Do I Need Coaching Recordings for ACC Renewal in 2027?
Do I Need Coaching Recordings for ACC Renewal in 2027?
Updated September 2026
If you're renewing your ICF ACC credential in 2027, you may have heard a lot lately about coaching recordings, three observed sessions, Session Observation Forms and Competency Review Forms.
Which understandably raises the question:
Do I need to submit coaching recordings to renew my ACC in 2027?
The short answer is:
No. If you already hold an ACC and are simply renewing your credential, you do not need to submit a coaching recording to ICF as part of your ACC renewal application.
You also do not need to submit the new MCS Session Observation Forms or Competency Review Form for an ordinary ACC renewal. ICF explicitly confirms that those forms are not required for credential renewal.
But there is an important distinction here.
Not needing to submit a recording to ICF does not mean recordings — or observed coaching — aren't part of good mentor coaching.
In fact, ICF defines mentor coaching as a developmental process involving feedback based on your observed coaching, and says mentor coaches may listen to recorded or otherwise observed coaching sessions to provide feedback based on the ICF Core Competencies.
So let's sort out exactly what applies to you if you're renewing your ACC in 2027.
Do I Have to Submit a Coaching Recording to ICF for ACC Renewal?
No.
If you already hold an ACC and are completing your regular three-year credential renewal, ICF does not require you to submit a coaching recording for another Performance Evaluation.
You also aren't required to “pass” another recorded coaching session simply because your ACC is up for renewal.
Your ACC renewal requirements instead include your 40 Continuing Coach Education credits, which include your required 10 hours of mentor coaching.
Those 10 mentor coaching hours must still:
take place over at least three months,
include at least three hours of individual mentor coaching,
focus on developing your coaching skills in alignment with the ICF Core Competencies,
and, beginning January 1, 2027, be provided by an appropriately qualified ICF Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS) holder if the mentor coaching is newly received in 2027.
So if you're looking at your ACC renewal checklist wondering where the “upload my coaching recording” box is:
There isn't one.
Then Why Am I Hearing So Much About Three Coaching Recordings in 2027?
This is where a lot of the confusion is coming from.
ICF is making a major change to the way coaching competency is validated for certain new ACC and PCC credential applications.
That is different from renewing an ACC you already hold.
Historically, an ACC Portfolio applicant has submitted one recorded coaching session for an ICF Performance Evaluation, while a PCC Portfolio applicant has submitted two.
ICF is moving away from that one-time Performance Evaluation model for ACC and PCC Portfolio applicants.
Instead, coaching skills will increasingly be evaluated developmentally over time through work with a mentor coach who holds the appropriate MCS.
Under the new process, an ACC or PCC Portfolio applicant works with their specialized mentor coach across the mentor-coaching engagement.
The mentor coach observes a minimum of three coaching sessions and uses those observations to inform the coach's development.
At the end of the engagement, the mentor coach completes a Competency Review Form documenting whether the coach has demonstrated proficiency across the required competencies.
That's probably the “three recordings” language you've been hearing.
But technically, even that description isn't quite right.
It's three observed coaching sessions, not necessarily “three recordings submitted to ICF.”
The whole point of the change is that coaching competency is being observed and developed over time instead of assessed through one high-stakes recording at the end.
When Does the New Competency Review Process Start?
ICF has created a transition period.
From January 1 through March 31, 2027, ACC and PCC Portfolio applicants can choose between:
the existing Performance Evaluation process, where recorded coaching sessions are submitted for assessment by ICF-trained assessors, or
the new Competency Review process completed with an appropriately specialized MCS mentor coach.
Beginning April 1, 2027, ACC and PCC Portfolio applicants must use the new Competency Review process rather than the traditional Performance Evaluation route.
Again, though:
This is about applying for an ACC or PCC credential through the Portfolio pathway.
It is not a new requirement being added to your regular ACC renewal.
Do I Need the New Session Observation Forms for ACC Renewal?
No.
ICF's 2027 renewal guidance specifically answers this question.
The MCS Session Observation and Competency Review Forms are not required to renew your credential.
However, ICF also says that renewal candidates and their mentor coaches may still choose to use the forms because they're designed to provide a foundation for discussion about the coach's skills.
I think that's an important distinction.
There is:
What ICF requires you to submit
and then there is:
What might actually make your mentor coaching valuable.
Those aren't always exactly the same thing.
If Recordings Aren't Required for Renewal, Why Would I Use Them?
Because talking about how you think you coach and actually listening to how you coach can produce two very different conversations.
You might come into a mentor coaching session saying:
I think I ask too many questions.
Or:
I struggle with staying out of problem-solving.
Or:
I'm not sure whether I'm coaching at the ACC or PCC level.
Those are useful starting points.
But once we're looking at an actual coaching conversation, we can get much more specific.
We might notice:
Where did your client generate new awareness?
Where did you stay deeply curious?
Where did you follow the client's language?
Where did you subtly lead them toward your own idea?
Where might you have stayed with something longer?
When did you shift from coaching into advising?
What happened immediately before the client had an insight?
Which competencies are already becoming natural strengths?
And which patterns keep showing up across different sessions?
That's where recording review can become incredibly valuable.
It's not about finding everything you did “wrong.”
It's about having actual evidence to work with.
Isn't Mentor Coaching Supposed to Be Based on Observed Coaching Anyway?
Yes.
ICF describes mentor coaching as a collaborative process where coaches receive feedback based on observed sessions to develop their coaching skills in alignment with the Core Competencies. ICF's own description of the process says mentor coaches listen to recorded or observed coaching sessions and provide competency-based feedback.
That's different from regular coaching.
If you spend your mentor coaching sessions talking about:
how to get more coaching clients,
your website,
your pricing,
whether you should leave your job,
your work-life balance,
or general challenges in your coaching business,
you may be having useful conversations — but that's not what the ICF mentor-coaching requirement is designed for.
