Overview
Rules automate the most time-consuming parts of certification management — reminding the right people before a certification expires, generating tasks for renewal preparation, and setting recertification intervals so expiration dates are always calculated correctly. Configure rules once per certification and they apply to every assignment of that certification.
Accessing Certification Rules
To Configure Rules
From the navigation, click Certifications
Select a certification from the left panel and click Edit, or click + to create a new one
Click Next to view Renewing tab
Configuring Rules
How to Configure Initial Certification Validity
Set whether a certification becomes valid automatically on assignment, or only after a form is submitted.
From the navigation, click Certifications
Select a certification from the left panel and click Edit, or click + to create a new one
Click Next to view the Renewing tab
Under the initial validity options, select one of the following:
Certification Valid When Added — The certification becomes valid on the date it is assigned, with no additional action required
Forms Needed to Certify — The certification requires a form submission before its status changes to Valid
If Forms Needed to Certify is selected:
Click to add a form in the forms table that appears below
For each form, check the Required checkbox if the form must be submitted (vs. optional documentation)
Click Create/Save Certification
Note: This setting controls the initial assignment only. For ongoing renewal, use the Recertification section below.
How to Configure Recertification Rules
Set how often a certification must be renewed and how the new expiration date is calculated.
Open a certification for editing (or create a new one)
Click Next button to view Renewing tab
Enable Recertification by selecting the checkbox
Set the renewal interval by setting a recertification frequency
Enter a number in Every text field
Select a Frequency = Day, Week, Month or Year
Example: 1 Year = renewed annually
In Update Certification Due Date, select how the new expiration is calculated:
New certification date — Expiration is calculated forward from the date of each renewal
Last expiration date — Expiration is calculated forward from the previous expiration date (useful for keeping renewal dates consistent)
Click Save Certification
Note: Once recertification rules are set, the Expiration Date field in the renewal modal auto-calculates based on these rules. If no rules are configured, expiration dates must be entered manually.
How to Set Up Auto-Renewal via Forms
Link a form to the certification so that when it is submitted, the certification automatically renews and the next expiration date is calculated based on the recertification interval.
Open a certification for editing
Click Next to view the Renewing tab
Select the Recertification checkbox — the Auto Renewals section appears at the bottom of the recertification options
Set the renewal interval in Recertify Every (the Auto Renewals section uses this interval to calculate the next expiration date on form submission)
In the Auto Renewals section, click Add Form
Select the form from the dropdown
Click Save Certification
Note: Auto Renewals and Forms Needed to Certify are separate. Forms Needed to Certify controls whether a form is required to make a certification initially valid. Auto Renewals controls which form submissions trigger a renewal for a certification that is already active.
How to Configure Notification Rules
Set up automated notifications to alert the right people before a certification expires.
Open a certification for editing
Click Next button to view Renewing tab
Select “Send Notification”
Set when to trigger the notification:
When First Assigned
Before Expiration
When First Assigned & Before Expiration
If Before expiration or Both is selected, enter the number of days in Days out to notify (e.g., 30 = notification fires 30 days before expiration)
Select the Notify Role — this role receives the notification
Configure additional recipients:
Toggle Include Employee on to also notify the assigned employee
Check the Include Supervisor checkbox to also notify the employee's supervisor
Click Save Certification
Note: Notifications require the Notify Role field to be populated. Without a role selected, notifications will not fire even if the toggle is on.
How to Configure Task Generation Rules
Automatically create a task on a work board when a certification is approaching expiration, so renewal preparation is tracked as actionable work.
Open a certification for editing
Click Next button to view Renewing tab
Select Generate Task checkbox
Set When to trigger task creation
When First Assigned
Before Expiration
When First Assigned & Before Expiration
If Before expiration or Both is selected, enter the number of days in Days out to create task
Select Which board the task should be created on
Optionally toggle Skip Pending Queue on to send the task directly to the board \
Click Save Certification
How to Review Rules for a Certification
Select the certification from the left panel
Click the Rules tab in the right panel
The tab displays three sections: Recertification, Notifications, and Generate Task
If a section shows "No rules have been created for this certification," that rule type is not currently configured
Understanding Rule Timing Options
Both notification and task generation rules share the same timing options:
Option | When It Triggers |
First assigned | Immediately when the certification is assigned to an entity |
Before expiration | X days before the certification's expiration date |
Both | At both points — when first assigned AND X days before expiration |
Use First assigned when you want immediate awareness (e.g., "This employee now requires OSHA training"). Use Before expiration when you want advance warning to take action before the deadline. Use Both when both immediate awareness and advance warning are important.
Best Practices
Set Recertification Rules First: Configure renewal frequency before assigning a certification to entities — this ensures expiration dates are calculated automatically for every assignment.
Match Notification Timing to Your Workflow: If renewals take weeks to complete, set notifications 45–60 days out; for same-day renewals, 7–14 days may be sufficient.
Use Both Timing for Critical Certifications: For high-stakes certifications (e.g., safety or legal compliance), use "Both" timing so there is an immediate record and an advance warning.
Assign Tasks to the Right Board: Choose the work board that is monitored by the team responsible for renewals — don't assign tasks to boards no one checks regularly.
Use Auto-Renewal for Form-Driven Certifications: If your renewal process already involves a form submission, configure Auto Renewals so the system updates automatically rather than requiring a separate manual step.
Troubleshooting
Issue: Notifications are not being sent for a certification
Solution: The Notify Role field may be empty, or the Notify toggle may be off.
Confirm the Notify toggle is on in the certification's Renewing tab
Verify the Notify Role field has a role selected — notifications cannot fire without a role
Check that the timing is correctly configured (Before expiration with appropriate days out)
Confirm the certification has an expiration date — notifications cannot calculate timing without one
Issue: Tasks are being created on the wrong board
Solution: The Which Board setting may need to be updated, or tasks may be landing in the pending queue.
Edit the certification and update the Which board field under Generate Task
Check whether Skip Pending Queue is set as expected — tasks may be appearing in the pending queue rather than the board
Save and verify the Rules tab reflects the correct board
Issue: The expiration date is not auto-calculating when renewing
Solution: The Renewable toggle or Recertify Every interval may not be configured.
Confirm the certification has the Renewable toggle enabled and a Recertify Every interval set
If rules are set but the date still doesn't calculate, check the From option — "Last expiration date" requires a prior expiration date to exist
Edit the certification to verify all recertification fields are properly saved
Issue: The Rules tab shows "No rules have been created for this certification"
Solution: This is expected if no rules have been configured — it is not an error.
Edit the certification and use the Renewing tab to add rules
After saving, return to the Rules tab to confirm they appear
Issue: A form is not appearing in the Forms Needed to Certify list or the Auto Renewals list
Solution: Both lists only show forms that have a Certification dropdown field added to them, and that dropdown must be configured to match the certification type being edited.
Open the form in Form Builder and confirm it has a Certification dropdown question on it — forms without this field will not appear in either list
Verify the certification dropdown on the form is set to match the type of certification you are editing (Employee, Asset, or Client)
If the same form is used across multiple certifications, each certification type requires its own certification dropdown configured on the form
Confirm the form has not already been added to the same list — a form already selected cannot be added again
Summary
Certification rules eliminate manual follow-up by automating the three most critical parts of certification management: calculating renewal dates, notifying the right people in advance, and generating tasks for renewal work. Configure rules once in the Renewing tab when creating or editing a certification, and review them at any time in the read-only Rules tab. Well-configured rules ensure no certification lapses go unnoticed and renewal work is always assigned and tracked.