Only if it passes the same tests a paid course would. Your board will want to know who approved the credit, whether that approval covers your license, whether the topic and format fit what you still owe, whether you finished inside your renewal period, and whether you can prove it. The approval rules quoted below turn on who approved a course, not on what it cost. As our how-it-works page puts it, "Provider accreditation, course credit and your board's acceptance are separate facts."
This guide is for licensed U.S. nurses, pharmacists, physicians, social workers and CPAs. It quotes national accreditors and several state boards as examples; your own board's rule decides. We checked every source on November 13, 2026.
Who approved the credit, and for which license?
Start with the course's approval statement, not its title. On each course page in our directory, "Course details" shows the format and the credit expiration date, and "Credits & eligibility" shows the credit type, the listed roles, any approval or program ID and the state scope. This Pharmacy Times activity is one example: 1 ACPE CPE, listed for pharmacists, approval ID 0290-0000-26-205-H01-P, on demand, credit expiring June 30, 2027.
Then match the approval to your license:
| Your license | Approval to look for | What the accreditor says | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse | ANCC accreditation | "Providers are organizations in any country that develop NCPD activities using ANCC criteria. Approvers are organizations in the US that approve NCPD providers for compliance with ANCC criteria." | Whether the provider is accredited itself or approved by an accredited approver, and whether your board accepts both |
| Pharmacist | ACPE accreditation | A Universal Activity Number "is assigned to each CPE activity developed and provided, or joint provided, by an ACPE-accredited provider." | The number's last letter: P for pharmacist, T for technician |
| Physician | ACCME accreditation | The ACCME calls itself "the national accrediting authority for continuing medical education." | Whether the provider will report your completion to the ACCME |
| Social worker | ASWB ACE approval | "Most U.S. states and all Canadian provinces recognize ACE continuing education credits for social workers." | Whether your state accepts ACE |
| CPA | NASBA National Registry of CPE Sponsors | "All jurisdictions accept courses from Registry sponsors to a certain extent. However, some jurisdictions have additional requirements." | The sponsor's Registry number, and for self-study, whether your board asks for more |
Sources for the table: ANCC, NCPD Accreditation; ACPE, Universal Activity Numbers; ACCME, About CME Passport; ASWB, ACE: Approved Continuing Education; NASBA, Jurisdictions that Accept Registry Sponsors.
Two more things to know:
- One course can carry several credit tracks. Our course pages list them separately, and the tracks "are alternatives, not a combined total." Our provider profiles say which accreditations each source states; Pulse Free CE, for example, lists ANCC nursing accreditation and an ASWB ACE provider number.
- A listing is the provider's claim, not your board's. Most of our listings say "No individual state acceptance claim is made in this listing." If a statement is unclear, look the provider up in the accreditor's own list. ANCC's, for one, is "searchable by state and credential type."
Does your board accept that approval for these hours?
Your board decides, and boards draw the line in different places. For social work, ASWB says so directly: "States and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether any individual course may be accepted for credit." Three boards' rules show a split between the general hours and a subject the state requires:
| Board | General hours | State-required subject | How you report |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Board of Nursing (RN) | "Must be approved by a state or national organization empowered to accredit nursing continuing education" | "All mandatory courses must be offered by a Florida Board of Nursing approved provider, with the exception of the 2 hour Human Trafficking course" | To the Department of Health's tracking system, before you renew |
| Pennsylvania Board of Pharmacy | Programs from "ACPE-accredited providers of continuing pharmaceutical education targeted toward pharmacists," or providers the Board approves | 2 hours from the ACPE topic designator "Patient Safety"; 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting in courses approved through a separate state process | A form sent with the renewal application; the Board audits a random 5% of renewals |
| Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy | Self-study "will only be accepted if earned from a sponsor approved by" NASBA's Quality Assurance Services (QAS) program | 4 ethics hours every three years, Board approved, including at least 1 hour on Mississippi accountancy law | Online, for each compliance period ending in June |
Sources for the table: Florida Board of Nursing, Registered Nurse Renewal; 49 Pa. Code § 27.32; Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy, Continuing Professional Education.
The split is not always the same. Pennsylvania's patient-safety hours can come from ACPE courses with that topic designator, while its child-abuse hours need a course approved through a separate state process, not by ACPE.
Some boards do not take a national approval for a profession at all. For social workers, ASWB says that "New York does not accept ASWB ACE provider or course/conference approval." New York's Office of the Professions keeps its own list of providers "approved by the Department to offer social work continuing education."
Our state pages quote the board's own wording on hours, required subjects and, where the board states it, what counts: start with Florida nursing, Pennsylvania pharmacy or Mississippi CPAs. Where a board's rule names an accreditor we track, the page also lists current free courses with that accreditation.
Does it fit the topic and format you still need?
If the hours you still owe are in a required subject, a general course will not close the gap.
Format matters too. ACPE defines home study as content that "does not have live interaction between the speaker and audience," and a recording of a live session counts as home study: those learners "will receive Home study credit with the H-UAN." That is the H in the example ID above. Some boards limit or require one format:
- New York pharmacists: of 45 hours every three years, "no more than 22 hours" may be self-study (Part 63 of the Commissioner's Regulations).
- Virginia pharmacists: of 15 hours a year, "at least three hours shall be obtained in courses or programs that are live or real-time interactive" (18VAC110-21-120).
