — 24 calendar months, because they were 40 or over on the day.
The Full Rule Table
| Class | Privileges Exercised | Age At Examination | Valid Through The Last Day Of |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | ATP pilot in command, and the Part 121 operations in 61.23(a)(1) | Under 40 | The 12th month after the month of the examination |
| First | ATP pilot in command, and those Part 121 operations | 40 or over | The 6th month after the month of the examination |
| First | Commercial pilot, or flight engineer | Any age | The 12th month after the month of the examination |
| First | Private, recreational, student, sport or flight instructor | Under 40 | The 60th month after the month of the examination |
| First | Private, recreational, student, sport or flight instructor | 40 or over | The 24th month after the month of the examination |
| Second | Commercial pilot, ATP second in command other than flag or supplemental, flight engineer | Any age | The 12th month after the month of the examination |
| Second | Private, recreational, student, sport or flight instructor | Under 40 | The 60th month after the month of the examination |
| Second | Private, recreational, student, sport or flight instructor | 40 or over | The 24th month after the month of the examination |
| Third | Private, recreational, student, sport or flight instructor | Under 40 | The 60th month after the month of the examination |
| Third | Private, recreational, student, sport or flight instructor | 40 or over | The 24th month after the month of the examination |
What This Calculator Does Not Cover
It answers one question: when does this medical certificate stop authorising a given privilege. It does not track the other things that have to stay current, and a valid medical on its own does not make you legal to fly.
- The flight review under 14 CFR 61.56, due every 24 calendar months — see our page on the flight review.
- Passenger-carrying currency under 61.57, including the night requirement.
- Instrument currency under 61.57(c), covered on our instrument proficiency check page.
- BasicMed, which runs on a different clock entirely: an online course every 24 calendar months and a physician examination every 48. See our BasicMed guide.
Related Reading
- FAA medical certificate classes — what each class authorises.
- Third class medical certificate — the five-year and two-year rule in context.
- First class medical certificate — the 12-month and 6-month windows.
- BasicMed — the 24-month course and 48-month examination cycle.
- Finding an aviation medical examiner in Los Angeles — when it is time to renew.
Medical Expiry FAQ
When Does My FAA Medical Certificate Expire?
On the last day of the calendar month given by 14 CFR 61.23(d) for the class you hold, the privileges you are exercising and your age on the day of the examination. It is never the anniversary of the examination date.
Does A Medical Certificate Expire On The Day Of The Exam Or The End Of The Month?
The end of the month. Durations are counted in calendar months from the month of the examination and run through the last day of the month they land on.
How Long Is A Third Class Medical Valid?
Sixty calendar months if you were under 40 on the day of the examination, and 24 calendar months if you were 40 or over.
Does My Age At Expiry Change The Duration?
No. Only your age on the date of the examination matters. Turning 40 during the validity period does not shorten it.
Is There A Grace Period After A Medical Expires?
No. Once the relevant window has passed you may not exercise the privileges that required it. There is no penalty beyond that; you simply book another examination.
Book The Next One Early
If this calculator has just told you that a renewal is due sooner than you thought, our guide to choosing an aviation medical examiner in Los Angeles covers what to ask before booking. If you are at the other end and have not started yet, a discovery flight is $229 for 60 minutes, flown by you from the left seat, and requires no medical certificate at all. Book a free consultation to plan the whole sequence, or call (818) 330-1318 any day from 9 AM to 9 PM. We are at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406.