AZ-104 Exam Cost 2026
The exam fee is $165 USD — but here is the part nobody mentions: renewal is free forever. This is the true total cost to get Microsoft Azure Administrator certified, including retakes, reschedules, how the price compares across Microsoft tiers, and why keeping the cert never costs you another dollar.
01 How much does the AZ-104 cost?
Microsoft does not run blanket discounts on exam fees, but cheaper or free seats do surface. Students can often claim a reduced academic price, and Microsoft events such as Ignite or community Cloud Skills Challenges periodically hand out free exam vouchers. Employers and Microsoft partners can also supply vouchers. It is always worth checking for an active offer before you pay full price — pricing details can shift, so confirm your local fee on the official exam page at booking time.
02 The true total cost of getting certified
The number on the Pearson VUE booking page is rarely what people actually spend. Once you add preparation and the real-world chance of a resit, a typical self-study budget looks like this. The single line you most want to keep small is practice — a few well-chosen mock exams cost a fraction of the registration fee, yet they are the thing standing between you and a repeat $165 charge.
Typical self-study path to a first-time pass
03 How the price compares across Microsoft exams
The $165 is mid-range for Microsoft. Fees are tiered by level, so knowing where AZ-104 sits helps you plan a certification path and budget. (US prices shown; your local fee may vary.)
Notice that the associate and expert exams are the same headline price — the jump from AZ-104 to an expert credential is about difficulty and prerequisites, not a bigger fee. The real money saver across all of them is the same: pass first time, then ride the free renewal.
04 Every fee, explained
Beyond the headline price, here is every charge you might meet across the life of the certification — and the ones that are reassuringly free. (Policies can be updated, so the official Microsoft Learn pages are the final word.)
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Exam registration | $165 | Per attempt, including every retake (US price) |
| Retake | $165 | No free resit; wait 24h for the 2nd try, then 14 days; max 5 attempts in 12 months |
| Reschedule | Free | Move the date through Pearson VUE at least 6 business days (more than 24 hours) ahead |
| Late reschedule / no-show | Forfeit $165 | Change inside the window or miss the slot and you lose the fee |
| Renewal | $0 — free | Free unproctored online assessment on Microsoft Learn; renews the cert one more year |
The free renewal, in detail
This is the line that makes the AZ-104 unusually cheap to hold. The Azure Administrator Associate credential is valid for one year, but Microsoft lets you renew it at no cost. About six months before your expiry date you become eligible for a short, unproctored, open-book renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn — it focuses only on what has changed since you certified, not the whole syllabus. Pass it and your certification is extended by another year from the expiry date. You can repeat this every year, indefinitely, and you never pay a renewal fee. If you miss the window and the cert lapses, you would have to sit the full $165 exam again — so the free assessment is well worth a calendar reminder.
05 How to spend less getting certified
You usually cannot haggle the $165, but you can keep everything around it close to zero — and, thanks to free renewal, avoid all recurring cost. The full official curriculum lives on Microsoft Learn for free, and an Azure free account gives you real resources to practice on without a lab subscription, so your only unavoidable spend is the exam fee itself. Stack the four moves below and a great many candidates get certified for well under $200 all-in — then $0 a year to keep it.
Renew free, every year
The standout saving. The annual Microsoft Learn renewal assessment is free and online, so once you pass once you never pay to keep the cert. No three-year re-exam, no recurring fee — just a quick assessment.
Pass on the first try
By far the biggest one-off saving. Solid practice that mirrors the real exam removes the $165 retake from your budget — the part most likely to balloon your total.
Grab a student or event voucher
Students can claim reduced academic pricing, and Microsoft events and Cloud Skills Challenges hand out free vouchers. Check for an active offer before you book.
Ask your employer
Many companies reimburse certification fees or buy Microsoft vouchers in bulk. A quick ask can move the entire cost off your own card.
06 FAQ
How much does the AZ-104 exam cost?
$165 USD in the United States. Microsoft sets the fee per country, so your local price may differ and tax can be added at checkout. You pay it each time you sit the exam, including retakes, so treat $165 as the minimum rather than the full cost.
Do you have to pay again to retake the AZ-104?
Yes — there is no free retake, so each attempt costs another $165. If you fail, you wait 24 hours before a second attempt, then 14 days between any further attempts, and you may take the exam at most five times in a 12-month window. Passing first time removes the repeat fee entirely.
Is the AZ-104 renewal free?
Yes — this is the best part. The certification is valid for one year, but you renew it for free through a short, unproctored, open-book online assessment on Microsoft Learn. The window opens six months before expiry, passing adds another year, and there is no renewal fee ever. After the one-time $165 exam, keeping the cert current costs nothing.
What is the true total cost to get certified?
For a self-study candidate who passes first time, roughly $175–200: the $165 fee plus a little for quality practice. A paid video course raises it to about $250–450. Microsoft Learn and the Azure free account give you study material and hands-on practice at no cost, and free renewal means no recurring spend.
