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.
| Name | Relevant Features | No. of CPE credits |
| Vena Academy | Self-paced professional training, covering topics such as FP&A strategy and business planning, leadership, personal development and technical training around the Microsoft 365 product suite and Vena. | Up to 100+ CPE/CPD credits, depending on the courses. |
| FreeLive CPE | Live webinars from some of the largest CPA and consulting firms such as Deloitte and KPMG. | 1 or more CPE credits per webinar. |
| EY Webcasts | Webcasts covering current issues, industry trends, regulatory updates and technical topics. | 1 or more CPE credits per webinar. |
| Corporate Finance Institute | Certifications and courses covering topics in accounting, financial analysis and modeling, wealth management and leadership. | 1 to 8.5 credits per course. |
| PwC Webcasts | Expert-led webcasts on financial statement audits, accounting issues, tax and ESG. | Depends on the organizer. |
| My-CPE | Courses and webinars in different subject areas, including accounting, auditing, finance, taxes and technology. | Depends on the course. |
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.
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:
(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.
Enroll here to get started for free.
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.
These live webinars are from some of the largest accounting firms, such as PwC and KPMG, software companies and other organizations.
Upcoming webinars include:
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.
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.
EY offers live webcasts and on-demand webinars for accounting, finance and tax professionals.
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.
| Required Accumulated Viewing Time | Polls Answered | Eligible CPE Credits |
| 50 to 59 minutes | 3 | 1.0 |
| 60 to 69 minutes | 3 | 1.2 |
| 70 to 80 minutes | 4 | 1.4 |
| 80 to 89 minutes | 5 | 1.6 |
| 90 to 99 minutes | 6 | 1.8 |
An overview of the viewing duration and poll response requirements for CPE credits, provided by EY.
From the landing page, click on the webinar you want to attend. Then click “register.”
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.
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:
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.
PwC has a webcast library that covers topics such as financial reporting, tax, regulatory and accounting.
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.
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.
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.
The platform offers several expert-led courses, such as:
You have to pay a one-time subscription to get unlimited access.
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
To get a CPE certificate, you’ll need to: