For teams
What does it cost to certify a team?
The exam fee is only the first line of a certification budget. Most boards add a fee after passing, a maintenance fee every year or term, and a charge for each retake. This page sets out the published fees of five exam boards, ISACA, ISC2, IAPP, GARP and PECB, read from each board's own pages on 2 October 2026, and gives you a spreadsheet to price your own team.
Fees change, and most boards say so. Every figure below names its source and the date we read it, so you can check it before a budget goes to sign-off.
What does each certification cost per person?
The table shows the first-time cost to sit and what each board charges once you pass. Prices are in US dollars unless stated.
| Credential | Exam | After passing |
|---|---|---|
| CISA, CISM, CRISC (ISACA) | 575 member, 760 non-member | 50 application fee once, then 45 a year for members or 85 for non-members; 120 CPE hours per three years |
| CISSP (ISC2) | 749; EUR 719.04 in EMEA; GBP 606.69 in the UK | Endorsement by a certified member or by ISC2, then 135 a year; 120 CPE credits per three years |
| CIPP/E, CIPP/US, CIPM, CIPT (IAPP) | 550, member or not | 250 per two-year term, or membership at 295 a year |
| AIGP (IAPP) | 799 non-member, 649 member | The same IAPP maintenance fee |
| FRM Part I and Part II (GARP) | 600 per part early, 800 standard, plus a 400 enrollment fee once | No fee listed; GARP encourages 40 development credits every two years but does not require them |
| PECB Lead Implementer | Inside the training course fee | 390 per three-year cycle; 90 CPD hours per three years |
Sources: the ISACA Exam Candidate Guide (version 1.26) and its maintain CISA page; ISC2 exam pricing and ISC2 annual maintenance fees; the IAPP Store and IAPP certification FAQ; GARP FRM fees and payments; the PECB Certification Maintenance Policy. All read 2 October 2026.
What does it cost over three years?
Most budgets run longer than one exam sitting, so here is one person over three years, passing first time, with no course or books. ISACA and ISC2 charge maintenance every year; IAPP charges per two-year term, so a three-year budget carries two terms.
| Credential | Three years, one person (US$) | How we added it up |
|---|---|---|
| CISA, CISM or CRISC, non-member | 1,065 | 760 + 50 + 3 x 85 |
| CISA, CISM or CRISC, member | 760, plus dues | 575 + 50 + 3 x 45 |
| CISSP | 1,154 | 749 + 3 x 135 |
| CIPP/E, CIPP/US, CIPM or CIPT | 1,050 | 550 + 2 x 250 |
| AIGP | 1,299 | 799 + 2 x 250 |
| FRM, both parts, early registration | 1,600 | 400 + 600 + 600 |
| PECB Lead Implementer | Course fee + 390 | One three-year maintenance fee |
That arithmetic is ours, from the published fees. It leaves out membership dues, courses, travel and tax: GARP says its fees exclude VAT and GST, and ISC2 prices by the country where the exam is taken.
