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Customers who joined Drata on or after Feb 24, 2026 are automatically on the New Experience.
Instructions for the New Experience ⬇️
Policy renewals help ensure your policies remain current, reviewed on time, and compliant with applicable frameworks. In Drata, every policy includes a renewal date that determines when a policy must be reviewed, updated, or acknowledged again.
Renewal dates affect compliance tests, tasks, and audit readiness, making them a key part of ongoing policy management.
Why policy renewals matter
Policy renewals help your organization:
Meet framework requirements for periodic policy review or acknowledgment
Generate tasks for upcoming policy reviews or acknowledgments
Keep policy-related compliance tests passing
Different frameworks have different renewal expectations. Some require only review, while others require personnel acknowledgment. Drata supports both scenarios. If you are using an external policy management system, ensure that policies are configured correctly within that connection to align with framework requirements.
View and update renewal dates
You can track and update renewal dates in multiple places:
Policies table: Go to the Policies page and scroll to the Renewl date column in the table.
Policy details: Open a policy and view the renewal date in the Overview tab.
If a policy’s renewal date is in the past and the policy isn’t Published, you must update the renewal date before continuing.
When a renewal date is overdue, these actions are blocked:
Finalizing a draft
Approving the policy
Saving changes to an approved policy
Publishing the policy
Update an overdue renewal date
Many frameworks require annual review or acknowledgment. Set renewal dates early enough to allow time for review, approval, and acknowledgment before deadlines.
Open Governance → Policies.
Open the policy.
In the Overview tab, select Edit in the Details section.
Enter a future renewal date.
Select Save.
Policy renewals, tasks, and compliance tests
Drata automatically creates tasks based on policy renewal dates. You can track these tasks on the Tasks page to ensure reviews and acknowledgments happen on time. To track acknowledgment dates, navigate to the Personnel section in Drata. Use the Compliance Overview feature to view and download acknowledgment records, ensuring accurate and reliable data.
Policy renewal scenarios
Scenario 1: Personnel acknowledgments during policy renewals
Use this workflow when personnel must re-acknowledge a policy on a recurring basis (for example, annually).
What you do:
Review the policy to confirm it is still accurate.
Update the renewal date to the next acknowledgment deadline.
Publish the policy and notify personnel to acknowledge it.
Outcome:
Personnel acknowledgment is required
Compliance tests track acknowledgment status
Note about audit packages: Audit packages display acknowledgment status for the latest published version of a policy. This design ensures that audit reports reflect your organization’s current.
Since audit packages reflect the current published policy state, organizations that need to reference acknowledgment timing for an earlier version should retain exported documentation for that version as part of their audit records.
Recommended practice
Before renewing a policy with re-acknowledgment, export the relevant acknowledgment report or audit package for the current version and retain it in your audit documentation.
Scenario 2: Renew a policy without content updates
If a policy remains valid and doesn’t require changes, you can renew it without updating content.
To use this option:
The policy must be Published
No Draft version can exist
You must be the Policy Owner
Renew without updates
Open Governance → Policies.
Open the published policy.
Select Renew without updates in the header.
In the renewal modal:
Select a new renewal date.
Choose whether personnel acknowledgment is required.
Yes: The Notify personnel modal appears.
No: Acknowledgment is assumed if personnel acknowledged a previous version.
Choose whether approval is required.
Yes: The policy moves to Needs approval.
No: The policy is published immediately.
Select Renew to confirm.
Outcome
A new minor version is created
The Published date updates to the renewal confirmation date
Approval and acknowledgment occur only if selected
Instructions for the Classic Experience ⬇️
Keeping your policies up to date is essential for maintaining compliance and ensuring that employees are informed of current requirements. In Drata, each policy includes a renewal date. The policy renewal date defines when a policy must be reviewed, updated, or acknowledged again.
Policy renewals help your organization:
Conduct compliance checks for policy-related tests.
Trigger tasks on the Tasks page for upcoming policy reviews or acknowledgments.
Different compliance frameworks have different renewal requirements. Some policies only need periodic reviews, while others require personnel acknowledgment. Drata provides flexible renewal options to help you meet these requirements efficiently.
Policy Renewal Scenarios
Depending on your framework, you may need to renew a policy in one of the following ways.
Require Policy Reviews
If your framework mandates periodic reviews without requiring personnel acknowledgment, you can update the renewal date without making policy content changes.
Review the policy to confirm it is accurate and up to date.
Update the renewal date to the next review deadline.
Outcome
If you are a Policy Owner, the policy remains Published, and no personnel acknowledgment is required.
Require Policy Reviews and Personnel Acknowledgment
If your framework requires personnel to acknowledge policies on a regular cadence, follow these steps:
Review the policy to ensure it is accurate and relevant.
Adjust the renewal date to the next acknowledgment deadline.
Select Update.
Publish and notify personnel to acknowledge the updated policy.
Outcome
Personnel acknowledgment is required.
Renew a Policy Without Updates
If a policy remains valid without requiring updates, you can renew it without making changes. This option is ideal for keeping policies current while streamlining approvals.
To renew a policy without updates, ensure the following:
The policy is in the Published state.
The policy does not have an existing Draft version.
You are the Policy Owner.
This feature is not available for policies connected to BambooHR.
After you’ve met the above requirements, you can renew a policy without any updates:
Navigate to the published policy.
Select Renew without updates in the header.
In the Renew without updates modal:
Select a renewal date.
Does this renewal need personnel acknowledgement?
YES, personnel acknowledgement is needed: The Notify personnel modal appears.
NO, personnel acknowledgement is not needed: Acknowledgment is assumed if personnel acknowledged a previous version.
Does this renewal need approval?
Yes, approval is needed: The policy enters Needs approval status.
No, approval is not needed: The policy is published immediately.
Select Renew to finalize the renewal.
Outcome
Creates a new minor version of the policy.
Updates the Published Date to reflect the renewal confirmation date.
This option allows you to send the policy for reapproval if needed.
Manage Policy Renewal Dates
Since every policy in Drata requires a renewal date, you can track and update renewal dates in the following ways:
Policy Center Table: The renewal date is displayed in the Policy Center table for quick reference.
Policy Details: Select a policy and then ensure you are on the Overview tab to view its renewal date.
When selecting the renewal date:
Many frameworks require policies to be reviewed and acknowledged annually by your personnel.
To maintain compliance and pass audits successfully, set a renewal date that gives your team sufficient time to review and acknowledge policies before the annual deadline.
Update an Overdue Renewal Date
If a policy’s renewal date is overdue and it is not in the Published status, you must update the date before making any other changes.
If the renewal date is in the past, the following actions will be blocked until the renewal date is updated:
Finalizing a draft.
Approving the policy.
Saving changes to an Approved policy.
Publishing the policy.
Steps to Update the Renewal Date
Navigate to the Policy Center
Select the policy.
Click the Edit button under the Details section within the Overview tab.
Enter a future date for the renewal.
Select Save.
Policy Renewal and Tasks
Drata automatically generates policy-related tasks based on the renewal date. You can find these tasks on the Tasks page.
Policy Renewal and Tests
Policy-related compliance tests use the renewal date to determine whether a policy is still valid. If the renewal date is overdue, the test fails, requiring corrective action.
The following image illustrates a compliance test for the Acceptable Use Policy, ensuring the policy is in place and valid before its renewal date.