Mentor coaching is specifically about developing your coaching.
Observed coaching gives you and your mentor something concrete to examine together.
Does My Mentor Have to Listen to the Recording During Our Session?
No.
Your mentor coach can review a recording before you meet and then use your mentor coaching session to discuss what they observed.
But there's an important rule here:
The time your mentor coach spends privately listening to your recording or preparing feedback does not count toward your required 10 mentor coaching hours.
Only the interactive time you spend together in dialogue and feedback counts toward the 10 hours. ICF states this explicitly.
For example:
If your mentor coach spends 45 minutes listening to one of your coaching recordings before your appointment and then you have a 60-minute mentor coaching session discussing it, you receive:
60 minutes of mentor coaching credit.
Not 1 hour and 45 minutes.
The listening and preparation time is part of the mentor coach's work, but it isn't part of your 10 countable hours.
Do I Need Three Observed Sessions for ACC Renewal?
No.
The minimum of three observed coaching sessions is connected to the new Competency Review process for ACC and PCC credential applicants using that pathway.
ICF does not currently say that an ACC renewal candidate must submit proof of three observed sessions in order to renew.
Your renewal requirement remains 10 hours of mentor coaching over at least three months, including at least three one-to-one hours.
That said, using more than one sample of your coaching can make the developmental experience significantly richer.
One coaching recording is one conversation on one day with one client.
It doesn't necessarily tell us everything about your coaching.
When we look at coaching over time, we can start to see patterns.
And that developmental approach — feedback, reflection, practice and then returning to the work again — is exactly why ICF requires mentor coaching to span at least three months rather than allowing coaches to complete all 10 hours in a weekend.
What If I Don't Currently Have a Coaching Practice?
This is a very reasonable concern.
Some coaches arrive at ACC renewal after a period when they haven't been coaching very much.
Maybe coaching became a smaller part of your work.
Maybe you moved into another role.
Maybe you took a break from your practice.
Maybe life simply got busy.
And now your ACC renewal is approaching and someone is talking about bringing coaching recordings to mentor coaching.
You don't need to show up with a perfect coaching practice and a folder full of polished recordings.
Part of the work may be getting you coaching again.
And remember: your recording isn't supposed to prove you're already an exceptional coach.
If we're using it developmentally, its job is to give us something real to learn from.
A recording where there are clear opportunities for development can actually give us plenty to work with.
Do I Need Client Permission to Record a Coaching Session?
Yes — you should obtain appropriate consent before recording a client coaching session.
Recording a coaching conversation involves client confidentiality and data, so this isn't something to do casually or without the client's knowledge.
Be clear about:
that the session will be recorded,
why you're recording it,
who will have access to it,
how it will be used,
and how you will handle and store the recording.
If you're going to use recordings for mentor coaching, talk to your mentor about their process before recording clients so you understand what you'll need.
What If I'm Planning to Apply for My PCC Later?
This is where the distinction between renewal and credential application becomes particularly important.
You may be renewing your ACC now while also thinking:
Eventually, I want my PCC.
If you're planning to apply for PCC through the Portfolio pathway after April 1, 2027, the new Competency Review process matters much more.
ICF says PCC Portfolio applicants will need to work with an MCS-PCC, have their coaching observed during the mentor-coaching process, and submit the appropriate Competency Review documentation with their application.
ICF's renewal guidance even points this out specifically: while the new forms aren't required for an ACC renewal, you may need them if you later want to use that mentor coaching toward a PCC Portfolio application.
So if PCC is on your horizon, tell your mentor coach.
It may affect how you structure your mentor coaching and what documentation you want to complete along the way.
What Changes for My ACC Renewal in 2027, Then?
If you strip away all the noise about recordings and forms, the main mentor-coaching change for ACC renewal is actually quite straightforward.
Your basic requirement remains:
10 hours of mentor coaching
over at least three months
with at least three one-to-one hours.
Beginning January 1, 2027, any new mentor coaching you receive needs to come from someone who holds the appropriate ICF Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS).
For an ACC coach, you can receive ACC-level mentor coaching from an MCS-ACC or PCC-level mentor coaching from an MCS-PCC.
I've written a complete explanation of that change here:
Do I Need an MCS Mentor Coach for ACC Renewal in 2027?
And if you're trying to understand all of your renewal requirements — not just mentor coaching — start here:
ICF ACC Renewal Requirements for 2027: The Complete Checklist
So: Do I Need Coaching Recordings for ACC Renewal in 2027?
Here's the simplest way to remember it.
Do you need to submit coaching recordings to ICF to renew your ACC?
No.
Do you need to submit the new Session Observation or Competency Review Forms?
No.
Do you need to complete another Performance Evaluation?
No.
Is mentor coaching still supposed to focus on your actual coaching skills and include feedback based on observed coaching?
Yes.
Can recordings be an extremely useful way for your mentor coach to observe your coaching and give you specific feedback?
Absolutely.
And for me, that's where this work gets interesting.
Need Your 10 Mentor Coaching Hours for ACC Renewal?
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 hours of one-to-one mentor coaching, completed over a minimum of three months.
We'll work with your real coaching and use recordings when they're helpful so that our conversations can move beyond “I think I do this…” and into specific, evidence-based feedback about what is actually happening in your coaching.
The goal is to meet your ACC renewal requirement.
But I'd also like you to finish those 10 hours feeling like you're a meaningfully stronger, more intentional coach than when you started.
Learn more about my ACC Renewal Mentor Coaching program or book a consultation.
This article reflects International Coaching Federation requirements and published transition guidance available as of September 2026. ICF credentialing requirements can change, so always verify current requirements directly with ICF when preparing your renewal.