How to Renew CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
Your Security+ is valid for three years. To keep it, you collect 50 CEUs and pay a small annual CE fee — or take one CertMaster CE course, or pass a higher CompTIA exam. No re-sit required. Here is exactly how the CEU cycle works, the fastest routes to renew, and what happens if you let it lapse.
01 The short answer
The most common mistake is treating renewal as a last-minute scramble. CEUs accrue continuously and every credit must be earned inside your three-year window — you cannot backfill once it closes. So the moment you pass SY0-701, you are already on the clock, and the smart move is to decide early which of the three renewal paths you will actually use. Each suits a different person: the CEU route rewards people who naturally rack up training and conference hours, CertMaster CE suits anyone who wants the lowest-admin option, and the higher-exam route is ideal if you were going to climb the CompTIA ladder anyway.
02 The CEU requirement, in detail
One CEU is broadly equivalent to one hour of an approved activity, and Security+ needs 50 of them per cycle. Unlike some programmes, CompTIA does not split them into mandatory technical and general buckets — the requirement is a single total, drawn from a wide menu of activities, certifications, and on-the-job work.
| Requirement | Amount | What counts |
|---|---|---|
| Total CEUs / cycle | 50 over 3 years | Everything below, combined |
| Training & courses | Activity hours | College courses, CompTIA-approved training, webinars, conferences, structured self-study |
| Other certifications | Per-cert value | Industry certs (ISC2, ISACA, vendor exams) and higher CompTIA certs each carry a CEU value |
| Teaching & publishing | Premium rate | Teaching a course, presenting, or publishing an article or book on a relevant topic |
| Work experience | Capped hours | Documented relevant industry work experience, within the limits CompTIA sets |
How CompTIA stacking works
CompTIA's certifications are arranged so that renewing a higher one keeps the lower ones alive. Hold A+, Network+, and Security+ together, and renewing Security+ — or passing something above it — can carry the whole group forward without separate CEU submissions for each. That stacking is one of the biggest reasons people aim “up” rather than re-earning the same CEUs three certifications over.
It is worth noting how the requirement scales as you climb: A+ needs about 20 CEUs per cycle, Network+ around 30, Security+ 50, and SecurityX (the former CASP+) roughly 75. So the higher your certification, the more CEUs it demands — but the more lower certs a single renewal can keep current underneath it. If you hold the full stack, target the renewal effort at the top of the pile and let it cascade downward rather than maintaining each level in isolation.
03 The fastest ways to earn CEUs
You will not need to grind out 50 hours of study from scratch — a blend of one big activity and a few small ones clears the cycle comfortably, and several of the routes below are things you may already be doing at work or planning anyway. Here are the options most people actually use, with rough CEU value so you can see which clears the most ground in one move.
CertMaster CE
The official one-stop option: complete CompTIA's Security+ CertMaster CE course (scoring 100% on its assessments) and the certification renews automatically. The course price already includes your CE fee.
A higher CompTIA / industry cert
Passing CySA+, PenTest+, or SecurityX renews Security+ outright — no CEU submission, no renewal fee. Many approved industry certs also carry a large CEU value toward the 50.
College or training course
An accredited college course or CompTIA-approved training maps hour-for-hour to CEUs. One semester or a focused multi-day course can supply most of a cycle in a single go.
Webinars, conferences & self-study
Industry webinars, a security conference, vendor training, and structured online study all count. A single multi-day conference can be worth a big batch of CEUs at once.
Teach, present, or publish
Delivering training, speaking at an event, or publishing a relevant article or book earns CEUs at a premium — a strong option if you already do this as part of your role.
Relevant work experience
Documented industry work that maps to the Security+ objectives can be claimed up to CompTIA's cap — effectively letting your day job count toward part of the 50.
04 The renewal cycle, step by step
↻ Repeats every 3 years
Earn CEUs
Collect 50 CEUs across the cycle from training, certs, teaching, and work — or pick the single CertMaster CE course instead.
Log them
Submit each activity in your CompTIA continuing-education account and keep the supporting evidence in case of audit.
Pay the CE fee
Settle the annual CE fee (around $50/year) — unless you renew via CertMaster CE or a higher cert, where the fee is bundled or waived.
Renewed 3 years
Once the 50 CEUs are logged and fees paid, Security+ renews for a fresh three-year cycle — no re-exam.
05 What happens if your Security+ expires
CompTIA is stricter here than some certifying bodies, so it pays to know the sequence before you cut it fine.
06 FAQ
How many CEUs does Security+ renewal require?
CompTIA Security+ requires 50 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) across each three-year cycle, where one CEU is broadly equivalent to one hour of an approved activity. The CEUs can come from a mix of training, courses, higher certifications, teaching, publishing, and relevant work experience, and they must be earned within your original three-year renewal window.
How much does it cost to renew CompTIA Security+?
If you renew by collecting CEUs you pay a CE fee of about $50 per year, roughly $150 over the three-year cycle. The single-course CertMaster CE option is bundled differently: its purchase price already includes the CE fee, so you pay once for the course and the certification renews on completion.
Can a higher CompTIA certification renew my Security+?
Yes. Passing a higher-level CompTIA certification such as CySA+, PenTest+, or SecurityX (formerly CASP+) automatically renews Security+ for a new three-year cycle, with no CEU submissions and the renewal fee waived. This is why many people let a more advanced exam do double duty as their Security+ renewal.
What happens if my Security+ expires?
CompTIA gives a short grace period to pay outstanding CE fees or submit CEUs you already earned inside the cycle, but you cannot earn new CEUs during it — and completing CertMaster CE or a higher cert in the grace window will not revive an expired certification. Once Security+ lapses, the only way back is to sit and pass the current version of the exam, which is far more expensive than staying current.
