A remote pilot certificate does not expire on a birthday, but the privilege to act as remote pilot in command does go stale. Section 107.65 says you may not exercise those privileges unless, within the previous 24 calendar months, you have done one of three things, in a manner acceptable to the Administrator.
The three methods
First, pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test covering the areas in §107.73. That is the same UAG-style initial test a new applicant takes. It still counts as a currency method. It is not "initial only, once in a lifetime."
Second, complete recurrent training covering §107.73. The usual free course is Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent, ALC-677, on FAASafety.gov. This is the path most certificated remote pilots use. The old paid in-person recurrent knowledge test is not a current method. The grandfather in §107.65(d) for a recurrent test passed before April 6, 2021 is outside any current 24-calendar-month window, so it does not keep anyone current today.
Third, if you hold a pilot certificate other than a student pilot certificate and you meet the flight-review requirements of §61.56, complete the training that covers §107.74. The usual course for that path is ALC-515. The flight review is the qualification that lets you use this method. It is not a substitute for the training, and it is not something you must do before ALC-677. Takeoffs and landings in the previous 90 days are a manned-currency idea. They are not a §107.65 method.
Any one method is enough. You do not stack all three.
How the 24 calendar months are counted
The regulation says "within the previous 24 calendar months." The course, matching the way FAA calendar-month periods are applied on the test, counts through the end of the 24th calendar month. A remote pilot who finished recurrent training on June 10, 2024, and did nothing since, is still current on June 25, 2026, because the window runs through June 30, 2026. An exact 24-month anniversary on June 10 is the wrong clock. A 12-month clock is also wrong. The certificate itself does not expire. Acting as remote pilot in command still requires the recency.
The day inside the month does not shorten that window. Training finished on June 1, 2024, is still current through June 30, 2026, the same end date as training finished on June 10. An anniversary counted to the exact day is the wrong clock.
If the window has closed, you cannot legally be the remote pilot on a paid flight until you complete one of the three methods again. Recurrent training can restore it. You do not "renew the certificate" inside FAADroneZone and call §107.65 done. Aircraft registration renewal is a different three-year clock under Part 48.
Night operations use the same currency
Section 107.29(a) requires the night training condition: an initial knowledge test or §107.65 training completed after April 6, 2021. Currency under §107.65 is what keeps that training inside the legal window. Anti-collision lights do not replace it. The night operations page pairs the light rule with this one.
Part 61 pilots, initial versus recurrent
A person who already holds a non-student Part 61 certificate and is current on §61.56 can become a remote pilot by completing initial training (ALC-451 is the usual free initial course) instead of the UAG knowledge test, then applying through IACRA. That initial course is not the recurrent course. After the remote pilot certificate is issued, §107.65 still applies. The Part 61 certificate never meant the person could skip TSA vetting, and it does not mean the remote pilot privileges stay current without one of the three methods.
Eligibility to test in the first place, including age, is on the age and medical page. Recurrent training assumes you already hold the certificate.