10 ICF Links You Need for Your ACC Renewal in 2027

10 ICF Links You Need for Your ACC Renewal in 2027

Updated September 2026

If you're renewing your ICF ACC credential, you've probably discovered that the information you need isn't always sitting neatly on one page.

There are CCE requirements to check. Mentor coaching requirements. A renewal application. Ethics hours. And, if you're renewing in 2027, new Mentor Coach Specialization requirements to understand too.

I've spent a lot of time in the ICF website and support documentation lately — both as an ACC renewal mentor coach and while completing my own ICF Mentor Coach Specialization training — so I wanted to put the links I find most useful in one place.

Bookmark this page and come back to it as you work through your renewal.

First: What Do You Actually Need to Renew Your ACC?

Before we get into the links, here's the quick version.

For ACC renewal, ICF currently requires 40 Continuing Coach Education (CCE) credits earned during your three-year renewal cycle.

Those 40 credits include:

  • 24 Core Competency CCE credits

  • At least 3 Core Competency credits in Coaching Ethics

  • 10 hours of mentor coaching, which count toward those 24 Core Competency credits

  • 11 additional Core Competency credits

  • 16 additional credits that may be either Core Competency or Resource Development

Your 10 mentor coaching hours must take place over at least three months and include at least three hours of individual mentor coaching.

And beginning January 1, 2027, any new mentor coaching you receive must come from a mentor coach who holds the appropriate ICF Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS).

If you want the full explanation rather than the quick version, start with my ICF ACC Renewal Requirements for 2027: The Complete Checklist.

ICF ACC Renewal Requirements for 2027: The Complete Checklist.

Now, here are the official ICF resources I'd keep handy.

1. ICF's Official Credential Renewal Page

Use this when: you want the simplest official overview of what you need to renew your ACC.

This is probably the first ICF page I'd bookmark.

It includes the current ACC renewal requirements, the 40-CCE breakdown, renewal fees, information about submitting early, lapsed credentials and links to additional renewal resources.

ICF currently allows you to submit your renewal application up to 10 months before your credential expires, so you don't have to wait until the last minute.

ICF: Renew Your Credential

2. The ICF Credential Renewal Guide

Use this when: you want the detailed official instructions rather than the condensed webpage.

The Credential Renewal Guide goes deeper into eligibility, professional development, documenting your CCEs and completing your application.

If you're the kind of person who would rather have one comprehensive document to work through, this is the resource I'd use alongside your own renewal tracker. ICF most recently lists this guide as revised in August 2026.

ICF Credential Renewal Guide

3. The ICF Credential Renewal Toolkit

Use this when: you're thinking, Surely ICF has all of these renewal resources collected somewhere?

They do.

The Renewal Toolkit brings together:

  • renewal requirements,

  • qualifying CCE activities,

  • step-by-step renewal instructions,

  • a sample application,

  • renewal FAQs,

  • the Credential Renewal Guide,

  • and information about ICF's credentialing Q&A calls.

It's one of the most useful pages to know exists.

ICF Credential Renewal Toolkit

4. The ICF Mentor Coach Registry

Use this when: you need to find or verify an eligible mentor coach.

This link becomes particularly important in 2027.

Beginning January 1, 2027, new mentor coaching needs to be completed with someone who holds the appropriate ICF Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS).

The ICF Mentor Coach Registry allows you to search for mentor coaches and verify a specific person's credential and MCS status.

For someone renewing an ACC, ICF says mentor coaching may be provided at the ACC level by an MCS-ACC or at the PCC level by an MCS-PCC. The registry also specifically notes that PCC-level mentor coaching from an MCS-PCC can be used toward ACC renewal.

Search the ICF Mentor Coach Registry

A quick tip: If your mentor coaching will happen on or after January 1, 2027, don't just check whether someone holds an ACC, PCC or MCC. Make sure they also hold the appropriate MCS.

I've explained that change in detail here:

Do I Need an MCS Mentor Coach for ACC Renewal in 2027?

Do I Need an MCS Mentor Coach for ACC Renewal in 2027

5. ICF's 2027 Changes to Credential Renewal Requirements

Use this when: your ACC expires in 2027 and you're trying to figure out exactly what changed.

If you're renewing in 2027, this is probably the single most important update to read.

ICF confirms here that the basic ACC mentor coaching requirement is not changing: 10 hours, spread over at least three months, including at least three one-to-one hours.

What changes on January 1, 2027 is mentor-coach eligibility.

The same page also addresses what happens to mentor coaching completed before 2027 and clarifies that the new MCS Session Observation and Competency Review forms are not required for credential renewal.

ICF: 2027 Changes to Credential Renewal Requirements

If your ACC expires in 2027 and you're wondering whether you can get your mentor coaching completed before the new rules take effect, I've also written:

My ACC Expires in 2027: Can I Complete My Mentor Coaching in 2026?

6. ICF's Free Coaching Ethics Course

Use this when: you still need your three required Coaching Ethics CCEs.

This one can make your renewal planning much easier.

