A CE completion certificate is the document your provider issues when you finish a course. It records who completed what: your name and license details, the provider's number, the TDLR course approval number, the credit hours, and the completion date. TDLR requires providers to issue certificates within 15 days of completion; at OnlineTexasCE you can download yours immediately when you finish, and it stays available in your account.
You do not submit the certificate with your renewal — your provider reports the completion to TDLR electronically, and you simply attest at renewal that the hours are done. The certificate's job is to be your own proof of the hours. TDLR's random post-renewal CE audit program does not cover barbering/cosmetology, electrician, or ACR contractor licenses (their providers report directly), but the department keeps general authority to inspect or investigate records — which is why retention minimums apply:
- Cosmetology/barber: keep certificates at least 2 years
- Electrician: keep certificates at least 1 year
- ACR contractor: keep certificates at least 1 year and provide on TDLR request
Keep a digital copy beyond those minimums — it costs nothing and resolves any future question about your CE history instantly.
What it means for your renewal
The certificate is your copy of the record; the provider's report to TDLR is the state's. With both in place, any later question about your hours is a two-minute email. Lose the certificate and you're reconstructing records on a deadline — avoidable by saving the PDF the day you complete the course.