These requirements become effective on January 1, 2010.
These requirements appear in the official Boy Scout
Handbook, 12th Edition, which was issued in 2009,
but did not take effect until January 1, 2010.
If a Scout started work toward a rank before that date using requirements that
were current before January 1, 2010,
he may complete that rank only using the old requirements.
Any progress toward a rank that is begun after January 1, 2010, must use the
requirements as they are presented
in the Boy Scout Handbook (34622) or in Boy Scout Requirements book (34765)
To see the requirements with the changes highlighted, Click here.
To see the previous requirements, Click here.
To see the current requirements, Click here.
Note that Eagle Palms are NOT considered "Ranks" by BSA.
The Charter and Bylaws in Article X, Section 1, Clause 6, states:
"Ranks. There shall be the following ranks in Boy Scouting: Tenderfoot, Second
Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle. The requirements shall be those authorized
by the Executive Board and set forth in official Scouting publications. Eagle
Palms may also be awarded on the basis of requirements authorized by the Executive
Board and set forth in official Scouting publications."
After becoming an Eagle Scout, you may earn Palms by completing the following requirements:
- Be active in your troop and patrol for at least 3 months after becoming an Eagle Scout or after the award of last Palm.*
- Demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in your everyday life.
- Make a satisfactory effort to develop and demonstrate leadership ability.
- Earn five additional merit badges beyond those required for Eagle or last Palm.**.
- Take Part in a Scoutmaster conference.
- Complete your board of review.
You may wear only the proper combination of Palms for the number of merit badges you earned beyond the rank of Eagle. The Bronze Palm represents 5 merit badges, the Gold Palm 10, and the Silver Palm 15.
* Eagle Palms must be earned in sequence, and the three-month tenure requirement must be observed for each Palm.
**Merit Badges earned any time since becoming a Boy Scout may be used to meet this requirement.
| Worksheet for use in working on these requirements: | Format | |
|---|---|---|
| Word Format | PDF Format | |
Please note that Requirement 6 - (Complete your board of review) MAY be done AFTER the Scout has reached age 18.
The requirements above are those for boys enrolled in the Boy Scout Division as members of Boy Scout Troops (including Venture Patrols within Troops) or Varsity Scout Teams.
Click here for the guidelines which apply to members of Venturing Crews or Sea Scout Ships.
NOTE: Scouts who earn three Palms may continue to earn additional Palms in the same order - bronze, gold, and silver. All requirements for Eagle Palms must be completed before a candidate's 18th birthday. The Palms beyond Silver can't be entered into BSA's Scoutnet database, since there doesn't appear to be a way to record multiple instances of the awards, just the number of merit badges earned, but a Scout can still earn and wear the multiple Palms.
The following Table shows how many and which Palms should be worn for various numbers of Merit Badges beyond the 21 required for Eagle Scout, and how long it takes to earn these palms ( assuming exactly 3 months between each Board of Review). To get to the theoretical maximum of 24 Palms (8 Silver Palms), a Scout would have to have his Eagle Board of Review before his 12th birthday, and then have each successive Board of Review at exactly 3 month intervals, and have earned virtually every current merit badge, including the Historic merit badges which were available only in 2010.
| Palm Number |
Merit Badges beyond those required for Eagle Scout |
Total Merit Badges since joining Scouts |
Minimum number of Months since earning Eagle | Number of Palms to be worn | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Gold | Silver | ||||
| 1 | 5 | 26 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 10 | 31 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 3 | 15 | 36 | 9 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 20 | 41 | 12 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | 25 | 46 | 15 | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | 30 | 51 | 18 | 2 | ||
| 7 | 35 | 56 | 21 | 1 | 2 | |
| 8 | 40 | 61 | 24 | 1 | 2 | |
| 9 | 45 | 66 | 27 | 3 | ||
| 10 | 50 | 71 | 30 | 1 | 3 | |
| 11 | 55 | 76 | 33 | 1 | 3 | |
| 12 | 60 | 81 | 36 | 4 | ||
| 13 | 65 | 86 | 39 | 1 | 4 | |
| 14 | 70 | 91 | 42 | 1 | 4 | |
| 15 | 75 | 96 | 45 | 5 | ||
| 16 | 80 | 101 | 48 | 1 | 5 | |
| 17 | 85 | 106 | 51 | 1 | 5 | |
| 18 | 90 | 111 | 54 | 6 | ||
| 19 | 95 | 116 | 57 | 1 | 6 | |
| 20 | 100 | 121 | 60 | 1 | 6 | |
| 21 | 105 | 126 | 63 | 7 | ||
| 22 | 110 | 131 | 66 | 1 | 7 | |
| 23 | 115 | 136 | 69 | 1 | 7 | |
| 24 | 120 | 141 | 72 | 8 | ||
