How Much Does a CompTIA A+ Certified Person Actually Make?
CompTIA A+salaryIT career
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Let us answer the question you actually came here for, then make it useful. The honest version is: the CompTIA A+ does not set your salary. Your role does. The A+ gets you into a tier of jobs, and that tier is where the number comes from.
What the A+ actually unlocks
The A+ maps to entry-level roles: help desk, desktop support, IT support specialist, and field or service technician. In the United States, these roles generally sit in the lower-to-middle band of IT pay. It is a real, livable starting wage in most markets, and noticeably above many jobs that require no technical credential at all. But it is a starting wage, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
Two things move that number a lot: where you live and what you do next.
Location changes everything
The same help desk title can pay very differently in a major tech hub versus a smaller market. Cost of living tracks with it, so a bigger number is not automatically a better deal. When you research salaries, always filter by your city or region. National averages hide swings large enough to make or break a decision.
The A+ is step one of a raise, not the raise
Here is the pattern that actually grows the paycheck. People who treat the A+ as a finish line stay near the entry band. People who treat it as the first certification in a stack climb:
- A+ gets you in the door at help desk or support.
- Network+ or Security+ moves you toward analyst and administrator roles, which pay meaningfully more.
- A specialty (cloud, security, networking) is where IT salaries get genuinely comfortable.
Each step usually pairs a new certification with a year or so of experience. The A+ is what starts the clock.
Experience compounds faster than certs
One underrated truth: after your first job, experience often outpaces certifications as a salary driver. The A+ is disproportionately valuable precisely because it gets you that first job, where the real compounding begins. Its return on investment is not the raise it hands you. It is the door it opens so the raises can start.
So, what will you make?
If you are asking "will the A+ get me a comfortable salary on its own," the honest answer is no, not by itself. If you are asking "will the A+ get me into a paying IT job I can build a rising career on," the answer is yes, that is exactly what it is for.
The number you should care about is not the A+ starting salary. It is where the A+ can take you in three years if you keep stacking. That trajectory is the real reason it is worth it.
Before you commit
The fastest way to shorten your time-to-first-paycheck is to not waste weeks studying things you already know. Take a free A+ diagnostic: a short set of real questions that shows exactly which topics you have and which you need. It turns "how long until I can start earning" into a plan instead of a guess.
Frequently asked questions
Does the CompTIA A+ guarantee a certain salary?
No. The A+ helps you qualify for entry-level IT roles like help desk and support. Actual pay depends on your role, location, and experience, and it grows as you stack further certifications.
What jobs can you get with just the A+?
Common roles include help desk technician, desktop support, IT support specialist, and field or service technician. These are realistic entry points that let you build experience.
How do you increase your salary after the A+?
Pair experience with further certifications such as Network+ or Security+, then a specialty like cloud or security. Each step typically moves you into a higher-paying tier of roles.
Is the A+ worth it for the salary alone?
Its value is less about the immediate paycheck and more about opening the door to your first IT job, where experience and future certifications compound into real salary growth.