This article provides information about the Annual Maintenance Fee (AMF), including what it is, who it is for, and how it works for eligible expiring certifications.
In this article
- General Information
- Certification Expiration
- Maintenance Requirements
- Eligibility & Purchasing
- Contact Support
General Information
What is AMF?
The Annual Maintenance Fee (AMF) is an annual fee priced at $145 per year.
AMF is intended for learners who hold an eligible expiring OffSec certification and need the annual maintenance coverage required to keep that certification active.
Unlike AMP, AMF is focused only on certification maintenance. It does not include broader membership benefits such as hands-on practice, rotating learning content, or access to course materials.
If you are looking for annual maintenance coverage together with continued hands-on practice and other learning benefits, please see the OffSec Annual Membership Program (AMP) FAQ.
For full details about certification maintenance and CPE requirements, please refer to the CPE Handbook.
Who is AMF for?
AMF is for learners who:
- hold an eligible expiring certification, and
- want to maintain that certification, and
- do not need AMP’s broader membership benefits
If you would like annual maintenance coverage plus ongoing access to rotating content, Proving Grounds Practice, and other membership benefits, please see the OffSec Annual Membership Program (AMP) FAQ.
What does AMF cover?
AMF covers annual maintenance for the following eligible expiring certifications:
- OSCP+
- OSAI+
- OSCC-SEC
- OSCC-SJD
- OSTH
- OSIR
Does AMF include labs, practice content, or course materials?
No.
AMF is specifically for certification maintenance. It does not include the additional learning and platform benefits associated with AMP.
If you are looking for access to rotating content, Proving Grounds Practice, or eligible course materials, please review the OffSec Annual Membership Program (AMP) FAQ.
Certification Expiration
Do all OffSec certifications expire?
No. Not all OffSec certifications expire.
Only the certifications listed below expire after three years and require annual maintenance coverage to remain active through the CPE program:
- OSCP+
- OSAI+
- OSCC-SEC
- OSCC-SJD
- OSTH
- OSIR
The following certifications do not expire and do not require annual maintenance:
- OSCP
- OSAI
- OSWP
- OSWA
- OSWE
- OSEP
- OSED
- OSEE
- OSDA
- KLCP
- OSCE3
Do I need AMF if my certification does not expire?
No.
If your certification does not expire, you do not need AMF to keep it valid.
AMF only applies to the certifications that require annual maintenance coverage.
If your certification does not expire but you are still interested in additional hands-on practice and learning access, you may want to review the OffSec Annual Membership Program (AMP) FAQ instead.
Maintenance Requirements
Do I need annual maintenance coverage every year?
Only if you hold an eligible expiring certification and want to keep it active.
For those certifications, maintenance is required for each year of the 3-year certification cycle. It is not something you wait to address only at the end of the three years.
That annual coverage can be met in either of these ways:
- by purchasing AMF
- by having an active AMP
You do not need both for the same maintenance period.
This means AMF and AMP are two different ways to satisfy the same maintenance requirement:
- AMF is the maintenance-only option
- AMP includes maintenance coverage together with broader learning benefits
If you want to explore the broader membership option, please see the OffSec Annual Membership Program (AMP) FAQ.
If I purchase AMF, do I also need AMP?
No.
If you purchase AMF for the applicable maintenance period, that satisfies the annual maintenance coverage requirement for your eligible expiring certification.
AMP is not required unless you also want the additional membership benefits it provides.
What happens if I purchase AMF after my certification cycle has already started?
If your certification cycle has already begun, purchasing AMF later does not restart or change that cycle.
Instead, you will need to make sure all required maintenance years in that certification cycle are covered.
For example, if you earned an eligible certification in 2025 and first purchase AMF in 2027, you would still need coverage for:
- 2025–2026 (Year 1)
- 2026–2027 (Year 2)
- 2027–2028 (Year 3)
This is because annual maintenance is tied to the certification’s timeline. The purpose is to maintain continuous coverage across the certification period for certifications that require it.
How does maintenance work if I have more than one expiring certification?
If you earn more than one eligible expiring certification, you do not need separate maintenance purchases for each certification.
You only need one active maintenance option per year for supported expiring certifications. That means one active AMF or one active AMP covers the applicable maintenance period for those eligible certifications under the same maintenance cycle.
Your maintenance cycle is based on the anniversary of your first expiring certification. Any additional eligible expiring certifications earned later are grouped into that same cycle.
This approach is intended to simplify maintenance and reduce the need to track separate annual timelines for each supported certification.
When does AMF start and how long does it last?
AMF begins when purchased and aligns to the applicable certification maintenance cycle. It co-terminates with the yearly anniversary of your first expiring certification’s expiration date.
This means AMF follows the certification maintenance schedule rather than operating simply as a standalone one-year subscription window.
If you are looking for a broader annual option that also includes maintenance coverage, please see the OffSec Annual Membership Program (AMP) FAQ.
Eligibility & Purchasing
Who is eligible to purchase AMF?
Any individual learners with eligible expiring certifications may purchase AMF through the Buy More page.
Important:
Organizational full admins are not currently able to purchase AMP or AMF directly through the platform.
How do I purchase AMF?
If AMF is available to you, go to the Buy More page in your OffSec Learning account and complete your purchase there.
If you have questions about eligibility or what appears on your account, please contact OffSec Support.
I’m an organization admin and I don’t see AMF on the Buy More page. Why?
At this time, AMF is not available for direct self-service purchase by users with full organization admin permissions.
Eligible individual learners, including sub-admins and learners who were enrolled through an organization invite, may see AMF on the Buy More page.
If you are a full organization admin and would like to purchase AMF for yourself, please contact orders@offsec.com for assistance.
What if I want more than maintenance coverage?
If you want annual maintenance coverage together with ongoing learning and practice benefits, please review the OffSec Annual Membership Program (AMP) FAQ.
AMP may be a better fit for learners who want both certification maintenance coverage and continued platform engagement.
Contact Support
Try asking OSCAR - The OffSec Support Chatbot Assistance Resource, a.k.a. OSCAR, is an AI-powered chatbot here to provide you with quick and efficient support for your general inquiries related to OffSec services and offerings.
Email - If you have require further assistance, you can send us an email by submitting a request here.
For efficient support, kindly provide your OSID number when reaching out to our team.
For further details on how to maintain your OffSec certification through the CPE program, please see the CPE Handbook.
If you are looking for a broader option that includes maintenance coverage and learning benefits, please see the OffSec Annual Membership Program (AMP) FAQ.