Recertification is the process through which certifications are renewed. NATE certifications must be renewed every two years. The process of maintaining and renewing NATE certifications is easy when technicians ACTIVATE their myNATE accounts, EARN 16 credits within the 2 year certification period, TRACK their proof of training directly to their activated myNATE accounts and RECERTIFY by paying the required fee online or by phone.

Technicians need to recertify every two years. They can either:

1. Complete 16 hours of continuing education hours (CEHs) during the two-year certification period and pay a renewal fee.

OR

1. Re-take the specialty exam before the expiration date or in the 120-day grace period.

If you have completed your 16 hours of continuing education, paying your renewal fee completes the recertification process. Renewal fee is $25 (USD) per specialty. If you are renewing several specialties, each additional specialty is $5 (USD).

-Service recertification includes installation recertification at no additional cost.
-Heat Pump recertification includes Air Conditioning recertification at no additional cost.

Example 1:
Heat Pump Service
Heat Pump Installation
Air Conditioning Service
Air Conditioning Installation
Total: $25

Example 2:
Air Conditioning Service
Air Conditioning Installation
Gas Heating Service
Gas Heating Installation
Total: $30

-Please note: payments will not be accepted if you have not fulfilled your 16 CEHs to qualify for renewal.

Courses must be related to the specialty you are certified in. For example, you must take gas heating related training in order to accrue CEHs towards your gas heating specialty. Training regarding general topics such as safety, electricity, motors, controls, and codes/regulation will accrue CEHs regardless of which specialty you are certified in. Training for state and other licenses will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

Courses for CEHs are available through NATE-Recognized Training Providers. For a training provider in your local area please use our zip code search tool here.

If you cannot find training in your area and would like to try an online course for NATE credit please see our list of online training providers here.

NATE encourages continuing education training to stay up-to-date with growing trends and developments in the HVACR industry. However, if you are unable to find training in your area or time-frame, a list of online training providers can be found here.

Certificates of completion for online training must be submitted to NATE.

NATE recognized training providers submit attendance rosters for their courses to give attendees credit. If you do not see the class you took listed under “course history” in your account, you should contact the training provider and follow-up with the instructor. For all other courses please provide proof of training or attendance with a certificate of completion for review.

To upload a certificate of completion, log into your NATE account and scroll down to the continuing education section. Click on “pending credits” tab. Click on the “submit training” and complete the fields. Do not forget to attach the file as entries without attachments are automatically rejected.

When a course is approved you will receive an approval email notifying you that credits have been added to your account.

Every NATE certified technician has an account on www.myNATE.org they can log into. Your account keeps track of CEHs accrued for each of your specialties so you are aware of your progress towards recertification every two years.

Account activation instructions were emailed to you when your exam was graded so that you can set-up a username and password. If you forgot your password, or need account activation instructions please contact customer service at (877) 420-6283 or [email protected].

Since CEHs must be accrued during your certification period, you will start back at zero credits once you recertify. Therefore, “extra credits” do not roll over into the next recertification progress.

Your certification(s) must be within one year of expiration in order to recertify. If you have 16 credits logged in myNATE you may recertify by phone – 877-420-6283 or through the NATE Online Store. Please note that despite early renewal of certifications, you must wait to earn continuing education training two years prior to your certification expiration date. Early renewal does not change the 2 year certification period.

If you are coming up on your expiration date and have not fulfilled the 16 hours of training, you have a grace period of 120 days (4 months) before you officially lapse. During this time, technicians are expected to submit their remaining credit hours or re-take their Specialty exam. If a technician fails to recertify by the end of their grace period, the technician will have to re-take both CORE and Specialty to become certified again. You are not considered NATE certified if all of your certifications are in their grace periods.

If you are over 120 days (4 month grace period) past your expiration date, you have officially lapsed. In order to become NATE certified again you will have to restart the process.

Extensions are only considered in rare cases where there is documented evidence submitted to NATE of a technician’s inability to earn credits during the certification period. Extensions are granted solely at the discretion of management.

From the day a NATE-certified military service member deploys, their NATE certification is deferred until they return, ensuring that the technician comes back to work with the same qualifications as when he or she left. Upon return, the technician will receive all new NATE certification documents and the expiration dates on those certifications are extended to reflect their time in service. Please contact us at (877) 420-6283 or [email protected] to defer your certifications.