What To Do If You’re Missing A CPE Certificate

Every CPA needs to meet CPE requirements to maintain their license, and whether you’re getting them through live webinars or self-study courses, you’ll want to save the CPE certificate at the end of the session.

Here’s everything you need to know about accessing CPE certificates, from why it’s important to save them to how to download them.

Why Should You Save Your CPE Certificate?

CPE certificates are used to verify a CPA’s compliance with continuing education requirements. They serve as official documentation of your CPE credits, so it’s a best practice to save them after completing a course. In addition, they can also help with the following:

• Proof of compliance during CPE audit: As part of an audit, state boards of accountancy may request a copy of CPE certificates as proof of course completion.
• Required record-keeping: CPAs are often required to retain CPE records for several years. In the event that a CPE provider shuts down, changes platforms, or removes access to your course history, saving a copy ensures you still have access to your CPE certificate.
• Verification of course details: CPE certificates include information such as course title, CPE provider, field of study, and number of credit hours.
• Easier license renewals: Many states require CPAs to report CPE credits when they renew their license.

In order to receive a CPE certificate, you need to meet the requirements to earn CPE credits during the course. This is usually based on meeting the minimum viewing time requirement and answering polling questions or completing the assessment.

Once you’ve met the requirements, some organizers will offer the option to download CPE certificates on the spot. Others may take a few weeks before they make CPE certificates available to attendees.

Download the CPE Certificate During the Webinar

If you’re attending a live webinar, many organizers allow you to check the progress of your CPE requirements during the course. In this case, you may also be able to track how long you’ve been watching the webinar, as well as how many polling questions you’ve answered.

You can usually access this by clicking the “CPE” icon at the bottom of the webinar dashboard. Keep in mind that organizers use different images or language for their “CPE” icon, but here’s an example of what you should be looking for:

If the organizer allows you to download your CPE certificate during the webinar, this is likely where you’ll find that as well. Once you meet the minimum CPE requirements, you may see a download button to save a copy of your CPE certificate.

Not all organizers offer this option, so if you don’t see a way to download the CPE certificate during the webinar, there are other ways to retrieve it after the webinar is over. Just make sure that the webinar you’re attending actually offers CPE credit. Some companies host webinars that do not qualify for CPE, in which case a CPE certificate will never be available. Details on whether a webinar is CPE eligible should be on the organizer’s registration page.

Check for Emails from the Organizer

Most organizers will send attendees an email after the webinar is over to confirm attendance. If you’ve met the minimum CPE requirements, they may also include a link to download your CPE certificate or attach it to the email.

Here’s an example of an email Deloitte sends to its webinar attendees. They include a download link for people who qualify for CPE credit.

Keep in mind that these emails will look differently depending on the organizer.

Access Your CPE Certificate from CPE Databases

Recently more organizers have been storing CPE certificates on their database, which is convenient because you get instantaneous access to CPE certificates, often dating back a few years.

If you’ve attended any webinars held by these organizers, you should be able to access your CPE certificate at your convenience:

• Deloitte
• KPMG
• Moss Adams

Request Your Certificate by Reaching Out to the Organizer

If, after a few weeks, you still have not received your CPE certificate, reach out to the organizer. Contact information for CPE requests is usually available on the organizer’s website, but you should also be able to find it on the registration email you likely received after signing up for the webinar.

We’ve compiled a list of contact information for some of the most popular CPE organizers for your convenience:

Need CPE Credits?

Visit the CPE Calendar, where you’ll find a schedule of free CPE webinars offered by public accounting firms, software companies, and other organizations.

Browse free CPE webinars on the CPE Calendar →

Updated: March 2026