Do CompTIA Certifications Expire?

Yes. CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, CySA+, PenTest+ and SecurityX expire three years after the date you earn them unless you renew through CompTIA's Continuing Education (CE) program. Each renewal keeps the cert valid for another three years.

You renew by earning Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and paying one CE fee for the whole three-year cycle, or by finishing a single qualifying activity: earning a higher-level CompTIA certification, passing the newest version of your exam, or completing CertMaster CE where CompTIA offers it. Security+ needs 50 CEUs and a $150 fee per three-year cycle. The fee is not charged every year: you can split it into yearly payments or pay it at once, as long as it is paid by your expiration date.

A higher cert renews only the certs below it on CompTIA's matrix, not everything you hold. Security+ renews Network+ and A+; CySA+ and PenTest+ each renew Security+, Network+ and A+; SecurityX (formerly CASP+) renews CySA+, PenTest+, Security+, Network+ and A+. If you miss the expiration date and the 30-day grace period after it, the only way back is passing the current exam again. Certifications earned before January 1, 2011 are good-for-life and do not expire, but the Department of Defense stopped recognizing good-for-life certs for 8570 compliance on that date. The CompTIA certification renewal guide has the CEU and fee table for every cert.