ACC renewal requires at least three Coaching Ethics credits, and ICF offers a complimentary self-paced ethics course that provides all three.

The current course covers the 2025 ICF Code of Ethics and awards three Ethics CCE units, which also count toward your required Core Competency credits.

Take the Complimentary ICF Ethics Course

So if you look at your renewal tracker and realize, Shoot, I haven't done my ethics hours yet, this is a very easy place to start.

7. ICF's Professional Development and CCE Guidance

Use this when: you've completed training, workshops, teaching or other professional development and you're not sure whether it counts toward your 40 CCEs.

This is an especially useful resource because not every qualifying renewal activity looks like a traditional CCE course.

ICF explains the different types of professional development that may qualify, how they are categorized and what documentation you should keep in case your renewal application is audited.

ICF Professional Development for Credential Renewal

I'd check this before assuming that something you've already completed does — or doesn't — count.

8. The ICF Sample Credential Renewal Application

Use this when: you're wondering what the actual renewal application is going to ask you.

I love resources like this because sometimes the uncertainty is more stressful than the application itself.

ICF provides a sample renewal application so you can see how the process works before you're ready to submit your own.

View the ICF Credential Renewal Sample Application

One helpful thing to know: ICF currently says you do not need to upload all of your CCE documentation when you submit your renewal application, although your application can later be selected for audit.

So keep your certificates and supporting documentation organized even if ICF doesn't ask for them initially.

9. ICF's Official Mentor Coaching Page

Use this when: you want ICF's definition of mentor coaching and the requirements directly from the source.

ICF defines mentor coaching as a collaborative learning process in which coaches receive feedback based on observed coaching sessions to develop their coaching skills in alignment with the ICF Core Competencies.

For ACC credential renewal, 10 new hours of mentor coaching are required during every renewal cycle.

ICF Mentor Coaching Information

This is also a useful page if you're unsure about the difference between mentor coaching and other types of support.

Mentor coaching is specifically about developing your coaching skills.

It isn't meant to turn into business coaching, marketing help or general coaching about your own life.

10. The ICF Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS) Online Toolkit

Use this when: you want to understand what the new MCS actually is.

You don't need to become an expert on MCS requirements simply to renew your ACC.

But if you're hiring someone to provide mentor coaching in 2027, it can be useful to understand what this new designation represents.

ICF describes the MCS as recognizing mentor coaches who have invested in specific education, practice and training in evaluating and developing coaching skills at the relevant credential level.

The toolkit includes information about the specialization, MCS pathways and — importantly — the new Session Observation and Competency Review Forms you've probably heard people discussing.

ICF Mentor Coach Specialization Online Toolkit

And this brings me to one more link that's worth knowing about.

Bonus: ICF's 2027 Changes to ACC and PCC Credential Requirements

Use this when: you're seeing information about three observed coaching sessions, Competency Review Forms and changes to Performance Evaluations and wondering, Does this apply to my ACC renewal too?

This page is important — but read the heading carefully.

It's about changes affecting ACC and PCC credential applications through the Portfolio pathway, not simply renewing an existing ACC.

For ACC and PCC Portfolio applicants, ICF is transitioning away from its existing Performance Evaluation process and toward a mentor-coach-led Competency Review process.

From January 1 through March 31, 2027, Portfolio applicants can use either the existing Performance Evaluation route or the new MCS Competency Review route.

Beginning April 1, 2027, those applicants must use the new Competency Review process.

That does not mean everyone renewing an ACC in 2027 suddenly needs to submit three recordings or a Competency Review Form.

ICF separately confirms that these new forms are not required for ordinary credential renewal.

ICF: 2027 Changes to ACC and PCC Credential Requirements

This distinction is worth understanding because I've seen a lot of confusion between the new credential-application requirements and the requirements for someone who already has an ACC and is simply renewing it.

My Favourite ACC Renewal Resources in One Place

If I were renewing my ACC in 2027, these are the pages I'd bookmark:

Save this article somewhere easy to find, and you shouldn't have to go hunting through Google every time another renewal question comes up.

More Help With Your ACC Renewal

If you're working toward your ACC renewal, I've created several resources specifically to make the process easier to understand:

And if the piece you're still missing is your mentor coaching, that's where I can help.

Still Need Your 10 Mentor Coaching Hours?

I offer one-to-one mentor coaching specifically for coaches renewing their ICF ACC credential.

I'm an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and hold the ICF Mentor Coach Specialization at both the ACC and PCC levels.

My ACC Renewal Mentor Coaching package includes all 10 required mentor coaching hours, completed one-to-one over a minimum of three months.

We'll make sure you meet the renewal requirement, but we'll also use the time to actually look at your coaching — including recordings when useful — and work intentionally with the ICF Core Competencies so you come out of the process stronger than when you started.

Learn more about my ACC Renewal Mentor Coaching program or book a consultation.

This article reflects International Coaching Federation resources and requirements available as of September 2026. ICF requirements and webpages can change, so always verify current requirements directly with ICF when preparing your renewal application.

Justine Cochrane