When a homeowner asks "are your techs certified?", they usually mean one of two things: the EPA card every refrigerant tech must have, or NATE. NATE is the voluntary one. NATE calls itself the nation's largest nonprofit certification organization for HVACR technicians1. This page covers what it tests, how the pathways work, what it costs to keep, and how shops use it.
What is NATE certification in plain English?
North American Technician Excellence (NATE) writes and administers exams that test whether a technician knows how to install or service a specific type of equipment: air conditioning, heat pumps, gas furnaces, hydronics, refrigeration and more. Pass the required exams and you're NATE-certified in that specialty. It isn't a license and it isn't a legal requirement. It's a third-party check on knowledge.
Example: a shop hires a tech with three years in the field and an EPA 608 Universal card. The tech passes the NATE Core exam and the Air Conditioning service specialty. They're now NATE-certified in AC service, and they'll need to renew in two years.
How do you get NATE certified?
As of 2026, NATE offers two routes to the same certification2.
| Traditional pathway | CHP-5 pathway | |
|---|---|---|
| Exams | Core (50 questions) plus one or more Specialty exams (100 questions each) | Five exams of 30 questions each |
| What's tested | Core: safety, tools, basic construction, basic science, desired conditions, temperature and humidity, basic electrical. Specialty: one equipment type, installation or service | HVAC Fundamentals; Electrical and Controls; Comfort and Airflow; Installation; Service |
| Order | Core and Specialty | Any order; NATE recommends taking them in sequence |
| Pacing | Not stated by NATE | Up to six months between exams |
| Status | Still offered; NATE says it isn't being removed | Newer pathway |
Traditional specialties. Installation specialties are Air Conditioning, Air Distribution, Air-to-Air Heat Pump and Gas Heating (Air). Service specialties are Air Conditioning, Air Distribution, Light Commercial Refrigeration, Heat Pump (Air-to-Air), Gas Heating (Air), Hydronics Gas, Hydronics Oil, Commercial Refrigeration and Oil Heating (Air). Several service exams are offered in Spanish3.
Low-GWP refrigerants. NATE also offers a Low-GWP Refrigerant certification exam: 100 closed-book questions in 2.5 hours, covering safety, codes and standards, handling, storage, installation and recovery of the new refrigerants. It's designed for techs with at least two years of HVACR experience4. It's relevant for anyone working on A2L refrigerants, but it doesn't replace EPA 608.
Entry-level certificates. The Ready-to-Work certificate is for people just entering the field, and the HVAC Support Technician certificate is for techs with about 6 to 12 months of experience. Both are certificates, not NATE certifications, are valid for five years, and renew by retaking the exam5.
NATE doesn't publish a passing score on these pages, and exam fees depend on the testing organization, so check with the proctor you book through.
How long is NATE certification valid?
120 days
Grace period after expiration; after that, retake Core and Specialty
To renew, a tech either completes 16 CEHs during the two-year period and pays a renewal fee ($25 per specialty, $5 for each additional specialty), or retakes the specialty exam before expiration or during the grace period6. CEHs can come from NATE-recognized training providers, in class or online, in the tech's specialty or in core areas such as safety, electricity, controls and codes2.
NATE vs EPA 608: what's the difference?
| NATE | EPA 608 | |
|---|---|---|
| Required by federal law | No | Yes, to open a refrigerant circuit on stationary equipment |
| What it proves | Installation or service knowledge in a specialty | Safe refrigerant handling and the federal rules |
| Lets you buy refrigerant | No | Yes |
| Expires | Every 2 years | Never |
| Who runs it | NATE, a nonprofit | EPA-approved certifying programs |
The two go together in practice: NATE bundles the EPA 608 Universal exam into its 2026 "Pro Kit" with Ready-to-Work and the CHP-5 exams2. EPA states that 608 credentials don't expire7.
Is NATE certification worth it for a shop?
There's no reliable public data on how much NATE certification changes a tech's pay or a shop's callbacks, so be wary of anyone quoting a specific number. What a shop can control is how it uses the credential:
Using NATE in a career ladder
- Pay exam fees and study time for techs who pass, so the cost isn't a barrier
- Tie each specialty to a defined step in pay or responsibility, written down
- Start apprentices on Ready-to-Work, then HVAC Support Technician, then a full certification
- Match specialties to the work you sell: heat pump service if you install heat pumps, commercial refrigeration if you run service agreements on it
- Track expiry dates and CEH hours so certifications don't lapse past the 120-day grace period
- Mention NATE-certified techs on your website and estimates only when it's true for the tech on that job
See our HVAC technician salary guide for how certifications fit into a pay plan, and apprentice for the start of the ladder.
How TradesWork tracks NATE and other certifications
On the TradesWork dispatch board, each technician has certifications with expiry dates, and job types carry required skills. Drop a job on a tech who lacks the skill and the board warns you; if the matching certification has expired, the assignment is refused outright. That keeps a lapsed certification from quietly reaching a customer.
Footnotes
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NATE, home page. https://natex.org/ ↩
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NATE, NATE News: January 12, 2026 (certification pathways), December 15, 2025 (CEH requirement) and April 10, 2026 (NATE Pro Kit). https://natex.org/about-us/nate-news ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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NATE, Traditional Pathway. https://natex.org/technician/take-an-exam/traditional-pathway ↩
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NATE, Low-GWP Refrigerant Certification Exam. https://natex.org/technician/take-an-exam/low-gwp-refrigerant-certification-exam ↩
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NATE, Entry Level Certificates. https://natex.org/technician/take-an-exam/nate-certificates-and-certification-exams ↩
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NATE, Recertification FAQs. https://natex.org/technician/recertification-faqs ↩
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U.S. EPA, Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements. https://www.epa.gov/section608/section-608-technician-certification-requirements ↩