Team certification budget calculator
Credential,People,Exam fee per person (USD),Application or enrollment fee (USD),Maintenance fee per payment (USD),Maintenance payments in your period,People expected to retake,Retake fee (USD),Books per person (USD),Total (USD),Notes CISA or CISM or CRISC (ISACA member),1,575,50,45,3,0,575,0,=B2*(C2+D2+E2*F2+I2)+G2*H2,"Exam US$575 member; US$50 application fee once; maintenance US$45 a year. ISACA Exam Candidate Guide v1.26 and Maintain CISA page, read 2 Oct 2026. Add ISACA Professional membership (US$145 a year) and local chapter dues, which are required where a chapter exists." CISA or CISM or CRISC (non-member),1,760,50,85,3,0,760,0,=B3*(C3+D3+E3*F3+I3)+G3*H3,"Exam US$760 non-member; maintenance US$85 a year; full fee for each attempt. ISACA, read 2 Oct 2026." CISSP (ISC2),1,749,0,135,3,0,749,0,=B4*(C4+D4+E4*F4+I4)+G4*H4,"Exam US$749 (EUR 719.04 EMEA, GBP 606.69 UK); annual maintenance fee US$135. A retake is a new exam purchase unless bought with Peace of Mind Protection. ISC2 pricing and AMF pages, read 2 Oct 2026." CIPP/E or CIPP/US or CIPM or CIPT (IAPP),1,550,0,250,2,0,375,0,=B5*(C5+D5+E5*F5+I5)+G5*H5,"Exam US$550; maintenance US$250 per two-year term (two terms in three years), or IAPP membership US$295 a year; retake US$375. IAPP Store and FAQ, read 2 Oct 2026." AIGP (IAPP),1,799,0,250,2,0,625,0,=B6*(C6+D6+E6*F6+I6)+G6*H6,"Exam US$799 non-member (US$649 member); retake US$625 non-member (US$475 member), per the IAPP AIGP Candidate Handbook checked 6 Aug 2026. Maintenance US$250 per two-year term." FRM Part I and Part II (GARP),1,1200,400,0,0,0,600,0,=B7*(C7+D7+E7*F7+I7)+G7*H7,"Two parts at US$600 early registration (US$800 standard); enrollment US$400 once. GARP lists no separate retake price, so the early part fee is entered. GARP Fees and Payments, read 2 Oct 2026. Fees exclude VAT and GST." PECB Lead Implementer,1,0,0,390,1,0,0,0,=B8*(C8+D8+E8*F8+I8)+G8*H8,"Certification and exam fees are inside the training course price (enter it in column C). Course takers who fail can retake once free within 12 months. Maintenance US$390 per three-year cycle. PECB pages, read 2 Oct 2026." Total,,,,,,,,,=SUM(J2:J8),"Our arithmetic on published fees, read 2 Oct 2026. Excludes courses (except where entered), membership dues, travel and tax. Check each board's fee page before you budget. credentialpress.com/guides/certification-costs-for-teams"
How much should you allow for retakes?
ISACA and ISC2 charge the full fee again for a retake. ISACA's candidate guide says candidates "must pay the registration fee in full for each exam attempt", and allows four attempts in a rolling 12 months. At ISC2, a retake is a new exam purchase, unless you bought the exam with "Peace of Mind Protection", which gives two attempts within 180 days. For CIPP/E, CIPP/US, CIPM and CIPT, the IAPP Store charges US$375 instead of US$550 to anyone who has attempted that exam before or already holds an IAPP certification. For the AIGP, the IAPP's Candidate Handbook gives a retake price of US$625 for non-members and US$475 for members. GARP lists no separate retake price, so budget the part fee again. PECB lets candidates who completed the course retake once free within 12 months.
GARP publishes a pass rate for each sitting: 47% for FRM Part I and 50% for Part II in November 2025. We found none on the ISACA, ISC2, IAPP or PECB pages we read, so for those exams any allowance is your estimate. Write it into the sheet as a number of people, and revisit it after the first cohort.
Is a membership worth buying for the team?
For ISACA, member pricing saves US$185 on each exam attempt and US$40 a year on maintenance: US$305 per person over three years if everyone passes first time. ISACA's Professional membership costs US$145 a year, or US$435 over three years, and ISACA says members "are required to join their local chapter unless one doesn't exist in their area", which adds chapter dues that vary by chapter. So on certification fees alone, membership costs more than it saves for someone who passes first time; each retake narrows the gap by US$185. For IAPP, membership at US$295 a year includes the US$250 maintenance fee, so it costs more than the fee alone over a two-year term; buy it for the other member benefits, if your team uses them. ISC2 charges one US$135 fee however many ISC2 certifications a person holds, and FRM registration includes one year of GARP individual membership for candidates who have not had it through another GARP program.
Can you buy exams for a team in one go?
Some boards sell to organizations directly. ISC2's voucher policy lets companies buy vouchers for exams, training and maintenance fees; vouchers expire one year from purchase "and cannot be extended", so buy only for people who will sit within the year. ISACA offers an Enterprise Participation Program, which it describes as a "pre-paid training investment under one agreement". IAPP organizational membership advertises "individual and bulk discounts on IAPP training and conferences", without a published price. None of the pages we read publishes a bulk discount on exam fees.