Our New York and Virginia pharmacy pages carry those limits, and the course directory can be filtered by format, credit type and listed role.
Will the dates line up?
Your renewal period. Boards count hours inside a window, and some do not let extra hours roll over. Oregon accepts "CPE earned in the two (2) years immediately preceding the date of expiration (June 30)" (Oregon Board of Accountancy). Pennsylvania's pharmacy rule says extra hours "will not be carried over into the next renewal period." Our license lookup pages link to the board's public search and renewal pages, and as they say, "your official license record controls your deadline."
The course's credit window. ACPE home-study activities "are valid for a maximum three years," and "any date between the 3 year release and expiration date is a valid date of participation to claim credit." Our course pages show the credit expiration date when the provider publishes it, and say so when it does not.
How will your board know you finished?
Here are four setups you may meet:
- The provider reports to a national tracker. For pharmacists, ACPE's process is that you give the provider your NABP e-Profile ID and birth date "within 60 days of successful participation," and the provider uploads the credit to CPE Monitor in the same window (ACPE). ACPE warns that "your credit will be rejected by CPE Monitor if the provider does not have your correct NABP ePID information." For physicians, ACCME asks you to check with the provider: "ask the accredited CME coordinator if they will report your CME completion information to the ACCME."
- You report to the state's tracking system. Florida nurses "must report" their hours to the Department of Health's tracking system before renewing. The Department of Health says that system "is powered by CEBroker." A free basic account lets you see your course history and self-report anything missing; the paid account "is not a requirement."
- You report on the renewal application. Mississippi CPAs report online, and must submit the form "even if the CPE credit hours reported is zero." In Oregon, a self-study sponsor's 6-digit NASBA Registry number "must be reported on the licensee's renewal or reinstatement application" (Oregon Board of Accountancy).
- You attest, and prove it only if audited. Texas nurses "do not need to submit proof of compliance with the continuing competency requirements unless audited" (Texas Board of Nursing).
What to keep in case you are audited
Keep the certificate. How long, and what it must show, is the board's call:
- Texas nurses: "a minimum of three consecutive licensing periods or six years" (Texas Board of Nursing). The proof must show the provider's name, program title, date and location, contact hours, provider number and the credentialing agency's name.
- Pennsylvania pharmacists: certificates "shall be retained by a pharmacist for 2 years after renewal" (49 Pa. Code § 27.32).
- Mississippi CPAs: "a minimum five years" (Mississippi board).
- Delaware pharmacists who are audited can use NABP's CPE Monitor log for ACPE courses (Delaware Board of Pharmacy).
Read the certificate when you download it. Oregon's accountancy board warns that "CPE sponsors are not always consistent with marketing information and proofs of completion provided." If something is missing, ask the provider for a corrected certificate.
The order to do it in
- Before you enrollMatch the course to your board's rule
Approval body, listed role, topic and format. Note any required subjects you still owe.
- Before you startCheck both dates
The course's credit expiration and your renewal deadline.
- When you finishClaim the credit and save the certificate
Every step the provider lists. ACPE's window is 60 days.
- Before you renewReport it the way your board asks
Check that every course shows up.
- After you renewKeep the records
For as long as your board's rule says.
What this guide does not settle
- More than one license or state. Each board applies its own rule, so check the course against each one.
- Physicians and social workers by state. Our state requirement pages cover nurses, pharmacists, CPAs and dentists. For other licenses, read your board's rule directly.
- An unclear rule. If your board's wording leaves a course in doubt, ask the board before you rely on it. The provider can answer what it is accredited for; only the board can say what it accepts.
Next steps
- Open your state's nursing, pharmacy or CPA requirements page and note what counts and which subjects are required.
- Find your expiration date through our license lookup pages.
- On the course page, check the credit type, listed role, approval ID, format and credit expiration.
- Claim the credit through the provider and save the certificate the same day.
- Report it the way your board asks, and keep the records for the board's full period.
- Free CE coursesFilter by credit type, role and format
- Nursing CE requirements by state
- Pharmacy CE requirements by state
- CPA CE requirements by state
- License lookup and renewalYour official expiration date
- How we verify free CE
Sources
All checked on November 13, 2026. Rules change; the board's or accreditor's own page is the authority.
- American Nurses Credentialing Center, NCPD Accreditation and Find an Accredited Organization
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, Universal Activity Numbers and CPE Activity and Credit Submission Process
- Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, About CME Passport
- Association of Social Work Boards, ACE: Approved Continuing Education and States and provinces that accept ACE
- NASBA National Registry of CPE Sponsors, Jurisdictions that Accept Registry Sponsors
- Florida Board of Nursing, Registered Nurse Renewal; Florida Department of Health, Continuing Education
- Pennsylvania Code, 49 Pa. Code § 27.32, Continuing education and § 27.809, child abuse course approval
- Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy, Continuing Professional Education
- Texas Board of Nursing, Continuing Nursing Education & Competency
- New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, Part 63, Pharmacy and Continuing Education for Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- Virginia Administrative Code, 18VAC110-21-120
- Oregon Board of Accountancy, License Renewal Information and Continuing Professional Education
- Delaware Board of Pharmacy, Continuing Education and Audit Information
Provider-stated credits are not a guarantee of acceptance by your licensing board. Confirm your course, credential and jurisdiction before enrolling.