CompTIA CySA+ and SecurityX Renewal: What Counts, the CEU Caps and What Renews Together

To renew CySA+ through continuing education, you need 60 CEUs within your three-year cycle. SecurityX needs 75. An activity can count only if at least 50% of its content relates to the exam objectives of the certification you are renewing, and the CE fee is $150 for the three-year period, according to CompTIA’s Earn CEUs page and CE fees page.

SecurityX is the former CASP+. CompTIA announced the rename in December 2024 and said it would not affect current holders’ certification status or the continuing education program (CompTIA’s announcement). For the full CompTIA program, see our CompTIA CE renewal guide. Below are the caps, the overlap and the paperwork for these two certifications.

The caps: how much each activity can contribute

CompTIA sets a maximum for each activity type per three-year cycle. These figures come from its Training and Higher Education, IT Industry Participation and Work Experience pages:

Activity	CySA+	SecurityX
Total CEUs required	60	75
Training course (1 CEU per hour)	60	75
Live webinar (1 CEU per hour)	15	20
Conference (1 CEU per hour)	15	20
College or ACE course (10 CEUs per 3 to 4 credit-hour class)	60	75
Teach or mentor (1 CEU per hour)	30	40
Create instructional materials (2 CEUs per hour)	30	40
Subject matter expert in a CompTIA exam development workshop (1 CEU per hour)	60	75
Work experience (3 CEUs per year)	9	9

Webinars and conferences together top out at 30 CEUs for CySA+ and 40 for SecurityX, so neither certification renews on events alone. A CySA+ holder with 40 conference hours can claim 15. The rest has to come from training, college courses, teaching or another category.

The 50% relevance rule

For training, webinars, conferences and college courses, at least 50% of the content must relate to one or more exam objectives for the certification you are renewing. CompTIA says its review also weighs the cognitive level of the content, and it makes the final call. Work experience gets the same 50% test, applied to the work you do.

So one course can fit SecurityX and not CySA+, or the reverse. Compare the course outline with the exam objectives for the certification you plan to claim it against.

What renews together

CompTIA’s Renewing Multiple Certifications page says:

• SecurityX fully renews CySA+, PenTest+, Security+, Network+ and A+.
• CySA+ fully renews Security+, Network+ and A+ (see our Security+ CEU post).
• CySA+ and PenTest+ don’t renew each other automatically, but the submission form lets you apply CEUs from one to the other.

To keep everything current, CompTIA says to select your highest-level certification as your “intent level.” If you hold SecurityX and CySA+, meeting the SecurityX requirement covers both.

Single-activity options

CompTIA’s single-activity comparison page lists four ways to renew with one activity in your cycle: complete CertMaster CE, pass the latest release of your exam (when a newer version exists), earn a higher-level CompTIA certification, or earn a qualifying non-CompTIA IT industry certification. The first three waive the CE fee for the current cycle, and its How to Renew page says they are submitted automatically. The non-CompTIA route still requires the CE fee.

A plan that fits inside the caps

One way a CySA+ holder could reach 60 without losing hours to a cap:

Activity	CEUs
Live webinars over three years (at the cap)	15
One conference, sessions mapped to CySA+ objectives (at the cap)	15
Work experience, one employer letter per CE year	9
Training courses, 21 hours in total	21
Total	60

For SecurityX, the same mix at 20 webinar, 20 conference, 9 work experience and 26 training hours reaches 75. These are illustrations. Each row still needs a check against the 50% rule, and CompTIA decides each submission.

Documents CompTIA asks for

CompTIA’s CE FAQ says submitted CEUs are accepted automatically and audits are random. Save the documents when you finish each activity, not when an audit notice arrives:

• Training course: a detailed outline, plus a completion certificate with your name, the course, the provider, the date and the hours.
• Webinar or conference session: a detailed outline, plus a completion certificate or registration email with your name, the session, the date and the hours. On-demand webinars and YouTube videos only count with proof of registration or a completion certificate.
• College course: an outline and a transcript showing your name, the college, the course, the semester and the credit hours.
• Work experience: a letter on company letterhead with your name, job title, the CE year, the tasks you performed and your supervisor’s signature. Work orders, performance reports and resumes are not valid.

On fees: the FAQ says you can pay annually or all at once, and everything is due by your certification’s expiration date. The fee applies only when you renew by uploading CEUs, and refunds are not available.

Tracking CySA+ and SecurityX in MyCertRenewal

MyCertRenewal has CompTIA credit rules built (see supported certifications). When you log an activity, credit that depends on a condition shows as Counts if it checks out and stays out of your totals until you confirm it. A category that has reached its cap shows as At its limit (what the labels mean). You still submit CEUs in your CompTIA account, and CompTIA has the final say.

If you are renewing CySA+ or SecurityX alongside another certification, Start free and log your first activity. The Free plan covers one person and up to 2 certifications.

Frequently asked questions

Certification rules change. Always confirm current requirements with the certifying body. MyCertRenewal is not affiliated with CompTIA.