N10-009 renewal, CEUs and retake rules
Network+ expires three years after you earn it, and CompTIA’s continuing education (CE) program asks for 30 continuing education units (CEUs) plus a $150 fee over that cycle. The 30-CEU requirement is lower than Security+ at 50 and higher than A+ at 20. The exam N10-009 launched on June 20, 2024, and CompTIA’s page gives an estimated retirement around 2027, so a holder who certified near launch will see the expiry date and the version change land close together. The roles side is in what N10-009 leads to.
Timeline for someone who passed in mid-2024
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 2021 | N10-008 launched (reported) | Professor Messer |
| Jun 20, 2024 | N10-009 launched | CompTIA certification page |
| Dec 2024 | English N10-008 retired | CompTIA blog |
| About Jun 2027 | Three years after a launch-week pass: certificate expires | CompTIA CE overview |
| Around 2027 | Estimated N10-009 retirement (“usually three years after launch”) | CompTIA certification page |
An N10-008 pass is not cancelled by retirement. CompTIA’s blog says certifications earned before retirement stay valid for three years from the exam date. The same blog says unused N10-008 vouchers cannot be used for N10-008 but stay valid for N10-009, which shows how CompTIA treats the changeover: the exam goes, the credential and the voucher value carry on.
CompTIA’s pages name no successor code for N10-009 as of today. Third-party sites mention draft objectives for a newer exam, but nothing official was found, so this guide does not treat a successor as announced. Watch CompTIA’s Network+ page and exam changes.
The 30-CEU route and its fee
CompTIA’s CEU table lists 30 CEUs for Network+. Activities must fall inside the three-year cycle, at least 50% of any course must relate to the exam objectives, and documentation is required for these activity types:
- Earning non-CompTIA IT industry certifications
- Training and higher education
- IT industry participation
- Publishing a relevant article, white paper, blog post or book
- Related work experience
The fee page lists $150 for Network+ per three-year period. It is not charged every year, it is only due when you renew by uploading CEUs, and it must be paid before the expiration date, which follows your own cycle rather than the calendar year. CE tokens ($25 or $50, non-expiring, non-refundable once uploaded) can pay it.
Renewal without uploading CEUs
CompTIA’s how-to-renew page lists single-activity options that are processed automatically and need no CE fee:
- Pass the latest release of the Network+ exam. This is the cleanest route if a new version exists when your expiry approaches.
- Earn a higher-level CompTIA certification. CompTIA warns that CE fees are not waived if the higher certification does not fully renew the lower one. The pages read for this guide do not say whether a specific exam renews Network+, so check the hierarchy in your CompTIA account before relying on it.
- CompTIA CertMaster CE. Offered as a quick renewal; the pages read here do not confirm eligibility details for Network+.
If you hold several CompTIA certifications, the fee page says you pay the CE fee only for your highest-level one, and the lower ones renew with it. For Network+ holders who go on to take Security+, see SY0-801 renewal and retakes for that credential’s 50-CEU rules.
The CE overview describes no grace period and no earlier renewal window, and says certifications must be renewed before the expiry date. A third-party claim of a grace period was not found on CompTIA’s pages, so treat it as unconfirmed.
Retake rules for N10-009
CompTIA’s certification retake policy sets the rules:
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| Second attempt after a fail | No waiting period |
| Third and later attempts | Wait at least 14 calendar days from your last attempt |
| Passed exam | Cannot be taken again under the same exam code without CompTIA’s prior consent |
| Recertifying by exam | Possible once a new exam version is available, for example V6 after V5 |
| Fee | Each attempt is a new purchase |
Third-party guides often say the 14 days start after the first failure. The policy itself starts them before the third attempt, so check the Pearson VUE booking screen if your own sequence is unusual. Voucher price and expiry terms are set where you buy. See certification costs and the exam format, and on exam day use the exam day checklist.
CompTIA’s N10-009 page does not publish an exam fee, so none is quoted here.