Task · part of Eagle Palm Requirements. Requirement 3: five more merit badges
Eagle Palm Requirements. Badges earned at any time since you joined may be used
Required Often forgotten
The footnote under the numbered list, and it is worth more than the list. A merit badge earned years before Eagle, which was not among the twenty-one used for the rank, still counts here. This is the opposite of the Star and Life rule, where the work has to come after the previous board of review.
Notes and warnings
Note. THIS FOOTNOTE IS WORTH MORE THAN THE REQUIREMENT ABOVE IT. Merit badges earned any time since becoming a Scout may be used, so a badge earned at eleven that was not among the twenty-one used for Eagle is still available for a Palm. It is the reverse of the rule a Scout has just spent years under: for Star, Life and Eagle, everything except merit badges must be done after the previous board of review. GO AND COUNT WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE before deciding you need five new ones. A Scout who earned thirty badges and used twenty-one for Eagle has nine spare, which is a Palm and most of another.
Where this step comes from
- Scouts BSA Rank Requirements (Requirements sheets dated 2025-12), Eagle Palm Requirements, footnote · Merit badges earned any time since becoming a Scout may be used to meet requirement 3.
- Guide to Advancement (2025), Section 9.0.3.0 · The same allowance, stated for Scouts BSA members and for qualified Venturers and Sea Scouts.