Does CompTIA Network+ Expire? Renewal, CEUs, and What Renews It

How long CompTIA Network+ lasts

A CompTIA Network+ certification is valid for three years from the date you earn it. CompTIA's renewal policy, checked on October 18, 2026, puts Network+ in its continuing education (CE) program, which began on January 1, 2011, and says the affected certifications are accredited under ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024. This applies to Network+ credentials in the CE program, including N10-009 and N10-008. Network+ earned before January 1, 2011 is the separate Good-for-Life credential and does not expire. CompTIA's December 2024 Q&A blog says certifications earned on N10-008 before it retired stay valid for three years from the exam date.

The policy adds two limits that shape every plan:

• Activities must fall inside the cycle. CEUs, a higher certification, or a newer exam only count if you complete them during your three-year renewal cycle.
• The same exam twice does not renew. You cannot pass the exact same exam again to renew. CompTIA's retake policy separately says that once you pass, you cannot retake the same exam code without CompTIA's consent.

Four ways to renew CompTIA Network+, compared

CEUs. CompTIA's CEU page sets 30 CEUs for Network+ over the three-year cycle. For training to count, at least 50% of the course content must relate to the Network+ objectives, and you need documentation for activities such as training, other IT certifications, work experience, or publishing. Spreading the work evenly means 30 ÷ 3 = 10 CEUs a year, which is a pacing idea, not a CompTIA rule.

The CE fee. CompTIA's fee page lists $150 as the total Network+ CE fee for the three-year period, as checked on October 18, 2026. You pay it only if you renew by uploading CEUs, and it is due by your expiration date. CE tokens, sold at $25 and $50, can pay it and do not expire. One line on the same page, about bulk tokens for Department of Defense organizations, mentions "annual CE fees". The fee table itself states a three-year total, so read the table and confirm in your CompTIA account.

CertMaster CE. CompTIA launched CertMaster CE for Network+ on June 25, 2024. It takes an estimated 8 to 10 hours, every assessment must reach 100%, access lasts 12 months from purchase, and the system may block redemption within 24 to 48 hours of your expiration date. CompTIA's Network+ page listed it at $199 (U.S. list price) on October 18, 2026. As listed that day, a holder certified on N10-009 is not eligible, because eligibility stops at N10-008. CompTIA also says you cannot repeat the same CertMaster CE version.

A higher certification. CompTIA's higher-level page lists Security+, CySA+, PenTest+, SecurityX, and Cloud+ V3 as fully renewing Network+. Cloud+ V4 does not fully renew another certification. A higher certification that does not fully renew Network+ does not waive its CE fee.

The latest release. For N10-009 holders, this path opens only when CompTIA releases a newer Network+ exam. CompTIA has published draft objectives for N10-010 but, on the pages checked, no launch date. The N10-009 vs N10-010 guide tracks that status.

How expiry dates line up: one worked example

CompTIA's higher-level page says that when a higher certification renews a lower one, the lower one's expiration date moves to match the higher one, which is three years from the date you earn it. Here is that rule applied to an original timeline for a fictional candidate, Jordan:

Jordan's Network+ now shares Security+'s cycle, and no Network+ CE fee is due for the cycle that Security+ renewed. CompTIA's fee page adds that when you renew your highest-level certification, the lower ones it fully renews renew with it, without separate fees. For Jordan's next cycle, that means planning around Security+'s own CE requirement, which CompTIA's CEU table sets at 50 CEUs rather than 30.

Network+ itself fully renews A+, so the same alignment works one level down. Check CompTIA’s current renewal rules before choosing a certification sequence.

What happens if CompTIA Network+ expires

CompTIA's renewal policy gives a 30-day grace period to pay outstanding CE fees or to submit CEUs that you earned within the original three-year cycle. It does not extend the cycle for new activities. In Jordan's case, an expiration date of November 16, 2030 would put the end of that window 30 days later, on December 16, 2030. Confirm the exact deadline in your CompTIA account rather than counting it yourself.

After that, the certification has expired. CompTIA says you must pass the latest exam version to be certified again, at the full exam price, which the Network+ cost guide lists with its date. Renewal costs are separate from the exam fee, so budget for them as a later expense, not part of booking the exam.

A renewal check to run once a year

1. Look up your expiration date in your CompTIA account.
2. Check whether you plan to earn Security+ or another certification that fully renews Network+ before that date. If so, that may be your renewal.
3. If not, count the CEUs you have documented and compare them with the 30 you need.
4. Recheck CompTIA's fee and CertMaster CE pages, because prices and eligibility can change.