When should you buy the exam?
Buy it when the person is ready, because the clocks are short and the fees do not come back. ISACA gives six months from registration to sit, and its fees are nonrefundable. ISC2 gives up to 365 days and says all purchases are final. IAPP requires the exam to be taken within one year of purchase, and its refund policy offers credits instead of refunds. GARP's November 2026 registration has closed, and early registration for May 2027 opens on 1 December 2026.
How much study time should you plan for?
IAPP and GARP put a number on it. IAPP recommends a minimum of 30 hours of study for each certification. GARP says FRM candidates spend about 240 hours studying on average. Put those hours in the training plan alongside the fees, and book the exam once the plan is set.
Which book fits which person?
Every guide we publish follows one exam board's current outline and prints the version it follows. For an audit team, start with the CISA exam guide by Michael Turner. For security engineers and managers, the CISSP study guide sizes each domain to its weight. Privacy teams in Europe use the CIPP/E guide to European data protection, risk teams the FRM Part I exam guide, and AI governance teams the ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer study guide. The role-by-role list for teams and libraries covers the rest, and every copy is bought on Amazon at the listed price.
For the exam detail behind these numbers, read our guides to the CISA exam format and fees, the adaptive CISSP exam, the CIPP/E exam outline and FRM Part I.
What should you do this week?
Download the sheet, enter your headcount per credential, and set a retake allowance. Then open each board's fee page from the sources below and check that nothing has changed since 2 October 2026. Credential Press is independent of every board named here.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to certify one person in CISA?
On ISACA's published fees, read 2 October 2026: US$760 for the exam as a non-member (US$575 as a member), a one-time US$50 application fee after passing, and US$85 a year to keep it (US$45 for members). Over three years that is US$1,065 per non-member, before any retake or training.
Is ISACA membership worth it for a team?
Not on certification fees alone. Member pricing saves US$305 per person over three years (US$185 on the exam and US$40 a year on maintenance), while Professional membership costs US$145 a year, US$435 over three years, plus local chapter dues where a chapter exists. Each retake saves another US$185, so membership can pay for itself for people who retake or use other member benefits.
What does the CISSP cost per person over three years?
US$749 for the exam (EUR 719.04 in EMEA, GBP 606.69 in the UK) and a US$135 annual maintenance fee, so US$1,154 over three years before any retake. One maintenance fee covers every ISC2 certification the person holds.
Do IAPP certifications have an annual fee?
Not an annual one. IAPP charges a US$250 certification maintenance fee per two-year term, or the person can join IAPP at US$295 a year, which covers it. One fee keeps all of a person's IAPP certifications current.
Are training courses included in these costs?
Only for PECB. Its ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer course page says certification and examination fees are included in the price of the training course, and course takers who fail can retake once free within 12 months. ISACA, ISC2, IAPP and GARP sell the exam on its own, and any course is a separate cost.
Which exam boards publish a pass rate?
GARP does: 47% for FRM Part I and 50% for Part II in November 2025. We found no pass rate on the ISACA, ISC2, IAPP or PECB pages we read, so a retake allowance for those exams is your own estimate.
Which books do teams start with?
Certified Information Systems Auditor. 12 chapters, 355 pages.
Certified Information Systems Security Professional. 14 chapters, 396 pages.
Sources
Every fee above was read from the board's own pages on 2 October 2026. The three-year totals are our arithmetic.
- ISACA, Certification Exam Candidate Guide, version 1.26
- ISACA, Maintain CISA Certification
- ISC2, exam pricing
- ISC2, Annual Maintenance Fees
- ISC2, CISSP certification page (Peace of Mind Protection)
- ISC2, Voucher Policy, version 1.0
- ISACA, become a member (Professional membership and chapter dues)
- IAPP, organizational membership
- IAPP Store, certification exams
- IAPP, certification FAQ
- GARP, FRM Fees and Payments
- GARP, FRM Program and Exams (pass rates)
- PECB, Certification Maintenance Policy
- PECB, ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer course page
Credential Press is not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorized by ISACA, ISC2, IAPP, GARP or PECB. Exam names and trademarks belong to their owners.