Salesforce Certification Changes 2026: Key Dates & Lists

By John Harris · 2026-07-29

Salesforce made two big changes to its certification catalog in 2026. Sixteen certifications got new names on July 24, 2026. Twenty-four more will be retired on February 1, 2027. If you hold one of them, or you were planning to study for one, here's what each change means and what's left to do.

Everything below comes from Salesforce's own pages: the Certification Name Changes FAQ, the 2027 Certification Retirements FAQ and the announcement on the Salesforce blog.

The dates

  • July 24, 2026: the 16 renames took effect. It was also the last day to register for any of the 24 retiring exams.

  • August 31, 2026: the last day to sit a retiring exam. That window has closed.

  • February 1, 2027: the 24 certifications are formally retired and marked that way on Trailblazer profiles.

So the only date still ahead is February 1, and it asks nothing of you. The decisions that mattered were due over the summer.

The 16 renames

A rename changes the label and nothing else. The Name Changes FAQ is clear about the details:

  • You don't re-earn anything.

  • The exam content and the annual maintenance requirement are unchanged.

  • Your Trailblazer profile shows the new name automatically.

  • If you've opted in to verification, employers see the new name with your original earned date.

  • New certificates and logos have been available since July 24. On your Trailblazer profile, open the drop-down next to the certification to email yourself the certificate and download the logo.

The eight Salesforce Certified credentials that were renamed:

  • Sales Cloud Consultant → Agentforce Sales Consultant

  • Service Cloud Consultant → Agentforce Service Consultant

  • Field Service Consultant → Agentforce Field Service and Operations Consultant

  • Sales Foundations → Agentforce Sales Foundations

  • Nonprofit Cloud Consultant (NPC) → Agentforce Nonprofit Consultant

  • Revenue Cloud Consultant → Revenue Management Consultant

  • Marketing Cloud Email Specialist → Marketing Cloud Engagement Specialist

  • B2C Commerce Cloud Developer → B2C Commerce Developer

And eight Accredited Professional credentials, which now start with "Salesforce Accredited":

  • B2B Commerce for Administrators → B2B Commerce Administrator Professional

  • B2B Commerce for Developers → B2B Commerce Developer Professional

  • Communications Cloud → Agentforce Communications Professional

  • Consumer Goods Cloud → Agentforce Consumer Goods Professional

  • Financial Services Cloud → Agentforce Financial Services Professional

  • Health Cloud → Agentforce Health Professional

  • Manufacturing Cloud → Agentforce Manufacturing Professional

  • Public Sector Solutions → Agentforce 360 for Public Sector Professional

Eleven of the sixteen new names include "Agentforce". The renamed exams test the same content as before, but study from the current guide rather than one you saved in the spring. Section names change between releases too: the Agentforce Sales Consultant guide now calls one of its sections "Practical Application of Agentforce Sales Expertise".

The 24 retirements

Retirement is a statement about Salesforce's catalog, not about your credential. The retirements FAQ says plainly that a retired certification is still a valid certification. Here's what changes if you hold one:

  • No more maintenance. Salesforce has removed the maintenance badge requirement for retiring certifications.

  • It stays on your Trailblazer profile, marked as retired from February 1, 2027.

  • Certificates stop. Printed or downloadable certificates won't be available for retired certifications after the retirement date, so get yours before February 1 if you want one.

Nine of the retiring credentials are Salesforce Certified: CPQ Administrator, B2B Solution Architect, B2C Commerce Architect, Industries CPQ Developer, Education Cloud Consultant, Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Consultant, MuleSoft Catalyst Consultant, MuleSoft Hyperautomation Developer and Nonprofit Success Pack Consultant. The other fifteen are Accredited Professional credentials. The retirements FAQ lists all 24, each with a suggested next step.

One trap: retiring certifications that sit on top of others

A retiring certification needs no maintenance of its own, but the certifications underneath it still do. B2B Solution Architect depends on Platform App Builder, Platform Developer, Platform Data Architect and Platform Sharing and Visibility Architect. Under Salesforce's expiration policy, if one of those expires, B2B Solution Architect expires with it. All four are due for maintenance on December 4, 2026. We cover that deadline in detail in Salesforce Certification Maintenance Due Date: Dec 4, 2026.

What's coming next

The retirements FAQ says Salesforce is developing new Tableau Next and Marketing Next exams. It doesn't give dates yet.

What to do now

  • If you hold a renamed certification, update LinkedIn and your CV, and get the new certificate and logo from your Trailblazer profile.

  • If you hold a retiring certification, download your certificate before February 1, 2027, and keep up maintenance on anything it depends on.

  • If you're studying for a renamed exam, carry on. It's the same exam under a new name. Just make sure your notes match the current guide.

  • If you're choosing your next certification, start from the current catalog and skip the retirement list.

If your next exam is Agentforce Sales Consultant or Agentforce Service Consultant, our practice courses use the new names and were checked against the current exam guides in October 2026: Agentforce Sales Consultant and Agentforce Service Consultant. Every option comes with an explanation, including why each wrong answer is wrong.

Sources

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