The 6 Best Online Courses To Earn Free CPE Credits in 2024

CPE credits are a critical requirement for certified professional accountants (CPAs). 

They keep your licenses and certifications active and your skills up-to-date with emerging accounting and finance trends, so you can remain in good standing with regulatory bodies (like the AICPA) and boost your credibility in the industry. 

But not everyone has hundreds or thousands of dollars to invest in CPE courses to earn credits.

We rounded up seven of the best free online CPE accredited courses, so you can get the credits you need to keep your skills sharp and remain regulatory-compliant throughout your career. 

Looking for courses specifically on Excel? Check out our list of the best Excel courses geared towards finance professionals.

The Best Online CPE Courses for Free Credits

1. Vena Academy 

Vena Academy offers free online courses and certifications that earn you free CPE/CPD credits. 
These self-paced NASBA-certified courses target directors, analysts, controllers, consultants, juniors and anyone looking to gain or improve their strategic and technical skills in FP&A and Microsoft 365 tools such as Excel and Power BI. 

What to Expect From Vena Academy

Vana Academy covers topics such as FP&A strategy and business planning, leadership, personal development and technical training around the Microsoft 365 suite and Vena. You could earn up to 100+ CPE/CPD credits, depending on the courses you take. 

Some of the most popular Vena Academy courses include:

• A Guide to Good Business Ethics
• Get Started Building With Power BI
• Financial Close: A Foundational Guide
• 7 Principles of the Agile Finance Leader
• 5 Leadership Styles To Influence a Team
• How To Become an Analytical Organization 

(You can sign up to Vena Academy to explore more suitable courses that align with your goals.)

These courses are created in partnership with subject matter experts within and outside of Vena. 
For example, “Dynamic Arrays in Excel: Key Functions and Formulas for Finance Professionals” was created in partnership with Microsoft MVP, Purnachandra Duggirala, creator of Chandoo.org. Vena also collaborated with Benno Van Ingen, Lead Consultant, CFO Tech at Finext to create the course “Mastering the Year-End Financial Close.”

Plus, Vena offers even more free resources to support your learning, such as webinars, podcasts, guides, online events and Excel templates. 

How To Register

Enroll here to get started for free.

2. FreeLive CPE

FreeLive CPE provides links to free live webinars from some of the largest CPA and consulting firms in a calendar-like format, so you can keep track of what’s happening and when.

What To Expect From FreeLive CPE 

These live webinars are from some of the largest accounting firms, such as PwC and KPMG, software companies and other organizations. 

Upcoming webinars include:

• Generative AI and the fight for trust – Deloitte
• The Need for Modernization in Your Tech Stack – Eide Bailly
• Exploring the Future of Indirect Tax and Managed Services – KPMG
• Federal energy tax credits and incentives for not-for-profit organizations – Crowe
• Why On Demand Business Valuations are the Cornerstone of Effective Business Advisory Services – ADP

The CPE credits offered depend on the company—most offer CPAs at least 1 CPE credit. You’ll find the number of credits you can earn just below the “register” button on the webinar’s page. 

Also, you can only access these credits if you attended the entire webinar and answered polling questions throughout the webcast. FreeLiveCPE.com doesn’t have direct control over the webinars or CPE certificate issuance. 

How To Register

Click on the “register” button just below the date of each webinar description. The link will lead you to the organizing company’s webinar signup page.

3. EY Webcasts

EY offers live webcasts and on-demand webinars for accounting, finance and tax professionals. 

What To Expect From PwC

The platform offers expert-led webcasts covering current issues, industry trends, regulatory updates and technical topics. You can attend them live or download sessions on demand.

However, you only receive CPE credits when you attend the live webcast, meet the minimum viewing durations and answer the required polling questions.

An overview of the viewing duration and poll response requirements for CPE credits, provided by EY. 

How To Register

From the landing page, click on the webinar you want to attend. Then click “register.” 

4. Corporate Finance Institute 

The Corporate Finance Institute (CFI) offers online courses, some of which are free, that amount to CPD hours or CPE credits for CPAs, CIAs, chartered accountants and other accounting designation holders. 

What To Expect From Corporate Finance Institute

The platform provides free expert-led courses covering topics in accounting, financial analysis and modeling, wealth management and leadership. 

The courses are for CPA holders looking to meet their ongoing professional education requirements. The amount of CPE credits you earn depends on the courses you take (it typically ranges from 1 to 8.5 credits per course, depending on your country).

