CompTIA Security+ is one of the most common entry credentials in cybersecurity, and it does not last forever. A Security+ certification is good for three years from the day it is earned. To keep it active, the holder has to finish the requirements of CompTIA's continuing education program before that date, and the questions people ask about it this week are the same ones they ask every week: how many units, how much money, and what happens if the date slips by.

This guide walks through the renewal rules as CompTIA publishes them on its own continuing education pages.

The three-year cycle

Every CompTIA certification that is part of the continuing education program runs on a three-year cycle. The cycle starts on the date the exam is passed, not on the first of the year, so two people who certified in different months renew on different dates. The expiration date is shown in the holder's CompTIA account, and every deadline in the program counts back from it.

What Security+ requires: 50 CEUs and a fee

CompTIA's renewal page for Security+ sets the requirement at 50 continuing education units, or CEUs, within the three-year cycle. CEUs are earned through activities CompTIA lists as qualifying, including training, college coursework and other IT industry certifications. Each activity type has its own documentation rule, set out on CompTIA's site.

The second piece is the continuing education fee. CompTIA lists the fee for Security+ at $150 for the three-year period. The same table lists $150 for Network+, CySA+, PenTest+ and SecurityX, and $75 for A+. CompTIA states that the fee is not due every year: it can be paid in pieces over the cycle, for example with $25 CE tokens that do not expire, but the full amount has to be paid before the certification's expiration date. The fee is paid when the CEUs are uploaded for renewal.

The options that skip the CEU count

CompTIA also lists single-activity renewals, where one qualifying step renews the certification on its own. The ones that apply to Security+ holders:

  • Pass the current version of the exam. Passing the latest Security+ exam starts a new three-year cycle.
  • Earn a higher-level CompTIA certification. CompTIA states that renewing a higher-level certification automatically renews the lower-level ones it covers, without an added fee. Where a higher certification does not fully renew the lower one, the fee is not waived.
  • Complete CompTIA CertMaster CE. CertMaster CE is a self-paced course CompTIA sells for A+, Network+ and Security+. It is open only to people who passed an earlier version of the exam, and finishing it renews the certification.

According to CompTIA, these single-activity routes do not carry the separate continuing education fee. They have their own costs, such as an exam voucher or the course price, so the cheaper route depends on what the holder would be doing anyway.

When the date passes

A certification that reaches its expiration date without the CEUs and fee in place lapses. CompTIA offers a 30-day grace period that the holder has to activate by contacting CompTIA customer support. During those 30 days, counted from the original expiration date, the holder can pay any fee still owed and submit the CEUs already earned. After that window, the way back is to pass the exam again.

What to do now

Log in to the CompTIA account and read three things: the expiration date, the number of CEUs already accepted, and the fee balance. If the date is within the next year, compare the options on cost and effort. A holder who plans to sit for CySA+ or another higher certification soon may renew Security+ through that exam instead of logging 50 units, and a holder who passed an older Security+ version may find CertMaster CE the fastest single step. Whatever the route, the evidence for each activity should be uploaded well before the deadline, since CompTIA reviews submissions before it accepts them.

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