A 90-day window decides whether an SAP certification stays valid each year, and SAP is changing what certified professionals can do inside it.
On 20 October 2026, SAP announced that starting in October, it is expanding its Stay Certified renewal program with AI roleplays. These practical simulations will sit alongside the existing quizzes as an optional way to renew. SAP is also introducing a new 90-day renewal window. The change is aimed at people who already hold SAP credentials, including consultants, developers, architects, project managers and sales or presales staff.
More than 100 certifications are due to be covered, SAP says, but which assessment a holder sees depends on the credential. SAP links the shift to AI and automation changing the skills workplaces need. That is SAP’s rationale, not evidence that roleplays make anyone better at the job. For holders, the pressing question is simpler: if the window closes without a pass, the credential lapses.
What SAP Stay Certified is and what changed
SAP makes business software, including finance, supply chain and human resources applications. Its certifications show that a person has passed an exam on specific SAP products. A new certification is valid for 12 months, and annual renewal, which SAP calls Stay Certified, began in April 2024. Renewal happens in SAP Learning Hub, a browser-based training platform, and managing certifications requires an SAP Universal ID account.
Roleplays change the format of that yearly check. According to SAP, a holder works through a simulated customer conversation about current SAP products, shows updated knowledge and gets feedback tied to that scenario. It is an assessment exercise, not work with a real customer. If AI terms are unfamiliar, our plain-English AI glossary covers the basics.
This follows an earlier overhaul of first-time exams. Since November 2025, SAP has used practical tasks in initial certification, such as configuring systems, writing code, pitching solutions or advising on architecture. Those examples describe initial exams, so they say little about what a renewal roleplay will ask.
SAP also announced a pilot that will let eligible learners earn renewal credit through on-site hands-on sessions at SAP TechEd in Berlin.
Is the AI roleplay mandatory?
No. SAP said learners who “prefer or require a non-AI pathway” will still be able to complete a stand-alone assessment quiz. Choice is set credential by credential, though. The available assessment depends on the credential, according to SAP’s renewal FAQ.
That means two holders renewing in the same month could see different options. SAP says renewal deadlines appear in the My Learning section of the SAP Learning site. Holders should check there which assessment their credential offers before renewing.
Anyone close to their deadline should not wait for a roleplay to appear. If a quiz is offered now, it is a renewal route in its own right.
When the SAP renewal window opens and closes
Renewal opens 90 days before a certification expires and closes on the expiry date, according to SAP’s renewal FAQ. There is no automatic grace period after expiry. Renewing early costs nothing in validity, because the FAQ states, “Your extension is always calculated from your original expiry date.”
Take a certification that expires on 1 December 2026. Its window opens on 2 September 2026. A holder who passes on 15 September keeps the original anniversary, so the credential runs to 1 December 2027. SAP’s FAQ uses the same September and December example.
Here the company’s own pages disagree. SAP’s how-to guide says validity runs “12 months from the date of passing assessment.” Read that way, the same holder would expire on 15 September 2027, 11 weeks earlier. A separate SAP page about its certification changes adds to the confusion by saying assessments can be taken at any time. The 90-day window is new with this announcement, so those pages may still describe the earlier rules. SAP has not said which page is current.
SAP’s announcement and renewal FAQ both preserve the original expiry date. Use that rule, plan around the expiry date shown in My Learning, and ask SAP support to resolve any mismatch in your account. Letting that date pass is costly. An expired credential is no longer valid, and SAP recommends passing the current-release certification exam to recertify.
Microsoft’s approach shows how little slack SAP’s window leaves. Microsoft’s renewal policy opens free online renewal six months before expiry for eligible associate, specialty and expert certifications. Its Fundamentals certifications do not expire at all. The two programs certify different skills, but SAP holders get roughly half the lead time.
Do you need SAP Learning Hub to renew?
Yes, for the Stay Certified assessments. SAP’s certification program FAQ says renewal assessments require a Learning Hub subscription. Without one, the alternative is to buy and retake a full certification exam every year.
Four certification exam attempts per year also come with the subscription. They are a separate entitlement for certification exams, so they do not count as four renewal attempts.
Below are SAP’s posted list prices for both routes in three markets.
| Market | Learning Hub, per user per year | Standalone exam package, two attempts |
|---|---|---|
| US | $1,452 | $276 |
| UK | £1,080 | Price on request |
| Germany | €1,260 | €240 |
These are list prices, so final totals after tax or negotiated discounts may differ. Germany’s price is not a guide for the rest of Europe. Learning Hub listings also specify contracts of 12 to 36 months that renew automatically.
For one US holder comparing list prices, the arithmetic is simple. Learning Hub at $1,452 minus the $276 standalone exam package leaves a gap of $1,176 a year. In Germany, the same sum gives €1,020.
Cheaper does not mean equivalent. The $276 package buys two exam attempts and 10 hours of access to a practice system, so the holder sits a full current exam again. It does not include access to renewal assessments. Learning Hub covers those assessments as well as SAP’s wider learning content. For a holder buying access for one credential, the listed US and German exam packages cost less than Learning Hub. Extra exam purchases could reduce that saving. For someone who wants to renew through a quiz or roleplay, the subscription is the only option.
Employers paying for staff should check each person’s access and credential status individually. Access to SAP training alone does not show that someone is entitled to the renewal assessment.
What to check before renewing
The announcement does not provide a credential-by-credential rollout schedule, duration, pass mark, retake limit, language list or appeal procedure. It names no roleplay testers. Initial-exam rules should not be assumed to apply to renewal.
Holders can act on what is already clear. Before renewing, sign in, open My Learning, and note the expiry date and which assessment your credential offers. After passing, check that the new expiry lands 12 months after the original date, and save a screenshot of any mismatch. Then plan to finish well inside the 90 days rather than on the last one.
Sufyan’s view: The AI roleplay is the headline, but timing is where holders can actually lose a credential. SAP’s own pages disagree on how renewal dates are calculated, so plan around the expiry date in My Learning, and check when your Learning Hub subscription ends as well. If access will end before your planned renewal, arrange continued access or an annual exam retake in advance.
