Credentials - Certification Maintenance Program (CMP) FAQ

Audience

All Learners
Customer Admins
Partner Admins

Overview

This Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) knowledge answers questions related to our Certification Maintenance Program (CMP). The CMP fee is an annual maintenance fee. Candidates typically have from mid-January to mid-April each year to submit payment. Once the fee is paid, the next step is for candidates complete the delta exam.

General Notes:

Delta Study Guide Materials:

Refer to the study guide materials for detailed preparation. List of Delta study guides.

CMP Dashboard Reports for Training Admins

Similar to the other ServiceNow University Dashboards, Training Admins will have access to a CMP Dashboard. This dashboard provides visibility of the total number of candidates that will owe the CMP fee and include a downloadable report on all certified candidates.

Preparing User Account Management and Learning Credit Pools

Training Admins currently have all the tools needed to manage users and Credit Pools for this year’s CMP window.
Training Admins should prepare the management of users benefits to prepare for the CMP.

No refunds

ServiceNow has a no-refund policy for the CMP fee, and payment is final. For additional information, refer to the Training and Certification Terms and Conditions.

Select a link in the table below to go directly to the FAQ section or scroll down in the article.

**Certification Maintenance Program Sections**
CMP Value
CMP Participants
CMP Renewal Period
Updated Processes for CMP
Process After CMP Paid or Missed Payment

Frequently Asked Questions

**CMP Value**
Question	Answer
What is the CMP fee?	Certified candidates are assessed a $200 (tax is applicable) yearly fee to keep their certification active. Not all certified candidates are assessed CMP. Read more in Who Must Pay CMP Fee below.
Why is there a CMP fee?	The ServiceNow Certification Program implemented the annual Maintenance Fee as an overall program fee. The Maintenance Fee enables certified candidates to remain active in our program, making it more efficient to maintain each certification.
Is this a “delta fee” and payment for delta exams?	No. The CMP fee is the overall program fee.
Why should I participate in the CMP?	The yearly maintenance fee: Ensures that the ServiceNow-certified community remains up to date through continued learning. Eliminates Certified candidates from having to pay and repeat the same exam to obtain a new certification. Saves time and money as a candidate does not need to repeat training, schedule an exam, or pay to retake the exam. Opens access to the required maintenance exams (delta) to keep the candidate's certification active.
How do customers and partners access training benefits such as learning credits and discounts?	Use the following guide to understand accessing the learning credit management processes specific to your company type: Linking to your company account overview.

**CMP Participants**
Question	Answer
Who must pay the fee?	All Certified Professionals who hold a high-stakes certification (Mainline). Exceptions may apply, depending on your company's affiliation with ServiceNow.
Do Impact Customer users pay the fee? Impact Guided Impact Total Impact Advanced	Yes, Certified Impact Guided customer users who completed their first mainline certification are required to pay the CMP fee. Certified legacy Impact Total and Impact Advanced customer users who obtained their first mainline certification are exempt; no payment is required. IMPORTANT: This benefit is exclusively available to Legacy Impact, Total, and Advanced customers who made their purchase before May 2024. It will no longer apply to Impact customers who purchase or renew their subscription after May 2024.
Can a Customer or Partner Training Administrator or Learning Credit Manager pay the fee on behalf of their users?	No. The certification maintenance fee is assessed to individuals, not organizations. Therefore, payment of the maintenance fee will be handled by each individual user. IMPORTANT: There are no exceptions; the certification maintenance fee is a self-service model.
Can admins bulk register or bulk pay?	No. Candidates need to self-pay for CMP.
Are there manual list uploads (like in previous years)?	No. ServiceNow will not handle group payments for any organization with a manual list upload, and training administrators cannot pay the fee on behalf of another person.
How do Admins find a list of certified users who need to pay for their CMP?	Training admins use the CMP Dashboard to help identify certified users who need to pay their CMP. This report helps determine the total amount of LCs required for CMP.
Is the CMP Fee assessed multiple times if a candidate holds more than one certification?	No. The CMP Fee is assessed only once, regardless of the number of certifications a candidate holds.

**CMP Renewal Period**
Question	Answer
When does CMP take place?	The CMP fee is assessed at the beginning of each year.
When can a user pay the CMP?	The CMP fee payment window typically opens in mid-January each year.
When does the CMP close?	The CMP fee payment window typically closes in mid-April each year
When should Partner/Customer Admins and their Training Admins be managing their users for CMP (linking/delinking users from the accounts)?	Admins can manage their users through the Partner Portal (for Partners) or Now Support (for Customer Organizations). For more information, refer to Managing Employees Overview.
Can Partners or large organizations pre-pay the CMP for their users?	No. Pre-payments are not allowed for CMP.

