Salesforce’s 2026 Certification Changes: 24 Retirements and 16 Renames Explained

Salesforce’s certification program just went through its biggest restructuring since Agentforce launched. On June 9, 2026, Salesforce announced that 24 certifications are being fully retired and 16 more are getting new names, most of them picking up “Agentforce” somewhere in the title. If you’re reading this on or around August 12, two of the three key dates have already passed, and the third is closing fast.

Renaming took effect July 24. Registration for any of the 24 retiring exams closed that same day. What’s still open is a narrow window for anyone who registered before the cutoff: those exams have to actually be sat and passed by August 31, nineteen days from today. After that, the credentials disappear from the active catalog for good on February 1, 2027. Here’s what changed, why Salesforce did it now, and what it actually means depending on where you are in your own certification plans.

The Full Scope of Salesforce’s 2026 Certification Overhaul

This isn’t a routine annual refresh. Salesforce reshuffles certification names periodically as products evolve, but combining 24 outright retirements with 16 renames in a single announcement is a heavier hand than the program has used in past cycles, and it lands squarely on the Industry Cloud, CPQ, Marketing Cloud, and MuleSoft credentials that cover some of Salesforce’s most specialized (and highest-paying) roles.

16 Certifications Renamed for the Agentforce Era

These are name changes only, confirmed directly in Salesforce’s own certification name changes FAQ. Exam content, question counts, and existing credentials are untouched, and nobody holding one of these certifications needs to retake anything. The new name simply appears on your Trailblazer profile going forward. Nine of the sixteen picked up “Agentforce” in the new title, separate from the standalone Agentforce Specialist certification, which predates this rename wave and already carried the branding on its own.

One rename is worth flagging because it isn’t Agentforce-branded: Marketing Cloud Email Specialist becoming Marketing Cloud Engagement Specialist. That one tracks a product change rather than a marketing push, reflecting how far the tool has moved past plain email sends. DirectCertify’s own comparison of the Salesforce Administrator and Agentforce Specialist paths covers how the standalone Agentforce credential fits alongside these newly renamed ones, if you’re trying to figure out where Agentforce Specialist sits relative to a renamed cloud-specific consultant track.

24 Certifications Being Fully Retired on February 1, 2027

These aren’t getting new names. Registration closed July 24, the last possible exam date is August 31, and after that they’re gone from the active catalog, though anyone who passed one keeps it on their profile permanently. Grouped by area, the retiring list looks like this:

• CPQ and Revenue: CPQ Administrator, CPQ and Billing Consultant Accredited Professional, Industries CPQ Developer
• Industry Clouds: B2B Solution Architect, B2C Commerce Architect, Consumer Goods Cloud Trade Promotion Management Accredited Professional, Education Cloud Consultant, Energy and Utilities Cloud Accredited Professional, Contact Center Accredited Professional, Nonprofit Success Pack Consultant, Net Zero Cloud Accredited Professional, Loyalty Management Accredited Professional, Media Cloud Accredited Professional
• Marketing Cloud: Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Consultant, Marketing Cloud Advanced Cross Channel Accredited Professional, Marketing Cloud Intelligence Accredited Professional, Marketing Cloud Personalization Accredited Professional
• Field Service and Operations: Advanced Field Service Accredited Professional, Order Management Administrator Accredited Professional, Order Management Developer Accredited Professional, Process Automation Accredited Professional
• MuleSoft and Platform: MuleSoft Catalyst Consultant, MuleSoft Hyperautomation Developer, Heroku Developer Accredited Professional

Several of these sit directly under specializations the market is currently rewarding, which is worth knowing before you assume “retiring” means “irrelevant.” Consumer Goods Cloud’s Trade Promotion Management credential is a good example. DirectCertify’s own guide to that certification is worth a look if you’re weighing whether to squeeze in the exam before August 31 or wait for whatever fills the gap.

Why Salesforce Is Doing This Now

The short version, echoed across most Salesforce ecosystem commentary since the announcement, is Agentforce. Salesforce has spent the past year and a half pushing agentic AI into every layer of its platform, and the certification catalog was still full of names built around older product lines like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and standalone Marketing Cloud tools that no longer map cleanly to how those products are sold or configured today. Renaming nine credentials to carry the Agentforce label is a branding move first, tied to where Salesforce wants prospective certification holders (and the employers evaluating them) to associate the skill with the current product direction.

The retirements are a separate, more practical cleanup. A number of the 24 retiring credentials were Accredited Professional-tier badges, a lighter certification tier Salesforce has been consolidating for a couple of years now, alongside genuinely lower-demand tracks like standalone Heroku Developer accreditation. Rather than maintain dozens of narrow badges indefinitely, Salesforce appears to be folding that coverage into fewer, broader consultant and architect-level credentials going forward, though it hasn’t published a full 1:1 replacement map for every retiring exam yet.

Where Things Actually Stand as of August 12, 2026

The timeline matters more than the headline number here, because what you should do depends entirely on which side of these dates you’re on right now.

