CE Broker Explained: How Your Credits Actually Reach the Board
If you are licensed in Florida, Tennessee or one of a dozen other states, your CE does not go directly to your board. It goes to CE Broker, and the board reads it from there.
Most confusion about CE Broker comes from not knowing which part of the chain is your job and which part is your provider's. Here is the whole chain.
What CE Broker is
CE Broker is a third-party system that a number of state boards use as the official record of licensee continuing education. Rather than each provider reporting to each board in a different format, providers report into CE Broker and the board reads a single consistent record.
The states currently using it for dental licensees include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Who does what
| Step | Whose job |
|---|---|
| Complete the course and pass the test | You |
| Hold correct license details on file | You |
| Report the completion into CE Broker | Your provider |
| Read the record at renewal | Your board |
| Confirm the record is complete before renewing | You |
The three rows in bold are yours; the rest happens without you. Of the three, the middle one — keeping your license details correct — is where this goes wrong most often.
Why reporting fails, and it is nearly always the same reason
A submission to CE Broker has to match a licensee. That match is made on your license number, license type and license state. If any of those is missing, mistyped or out of date in your account with the provider, there is nothing to attach the credit to and the submission cannot be made.
This is the single most common reason a customer's credits do not appear, and it is entirely preventable. Check your license details are correct in your profile before you take a course rather than after. It takes a minute and it removes the whole problem.
Do you have to pay for CE Broker?
A CE Broker subscription is optional for licensees. Your credits are reported into the system whether or not you subscribe, and your board can read them either way. What a subscription buys you is visibility — a running view of your progress against your requirement — and, in some states, exemption from manual CE audits. Plenty of licensees never subscribe and renew without difficulty.
What we do
Home Study Solutions reports successful course completions to CE Broker on your behalf for licensees in CE Broker states, submitted electronically in real time as you complete them. You do not need to submit anything yourself. Full detail is in our help article on CE Broker reporting.
Two things worth knowing. First, your certificate is valid proof of completion regardless of what CE Broker shows — keep it. Second, if you are renewing within a day or two of completing a course, do not rely on the reporting having landed yet; check the record, and submit the certificate yourself if it has not.
Common questions
Which states use CE Broker for dental licenses?
They currently include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Do I need to pay for CE Broker?
No. A subscription is optional. Your credits are reported and your board can read them whether or not you subscribe; a subscription adds progress tracking and, in some states, audit exemption.
Why are my credits not showing in CE Broker?
Almost always because the license number, type or state held by the provider does not match your license record. Correct those details and the submission can be made.
How long does reporting take?
Submissions are made electronically in real time as you complete a course. The one thing that can hold a record up is a license number, type or state that does not match your license — so check those on your profile.
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