diff --git a/certbot/account.py b/certbot/account.py
index c4eeb1388..5e9455048 100644
--- a/certbot/account.py
+++ b/certbot/account.py
@@ -175,33 +175,43 @@ class AccountFileStorage(interfaces.AccountStorage):
             except errors.AccountStorageError:
                 logger.debug("Account loading problem", exc_info=True)
 
-
         if not accounts and server_path in constants.LE_REUSE_SERVERS:
             # find all for the next link down
             prev_server_path = constants.LE_REUSE_SERVERS[server_path]
             prev_accounts = self._find_all_for_server_path(prev_server_path)
             # if we found something, link to that
             if prev_accounts:
-                if os.path.islink(accounts_dir):
-                    os.unlink(accounts_dir)
-                else:
-                    try:
-                        os.rmdir(accounts_dir)
-                    except OSError:
-                        return []
-                prev_account_dir = self.config.accounts_dir_for_server_path(prev_server_path)
-                os.symlink(prev_account_dir, accounts_dir)
+                try:
+                    self._symlink_to_accounts_dir(prev_server_path, server_path)
+                except OSError:
+                    return []
             accounts = prev_accounts
         return accounts
 
     def find_all(self):
         return self._find_all_for_server_path(self.config.server_path)
 
+    def _symlink_to_accounts_dir(self, prev_server_path, server_path):
+        accounts_dir = self.config.accounts_dir_for_server_path(server_path)
+        if os.path.islink(accounts_dir):
+            os.unlink(accounts_dir)
+        else:
+            os.rmdir(accounts_dir)
+        prev_account_dir = self.config.accounts_dir_for_server_path(prev_server_path)
+        os.symlink(prev_account_dir, accounts_dir)
+
     def _load_for_server_path(self, account_id, server_path):
         account_dir_path = self._account_dir_path_for_server_path(account_id, server_path)
-        if not os.path.isdir(account_dir_path):
-            raise errors.AccountNotFound(
-                "Account at %s does not exist" % account_dir_path)
+        if not os.path.isdir(account_dir_path): # isdir is also true for symlinks
+            if server_path in constants.LE_REUSE_SERVERS:
+                prev_server_path = constants.LE_REUSE_SERVERS[server_path]
+                prev_loaded_account = self._load_for_server_path(account_id, prev_server_path)
+                # we didn't error so we found something, so create a symlink to that
+                self._symlink_to_accounts_dir(prev_server_path, server_path)
+                return prev_loaded_account
+            else:
+                raise errors.AccountNotFound(
+                    "Account at %s does not exist" % account_dir_path)
 
         try:
             with open(self._regr_path(account_dir_path)) as regr_file:
diff --git a/certbot/tests/account_test.py b/certbot/tests/account_test.py
index a4fe5edb7..e7f82a5b8 100644
--- a/certbot/tests/account_test.py
+++ b/certbot/tests/account_test.py
@@ -241,6 +241,14 @@ class AccountFileStorageTest(test_util.ConfigTestCase):
         self._set_server('https://acme-staging-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory')
         self.assertEqual([], self.storage.find_all())
 
+    def test_upgrade_load(self):
+        self._set_server('https://acme-staging.api.letsencrypt.org/directory')
+        self.storage.save(self.acc, self.mock_client)
+        prev_account = self.storage.load(self.acc.id)
+        self._set_server('https://acme-staging-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory')
+        account = self.storage.load(self.acc.id)
+        self.assertEqual(prev_account, account)
+
     def test_load_ioerror(self):
         self.storage.save(self.acc, self.mock_client)
         mock_open = mock.mock_open()