Some of the courses include:

• Corporate Finance Fundamentals - 2.5 credits
• Excel Fundamentals - Formulas for Finance - 3 credits
• Data Science & Machine Learning Fundamentals - 3.5 credits

How To Register

Sign up by clicking on the course you want to take from CFI’s course landing page. Then click on “enroll for free” to create an account.

5. PwC Webcasts

PwC has a webcast library that covers topics such as financial reporting, tax, regulatory and accounting. 

What To Expect From PwC

The platform offers expert-led webcasts on financial statement audits, accounting issues, tax and ESG. These free CPE webinars can be attended live or downloaded to watch on demand.

However, you only receive CPE credits when you attend an entire PwC live webcast event and answer at least four questions for every 60 minutes of content, or when you watch a CPE-eligible webcast replay. 

How To Register

From the landing page, click on the webinar you want to attend. Then click on “guest registration”, enter your email address and submit the form. 

6. myCPE

myCPE provides CPE-eligible courses in different subject areas, including accounting, auditing, finance, taxes and technology. These courses are created by external instructors (CPAs and finance and accounting experts) and hosted on the platform.

What To Expect From myCPE

The platform offers several expert-led courses, such as:

• Accounting & Auditing Update for Nonprofits - 1.5 CPE credit
• State Tax Considerations of a Mobile Workforce - 1 CPE credit
• Mastering Lease Accounting & Audit in the Digital Age - 1 CPE credit
• GAAP - Update on New Accounting Principles and How They Impact Your Borrowers' Financials - 1 CPE credit

How To Register

You have to pay a one-time subscription to get unlimited access.

Tips for Finding the Right CPE Courses  

Finding the right CPE course ensures you’re investing your time learning about topics that are practical and useful for your job. To choose the best CPE course, follow these steps:

• Determine the skills you want to develop, areas of knowledge you want to deepen and how the course will contribute to your professional growth.
• Consider your industry, job role, level of expertise and specific requirements from regulatory bodies to narrow down your options.
• Look for courses that cover relevant topics and provide practical tips you can use at work. For example, FP&A professionals will benefit from courses that focus on topics like advanced financial analysis and forecasting techniques. Corporate accountants, on the other hand, will prioritize taxes, audit and risk management related topics.
• Verify the credentials and expertise of the course instructor.
• Ensure the CPE course is accredited by recognized regulatory bodies.
• Look for reviews and testimonials from past participants to see what they think about it.
• Choose a learning format that suits your learning style, schedule and availability.

How To Maximize The Value of Free CPE Courses & Credits  

CPE courses go beyond earning free credits to stay regulatory compliant. 

Instead, it presents an opportunity for you to learn new skills, fast-track your career and  become more valuable to your employer and industry. Additionally, you may discover opportunities to expand your professional network while taking courses and attending webinars.

Here’s how to make the most of free CPE courses and credits:

• Diversify your learning to include multiple topics related to your field or areas of interest.
• Create a spreadsheet to monitor when courses need to be completed and reported, and how many credits each course offers.
• Actively participate in discussions, answer questions during live webinars, complete assignments on time and interact with instructors and fellow learners (if possible).
• Apply the knowledge and skills gained from the courses to improve your job performance.
• Take advantage of any networking opportunities provided by the CPE courses.
• Subscribe to newsletters, follow relevant social media accounts or join online communities to stay updated on opportunities for continuous learning.

FAQs About CPE Courses and Credits

Here are some frequently asked questions about CPE courses and free credits. If you need additional detail, check out our ultimate guide to CPE credits.

What Does CPE Stand For?

CPE stands for Continuing Professional Education. It is ongoing learning activities that CPAs and other accounting designation holders engage in to maintain, enhance, and update their knowledge and skills after completing their initial education and obtaining their professional certification or licensure. 

What Are CPE Credits?

CPE credits, or Continuing Professional Education credits, are points finance and accounting professionals need to earn to keep their licenses or certifications active. They’re earned through workshops, webinars, conferences and CPE courses from approved organizations.

How Do I Get a CPE Certificate?

To get a CPE certificate, you’ll need to: 

• Choose a relevant CPE course, workshop, webinar or conference to attend.
• Complete any requirements for earning the CPE certificate (such as  answering questions and other instructions provided).
• After completing the activity and any associated requirements, check to see if you received confirmation of your participation from the provider (most likely via email).
• Keep an accurate record of the CPE credits you've earned, along with any supporting documentation, such as certificates or emails.
• Be prepared to submit a record of your completed activities, along with any supporting documentation, if your professional organization requires you to do so.