In a constantly evolving sector like insurance, the learning doesn’t stop once you get your license. Continuing education (CE) is a must to keep you updated with the latest industry trends and developments, so you can serve your clients better.
CE requirements, however, vary by state. That’s why if you intend on practicing outside your home state, it’s important to know what these requirements are.
To make things easier for you, Insurance Business has compiled a list of requirements for continuing education for insurance license in each state. If you’re an insurance agent, broker, or adjuster planning to take an assignment beyond state lines, this guide is for you. Here’s a state-by-state breakdown of the different insurance continuing education requirements.
Continuing education is a key part of maintaining your insurance license. States require CE as it builds your expertise by keeping you abreast of current industry trends. This, in turn, allows you to provide high quality service.
Most insurance agent licenses are up for renewal after two years, but there are states where licenses are active for up to three or four years. For insurance adjusters, licenses are valid for two years, although there are states where a license isn’t needed.
States have their own guidelines on how you can earn CE credits. Many allow online and self-study courses. Some require a few hours of classroom training.
Most of the courses you need to take are related to the line you’re licensed for. These often include three hours of ethics classes. In some states, you will also need to earn certain credits for insurance law and regulatory changes. If you’re a property and casualty or personal lines agent or adjuster, you’re required to take flood insurance courses in some states.
Here’s a list of the different continuing education courses insurance agents and brokers can take:
Here’s a list of the CE courses insurance adjusters can earn credits for:
Insurance producers often don’t need to take CE courses in other states. That is unless you have a Florida insurance license. All other states have signed up for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) continuing education reciprocity agreement (CER). This means member states recognize each other’s CE courses.
As mentioned, some states don’t require licenses for claims adjusters.
Even if your home state doesn’t require one, you will need to get a license since adjusters take on assignments in different states. If you’re wondering where to get one, Texas can be a good choice.
Texas lets adjusters of non-licensing states declare the state as their residence. It also has reciprocal agreements with almost all licensing states. This means that the CE courses you take for your Texas insurance license will be recognized by other states.
New York, however, remains the most sought-after state for insurance adjusters. Adjusters with a New York insurance license are heavily recruited because the state doesn’t offer reciprocity. The state’s size, population, and weather also mean there are plenty of claims, but there are often not enough adjusters to handle them.
The other states that don’t offer reciprocity for insurance adjusters are California and Hawaii.
Different states have different requirements when it comes to credit hours for continuing education for insurance license. Generally, you will need to earn 24 hours of credit every two years. The table below details each state’s requirements for insurance agents and brokers. You can click on the links to view the full CE requirements in your state.
|
State |
CE requirements |
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics Not more than 8 hours of management, marketing, sales, and training
Resident agents selling federal flood policies must complete 3 hours of flood insurance training as one-time requirement |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
48 credit hours every 4 years, including 6 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics, which include 1 hour of anti-fraud training |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics, regulation, or law |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics
3 hours of flood insurance training for P&C agents on first renewal |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 4 hours of law and ethics |
|
|
15 credit hours every year, including 3 hours of ethics for resident agents with less than 20 years
10 credit hours every year, including 3 hours of ethics for resident agents with more than 20 years |
|
|
20 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of law for L&H or P&C agents
30 credit hours every 2 years for L&H and P&C agents, consisting of 12 hours of L&H, 18 hours of P&C, including 2 hours each of law |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics or law |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
36 credit hours every 3 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
18 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics
Resident P&C or personal lines agents must complete 3 hours of flood insurance training as one-time requirement |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
45 credit hours every 3 years, including 3 hours of ethics
60 credit hours, including 3 hours of ethics for newly licensed agents on first renewal |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
16 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics and 1 hours of legislative changes |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
30 credit hours every 3 years |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 to 10 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics and 3 hours of classroom training |
|
|
15 credit hours every 2 years, including: 1 hour of law 1 hour of ethics 1 hour of diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias 1 hour of flood insurance for P&C agents 3 hours of flood insurance if licensed to sell policies through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics and 2 hours of legislative updates |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics and 3 hours of law |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
10 credit hours every 2 years for L&H or P&C agents
20 credit hours every 2 years for L&H and P&C agents |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics and 12 hours of classroom training |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics and no more than 6 hours of agency management, 3 hours of flood insurance as one-time requirement |
|
|
16 credit hours every 2 years, including 2 hours of ethics and law |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
|
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
If you want to pursue a career in insurance sales, this step-by-step guide on how to become an insurance agent can help.
Here’s how many hours of CE credits you need to complete if you’re an insurance adjuster. You can also find the list of continuing education requirements for adjusters through the state insurance department links above.
|
State |
CE requirements |
|
Alabama |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
Alaska |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
Arkansas |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
Arizona |
Exempt from continuing education |
|
California |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics, which include 1 hour of anti-fraud training |
|
Connecticut |
Exempt from continuing education |
|
Delaware |
12 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
Florida |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 4 hours of law and ethics |
|
Georgia |
15 credit hours every year, including 3 hours of ethics for resident adjusters with less than 20 years
10 credit hours every year, including 3 hours of ethics for resident adjusters with more than 20 years |
|
Hawaii |
Exempt from continuing education |
|
Idaho |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics or consumer protection |
|
Indiana |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
Kentucky |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
Louisiana |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics
Resident P&C adjusters must complete 3 hours of flood insurance training as a one-time requirement |
|
Maine |
Exempt from continuing education |
|
Michigan |
Exempt from continuing education |
|
Minnesota |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
Mississippi |
12 credit hours every year, including 2 hours of ethics |
|
Montana |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics and 1 hours of legislative changes |
|
Nevada |
24 credit hours every 3 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
New Hampshire |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 to 10 hours of ethics |
|
New Mexico |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
New York |
Exempt from continuing education |
|
North Carolina |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
Oklahoma |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics and 2 hours of legislative updates |
|
Oregon |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics and 3 hours of law |
|
Rhode Island |
Exempt from continuing education |
|
South Carolina |
Exempt from continuing education |
|
Texas |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
Utah |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics and 12 hours of classroom training |
|
Vermont |
Exempt from continuing education, but workers’ compensation adjusters are required to attend trainings sponsored by Vermont Department of Labor |
|
Washington |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
West Virginia |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
|
Wyoming |
24 credit hours every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics |
Find out where the best places are to take insurance adjuster courses in-person in this guide.
The time it takes to complete your continuing education depends on a range of factors, including:
Taking continuing education courses online allows you to earn the credits at your own pace. Each course takes about two days to complete, whether you take it online or in a classroom.
Exams are given at the end of each course to verify what you learned. You will have to get at least 70% of your answers correctly to pass. Most CE providers allow unlimited exam retakes in case you fail a test.
Check out our picks for the best continuing education providers for insurance agents in this guide.
Most state insurance departments have an online tool on their websites that you can access to check your continuing education credits. There, you can find how many hours you have completed, what CE courses you still need to take, and how much time you have before license renewal.
As important as pursuing continuing education, keeping abreast of the latest insurance news is an effective way of keeping your skills and knowledge updated. Get access to breaking news and the latest industry developments as they happen by signing up for our daily newsletters. Subscription is free.
What do you think are the benefits of pursuing continuing education for your insurance license? Let us know in the comments.