**CMP Process & Payments**
Question	Answer
When does CMP take place?	The CMP Fee opening date fluctuates and is subject to change. The fee is typically assessed at the beginning of the year.
As an Admin, how do I know how many LCs to purchase to cover employees’ CMP costs?	Training Admins will have access to a CMP Dashboard. The dashboard provides visibility of the total number of candidates who will owe the CMP fee and includes a downloadable report on all certified candidates. Admins can reference the full list of individuals who need to pay their CMP fee. Multiply the number of individuals who need to pay by 200 LCs to determine the total LC cost.
As an Admin, how do I request additional LCs if I do not have enough to cover an employee’s total LC costs?	Create a ServiceNow University support case. NOTE: For additional information on creating a case, refer to Submitting a Support Case for Assistance.
How often is the CMP dashboard updated to reflect the latest CMP data?	The CMP dashboard is updated 1 month before the CMP opening.
As an Admin, can I combine Credit Pools so all CMP costs can be deducted from the same Credit Pool?	No. Credit Pools cannot be combined due to expiration dates and other system limitations. Admins can set Credit Pools to Managed, and list individuals who will need to use them to pay for their CMP fee. As a Training Admin or Learning Credit Manager, you can transfer learning credits from one credit pool to another with your company account. Refer to Transferring Learning Credits From One Credit Pool to Another Credit Pool.
Can Admins restrict the use of Credit Pools so they are only used for CMP?	Admins can set Credit Pools to Managed and assign individuals to Credit Pools, who will then have access to pay for their CMP fee. For additional information, refer to Limiting Credit Pool Consumption (Open, Managed).
Can organizations share LCs with other entities or child entities?	Yes, company account administrators (admins) who are managers on the credit pool can initiate a one-way transfer of Learning Credits (LC) to eligible associated accounts. This user-friendly, self-service feature allows admins to initiate a transfer request by accepting the Terms & Conditions and completing a simple transfer form. For instructions, refer to Transferring Learning Credits to a related account.
Why am I being asked to pay the CMP fee as a ServiceNow Partner?	If your company holds Partner status with ServiceNow, you will need to create your account in the Partner Portal to access the partner benefits. For more information, refer to Create an Account in the ServiceNow Partner Portal.
Why am I asked to pay the full CMP fee without seeing a discount on this fee?	Make sure you are linked to your company account to access any applicable discounts. Discounts are only applicable with credit card payments at checkout and are not valid when paying for CMP with learning credits.
Do LC Customer and partner discounts apply?	Yes. Customer and partner discounts are applied during the sales process for LCs. Additional discounts do not apply to the certification maintenance fee.
Do Credit Card (CC) Customer and partner discounts apply?	Yes. Customer and partner discounts are applicable during the CMP payment checkout process when paying by credit card. Additional discounts do not apply to the certification maintenance fee.
How is the CMP fee collected?	Payment is managed through ServiceNow University. Candidates can pay with a credit card or learning credits (LCs) if they are linked to an account with LCs and have approval from their company to use LCs.
How will candidates be prompted to pay their maintenance fee?	Candidates will receive an initial pop-up on the ServiceNow University home page when they log in. There is a prompt on the banner to click and begin the payment process. The banner remains on the home page of their ServiceNow University account until payment has been made or the maintenance window has closed.
Can the CMP Fee be paid with a credit card?	Yes. The CMP Fee can be paid with a credit card. Refer to Paying the Certification Maintenance Fee by Credit Card.
Can the CMP Fee be paid with Learning Credits (LCs)?	Yes, the CMP can be paid with LCs. NOTE: You must be linked to your company account and have approval from your organization to use LCs. There will be no refunds for misuse of LCs. Refer to Paying the Certification Maintenance Fee with Learning Credits.
Are there refunds for the CMP fee?	No. ServiceNow has a no-refund policy for the CMP fee, and payment is final. For additional information, refer to the Training and Certification Terms and Conditions. IMPORTANT: If you belong to a customer or partner organization, verify that your ServiceNow University account is associated with your organization before making a credit card payment, so you can benefit from any associated discounts. Check with your training administrator if you are approved to use LCs for CMP. If you are not approved, you will need to pay using your credit card.
If an individual pays their own CMP fee but their Partner/Customer Organization wants to pay, can we provide the individual with a refund?	No. There will be no refunds to individuals, Partners, or Customer Organizations (via credit card or LCs).
Where can I download an invoice with my CMP payment?	You can download a copy of your Maintenance Fee invoice from the My Invoices tab in ServiceNow University. For more information, refer to Viewing and downloading payment invoices in ServiceNow University. NOTE: Please allow up to 24 hours for the invoice to be available after payment.
When/How is the CMP Badge awarded?	In general, CMP badges are granted either after the CMP Eligibility Script confirms your discounts exempt you from payment or once your payment is processed.

**Process After CMP Paid or Missed Payment**
Question	Answer
What happens after the CMP payment is collected?	Candidates should complete their maintenance exam (delta). Steps to take your maintenance exam (delta): Refer to Completing my Delta exam.
What happens if the certification maintenance fee is not paid?	If the certification maintenance fee is unpaid, each of the candidate's certifications will expire, and the user will need to re-enter the certification program for each of these. Candidates can re-enter the program by paying $200 (for each certification) again.
Can a candidate who missed the 2025 CMP pay for 2026 and activate their certification?	No. If the 2025 CMP Fee was not paid a candidate's certification has expired and they must re-enter the certification program.