How Do You Renew a CompTIA Certification?

You renew a CompTIA certification before it expires, three years after you earn it, in one of two ways: earn the required Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and pay the CE fee for the cycle, or finish one qualifying activity that renews it outright, such as earning a higher-level CompTIA certification.

CEU requirements per three-year cycle: A+ needs 20 CEUs, Network+ needs 30 CEUs, Security+ needs 50 CEUs, and CySA+ needs 60 CEUs. You log activities such as training courses, college classes, work experience or other IT certifications in your CompTIA account and upload the proof. The CE fee is $75 for A+ and $150 for Network+, Security+, CySA+ and PenTest+, charged once per three-year cycle rather than every year. Paying the fee alone renews nothing; the CEUs have to be there too.

Single activities skip the CEU count and the fee: pass the newest version of your exam, earn a higher CompTIA certification that fully renews yours, or complete CertMaster CE (A+, Network+ and Security+ only, and only for older versions such as Security+ SY0-601 or earlier). The higher cert has to sit above yours on CompTIA's matrix: Security+ renews Network+ and A+, but it does not renew CySA+ or PenTest+. A non-CompTIA cert on CompTIA's list, such as CISSP for Security+, can cover the CEUs, though the CE fee still applies. The CompTIA certification renewal guide walks through every option with CompTIA's sources.