Designing a reminder schedule around renewal lead time

Map each credential to its renewal lead time

List every credential type used in the roster. Next to each, write the minimum number of days the issuer requires to process a renewal — e.g., CPR/AED: 14 days, Forklift evaluation: 30 days, OSHA 10: 45 days. If the issuer publishes a range, use the longest published value.

Build the reminder offsets

Subtract the lead time from the expiry date to get the "latest safe start" date. Then add two earlier offsets: one at twice the lead time (early notice) and one at the lead time itself (final notice). For a 30‑day lead time, the three offsets become 60, 30, and 0 days before expiry.

Worked example — CPR/AED renewal

Credential: CPR/AED Issuer lead time: 14 days Offsets calculated: - Early notice: 28 days before expiry (2 × 14) - Final notice: 14 days before expiry (1 × 14) - Day‑of expiry: 0 days (escalation) If Sam Okafor’s CPR/AED expires 2026-04-15, the reminders fire on 2026-03-18, 2026-04-01, and 2026-04-15.

Exception — credentials with no published lead time

For credentials where the issuer does not publish a processing window (some vendor‑specific cards), default to a 21‑day lead time and flag the credential type with a "Lead time assumed" tag. Review the assumption after the first renewal cycle and adjust if actual processing took longer.

Result: Reminder dates are tied to real processing constraints, so the last notice always lands early enough to complete the renewal before the card lapses.

Related: Cert Expiry Tracker features.