Recertification: 250 practice hours and 75 credits
IBCLC certificants recertify every 5 years. Every route needs 250 hours of practice in lactation consulting during the cycle, WHO Code education and basic life support education. Recertifying by credits instead of the exam also needs 75 continuing education credits: at least 50 lactation credits and at least 5 ethics credits, the 2 WHO Code hours counted inside those 5, and a continuing education self assessment first. Applications to recertify by credits are due by 30 September of the year the certification expires.
The practice hours are broader than the exam hours
The 250 hours can be paid or volunteer, and the recertification pages accept more kinds of work than the exam does: clinical practice in person, by telephone or online, education, administration, research and advocacy, and the recertification guide says the hours may be completed remotely. The count runs from the start of your current cycle through your recertification application; hours from an earlier cycle do not carry over. Shadowing still does not count.
How the credits split
| Credit | Minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lactation (L) | 50 | Education specifically about human lactation and breastfeeding care. |
| Ethics (E) | 5 | Includes the 2 hours of WHO Code education. |
| Related (R) | None | Optional; basic life support counts here, 3 per course whatever its length and at most 6 in a cycle. |
| Total | 75 | Any mix above the minimums. |
The self assessment gives you a personal plan with areas to focus on, and the recertification guide asks for a minimum number of credits in each area it names. Those area minimums depend on your own results, so this site does not model them; add them to your notes when you have your plan.
Records that survive an audit
Recertification applications are audited at random, like initial applications. The recertification guide notes that the certifying body's own clinical practice calculator can help total the practice hours and can be submitted if you are audited. A dated log makes that calculator quick to fill: you can read off the hours by setting and period instead of estimating a percentage of each job years later.
- Log practice sessions as you go, with the date, the time and what you did.
- Keep every course certificate with its credit category and hours.
- Keep your basic life support certificate; the credential does not need to be current, but the course must fall in the cycle.
- Note your self assessment plan's focus areas once you have them.
Worked example: four and a half years into a cycle
A consultant certified on 1 March 2022 logs an hour of consultations most weeks, a year of administration, and six courses. Counted by this site's engine as of 27 September 2026, the cycle ends 1 March 2027. Practice hours: 289 of 250, already reached, with the administration counted and a shadowing morning left out.
Credits: 55 of 75, of which 45 lactation (against 50), 4 ethics including 2 WHO Code hours (against 5), and 6 related including basic life support. With about five months left, this consultant needs more lactation and ethics credits, not more practice.
Common mistakes
- Counting practice hours or courses from before the start of the current cycle, including from an earlier cycle.
- Counting basic life support by the hour instead of per course, or counting more than 6 credits for it in one cycle.
- Forgetting that the WHO Code hours are part of the ethics minimum, not extra.
- Leaving credits until the September deadline of the expiry year.
Log your own hours
The log keeps each clinical session and each course with its date, and the progress page totals them by pathway inside the five year window, with the education split and the hours about to age out. Everything stays in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still have to resit the exam every ten years?
No. The recertification FAQ says certificants are no longer required to recertify by exam every ten years. At each five year mark you choose the exam or credits.
Is the recertification counter free here?
Yes. Free spreadsheets already exist for tracking credits, so the counter on the progress page is free for everyone and always will be.
Does this site tell me I can recertify?
No. It counts your logged hours and courses against the published numbers. Lactation Ledger does not determine eligibility. The certifying body decides eligibility.
Sources
Last reviewed 27 September 2026 against:
- Recertification Guide, IBCLC Commission (International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners), 24 March 2025, read 27 September 2026. Used for: The 75 credits and their minimums, basic life support, WHO Code hours, and the 250 practice hours and what they may include.
- Recertification FAQs, IBCLC Commission (International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners), web page, no revision date shown, read 27 September 2026. Used for: The counting period, the deadline and the ten year exam rule.
This guide is our own summary of the published documents, not legal advice and not a finding about your eligibility; the credentialing authority decides. If it disagrees with the current documents, the documents win. Lactation Ledger is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE), the IBCLC Commission, the Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education (CBDCE) or any other certifying body. IBCLC and CDCES are certification marks of their owners.