How to Renew Your Teaching Certificate in Pennsylvania (2026 Guide)

Last updated March 2026

If you hold a Pennsylvania Level II Professional Educator Certificate, you're required to complete continuing education every five years to keep it active. The good news: Pennsylvania doesn't charge a renewal fee. The less-good news: you still need to earn 180 Act 48 hours (or equivalent credits), and the rules about what counts can be confusing.

This guide covers everything you need to know about renewing your Pennsylvania teaching certificate in 2026 — from how many hours you need, to what types of PD qualify, to how to track it all in PERMS.

The Basics: Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate Renewal at a Glance

Renewal cycle: Every 5 years
Hours required: 180 Act 48 hours (or 6 semester credits, or 6 PDE-approved CPE credits)
Governing body: Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE)
Where hours are tracked: PERMS (Professional Educator Record Management System) at perms.pa.gov
Renewal fee: $0 (no fee)
Official source: pa.gov/agencies/education

Your certificate's compliance period is tracked in PERMS. If you're not sure when your current period ends, log in to check — more on that below.

Understanding Act 48 and the 180-Hour Requirement

Pennsylvania's continuing education requirement is governed by Act 48, which was signed into law in 1999. Under Act 48, holders of Level II (and above) certificates must complete one of the following every 5 years:

Option A: 180 Act 48 hours of PDE-approved continuing professional education
Option B: 6 semester credits of college coursework (1 semester credit = 30 Act 48 hours)
Option C: 6 PDE-approved CPE credits
Option D: Any equivalent combination of the above

That works out to about 36 hours per year if you spread the requirement evenly — very doable, especially since district-run PD often counts.

What Counts as Act 48 Professional Development?

Pennsylvania accepts a wide range of professional development activities, as long as they're approved by PDE or your employing school district. Accepted types include:

PDE-approved continuing professional education (CPE) courses from approved providers
College or university coursework (1 semester hour = 30 Act 48 hours)
PDE-approved CPE credits from intermediate units
Employer-sponsored Act 48 professional development activities
Online self-study courses from PDE-approved providers
Graduate and undergraduate college credits from regionally accredited institutions

Important: All activities must relate to your area of assignment or certification. A math teacher taking a cooking class won't earn Act 48 credit — but a course on data-driven instruction or classroom management would qualify.

Do I Need Pre-Approval?

PDE strongly recommends getting pre-approval from your employing Pennsylvania public school district before beginning coursework, especially if you're taking courses outside your district's PD offerings. This isn't strictly required for all activity types, but it prevents the frustrating situation of completing a course only to find out it doesn't count.

The 5-Year Compliance Period Explained

Pennsylvania assigns each educator a 5-year Act 48 compliance period. Unlike some states where the clock starts when your certificate was issued, Pennsylvania groups educators into compliance cohorts. Your compliance period end date is tracked in PERMS.

PDE will notify you approximately 12 months before the end of your compliance period if you haven't yet fulfilled your requirements. This is a helpful warning, but don't rely on it — check your status in PERMS regularly.

Pro tip: Log in to PERMS at least once a year to verify your hours are being reported correctly. If your district ran a PD day in October but the hours aren't showing up by January, follow up with your district's HR or PD coordinator.

Tracking Your Hours in PERMS

PERMS (Professional Educator Record Management System) is the online portal where all Act 48 hours are tracked. Here's what you need to know:

Log in to PERMS at perms.pa.gov using your PDE credentials.
Check your Act 48 status. PERMS shows your compliance period, how many hours you've earned, and how many you still need.
Verify that hours are being reported. Approved providers and school districts report hours directly to PERMS. If a course doesn't show up, contact the provider or your district.
You cannot self-report hours. Unlike some states, Pennsylvania does not allow educators to upload their own certificates of completion. The approved provider must submit the hours to PERMS on your behalf.

This is an important distinction: if you take a course from a provider that isn't set up to report to PERMS, those hours may not count. Always verify that your provider reports directly to the PERMS system before enrolling.

The Renewal Process

Here's the good news about Pennsylvania: if you complete your 180 Act 48 hours on time, there's no separate renewal application to submit and no fee to pay. Your certificate remains active automatically as long as your PERMS record shows you've met the requirement.

The process is essentially:

Complete 180 Act 48 hours (or equivalent) during your compliance period
Verify in PERMS that all hours have been reported
That's it. Your certificate rolls into the next 5-year compliance period automatically

No renewal application. No fee. Just make sure the hours are in PERMS.

What Happens If You Don't Complete Your Hours?

If you reach the end of your 5-year compliance period without 180 Act 48 hours, your certificate is placed on inactive status. This means:

You cannot legally teach in a Pennsylvania public school
Your employer will be notified
To reactivate, you must complete the missing hours and any additional requirements PDE imposes

If you want to voluntarily place your certificate on inactive status (for example, if you're taking a break from teaching), you can do so by paying a $75 fee. This suspends your Act 48 requirements until you're ready to return.

The bottom line: track your hours, stay on top of PERMS, and don't let your compliance period sneak up on you.

Special Situations

Level I Certificate Holders

If you hold a Level I Instructional Certificate, Act 48 continuing education requirements do not apply to you — yet. The Level I certificate is valid for 6 years of active service (not calendar years). During that time, your goal is to convert to a Level II certificate by completing:

24 semester hours of graduate-level credits
3 years of satisfactory teaching under a mentor

Once you hold a Level II certificate, Act 48 requirements kick in. Advancement from Level I to Level II is submitted through TIMS (Teacher Information Management System).

College Coursework vs. Act 48 Hours

One semester credit of college coursework equals 30 Act 48 hours. So if you take a 3-credit graduate course, that's 90 Act 48 hours — half your requirement in one course. This can be an efficient option if you're also working toward a master's degree or additional certification.

Intermediate Units

Pennsylvania has 29 Intermediate Units (IUs) that offer a wide variety of PDE-approved professional development. IU-offered courses are reliably reported to PERMS and are a convenient, often affordable option for earning Act 48 hours.

Fees at a Glance

Action	Fee
Certificate renewal (Act 48 compliance)	$0
Voluntary inactive status	$75
Level I to Level II conversion	$0

Your Renewal Checklist

Log in to PERMS at perms.pa.gov and find your compliance period end date
Set a calendar reminder 12 months before your compliance period ends
Review your current Act 48 hour count in PERMS
Plan PD activities to reach 180 hours (or 6 semester credits, or 6 CPE credits)
Verify that all activities relate to your area of assignment or certification
Confirm that each provider reports hours directly to PERMS
Check PERMS after completing each activity to make sure hours were recorded
Get pre-approval from your district for any non-district coursework

Stay on Top of Your Renewal

Pennsylvania's Act 48 system is straightforward once you understand it — the main risk is assuming your hours are being tracked when they're not. Make PERMS your friend: check it regularly, follow up on missing hours promptly, and keep your own records as a backup.

For a full breakdown of Pennsylvania teacher certificate types, fees, and accepted PD hours, visit the ChalkReady Pennsylvania page.