If You Already Hold One of These Certifications

Nothing changes for you today. A retired certification stays valid, stays listed on your Trailblazer profile, and remains visible to employers through Salesforce’s public verification tool. Starting February 1, 2027, it will display a “retired” status next to it, but that’s a label change, not a demotion of what you actually know or accomplished.

If You Already Registered and Are Mid-Prep

You’re in the only group with real time pressure left. A few things worth doing in the next nineteen days:

1. Confirm your scheduled exam date is locked in for on or before August 31, not just registered “sometime this window”
2. Prioritize study time on the retiring exam over any newer material, since a missed August 31 sitting can’t be rescheduled into a retired credential
3. Keep a copy of your registration confirmation in case a rescheduling dispute comes up close to the deadline
4. If you’re not realistically ready, weigh whether a rushed attempt is worth it versus redirecting that study time toward the successor path now

If You Haven’t Registered Yet

Registration for all 24 retiring exams closed July 24, so this path is closed regardless of readiness. The practical move is deciding which surviving or renamed credential actually covers the same ground you were originally after.

Which Salesforce Certification Actually Makes Sense to Pursue Now

Salesforce hasn’t published an official replacement mapping for most of the 24 retiring exams, so treat the following as informed direction rather than a guaranteed 1:1 swap.

If You Wanted CPQ Administrator or Industries CPQ Developer

Look at the renamed Revenue Management Consultant track. Salesforce has been steadily folding CPQ configuration knowledge into its broader Revenue Cloud consultant line, and that credential is the closest thing to a current successor for pricing and quoting specialists.

If You Wanted Education Cloud Consultant or Nonprofit Success Pack Consultant

The renamed Agentforce Nonprofit Consultant credential is the closest active equivalent for nonprofit-focused work. Education Cloud Consultant itself is still testable through August 31 for anyone already registered, so there’s no need to abandon that path yet if you’re already mid-prep.

If You Wanted a Marketing Cloud Accredited Professional Badge

Account Engagement, Advanced Cross Channel, Intelligence, and Personalization don’t have a direct successor yet. The safer long-term bet is the core Marketing Cloud Engagement Specialist credential, formerly Email Specialist, or Marketing Cloud Administrator if your role leans more technical. DirectCertify’s guide to Financial Services Cloud certification is a useful reference point too, since Financial Services Cloud is one of the renamed (not retired) credentials, now carrying the Agentforce Financial Services name while keeping identical exam content.

If You Wanted B2B Solution Architect or B2C Commerce Architect

No renamed equivalent exists for either one. The architect-tier Salesforce credentials outside the retiring list, like Data Architect or Integration Architect, are the closer active alternatives depending on your specialization.

What Salesforce-Certified Professionals Are Actually Earning in 2026

Certification value ultimately gets tested against what the market pays, and the current numbers back up why people keep pursuing these credentials even through a disruptive rename cycle. As of March 2026, ZipRecruiter reports a national average salary of $98,862 a year for Salesforce Certified Administrators, with the top 10 percent of earners clearing $140,000. Payscale’s own survey data, drawn from over 800 respondents, puts the average base closer to $91,000, with a typical range of $60,000 to $124,000 depending on experience and location.

• ZipRecruiter national average: $98,862 per year
• ZipRecruiter top 10 percent: $140,000 or more
• Payscale average base salary: roughly $91,000
• Payscale typical range: $60,000 to $124,000

What’s notable for this specific announcement is which roles are pulling ahead of the pack. Recent Salesforce staffing analysis points to CPQ consultants, Revenue Cloud architects, Marketing Cloud developers, and Health Cloud implementation specialists as the fastest-growing hiring categories right now, faster than generalist administrator roles. Every one of those specialties has a certification directly touched by this announcement, whether renamed, retired, or sitting adjacent to a retiring credential. That’s not a coincidence. Employers are hiring for exactly the specialized, product-specific skill sets this restructuring is trying to make the certification catalog reflect more accurately.

Before You Register for Anything Salesforce-Related This Month

A few quick checks are worth running before committing study time or money to any Salesforce exam right now:

• Confirm the specific exam code you’re targeting isn’t on the 24-exam retirement list above, since registration is already closed for all of them
• If you’re eyeing a renamed credential, verify the practice materials or study guide you’re using reflect the new name, not just the old one, to avoid confusion when scheduling through Pearson VUE
• Check whether the role you’re studying for has a genuinely current successor track rather than assuming one automatically exists
• If you already hold a soon-to-be-retired credential, don’t worry about recertifying early. There’s no indication Salesforce is invalidating existing badges ahead of the published retirement date

DirectCertify is an independent certification prep provider and has no affiliation with, endorsement from, or sponsorship by Salesforce. Exam codes, registration windows, and retirement dates are Salesforce’s to set and can shift, so confirm current status directly on Trailhead or your Salesforce Certification account before paying for or scheduling any exam mentioned here.

Frequently Asked Questions About Salesforce’s 2026 Certification Changes