When does your medical actually expire? The end-of-month rule, decoded.
Your medical doesn't expire on the anniversary of the exam. It expires at the end of a calendar month — but which month depends on your age, your class, and whether you're exercising first-class or third-class privileges. Here's how to stop guessing.
The most common question I get from students and even experienced private pilots: "when does my medical expire?" The answer is never as simple as "one year from the exam." It depends on three variables — your age at the time of the exam, the class of medical you hold, and which privileges you're exercising.
The end-of-month convention (14 CFR §61.23(d))
A medical certificate expires at the end of the last day of the month it was issued, plus the duration period.If you got your exam on March 15, 2026, the clock doesn't start ticking from March 15 — it starts from March 1 and expires at the end of the last day of the target month.
This is the "end-of-month" convention and it's the reason your medical always expires on the last day of a month, never mid-month. The FAA did this deliberately — it makes the math simpler once you understand it.
Duration by class and age
First Class (ATP privileges):
• Under 40 at exam: 12 calendar months
• 40 or older at exam: 6 calendar months
Second Class (commercial privileges):
• Any age: 12 calendar months
Third Class (private pilot privileges):
• Under 40 at exam: 60 calendar months (5 years)
• 40 or older at exam: 24 calendar months (2 years)
The downgrade rule:a higher-class medical that expires for its original class still functions as the next-lower class for the remaining duration. Your first-class medical becomes second-class after 6/12 months, then third-class for the remainder of 24/60 months. You don't lose all flying privileges when the first-class window closes.
Example
Pilot age 35, exam date March 15, 2026, issued as First Class:
• First-class privileges valid through March 31, 2027 (12 months, under-40)
• Second-class privileges valid through March 31, 2027 (same — 12 months for both)
• Third-class privileges valid through March 31, 2031 (60 months, under-40)
Same pilot at age 42, same exam date:
• First-class: through September 30, 2026 (6 months, 40-or-older)
• Second-class: through March 31, 2027 (12 months)
• Third-class: through March 31, 2028 (24 months, 40-or-older)
Stop guessing
We built a free currency calculator that runs this math for you — enter your medical class, exam date, and age, and it shows you every expiration date with the end-of-month convention applied correctly. The citations are right there: 14 CFR §61.23(d).
If you're a CFI tracking multiple students, Trimwatches these dates for every student in your roster and alerts you before they expire — so neither you nor the student shows up to a lesson that can't be logged.