It’s critical to keep your California insurance license active. After all, you’ve spent a considerable amount of time and money to study for and pass the license exam. Even if you are not currently employed in the insurance industry, it’s best to preserve that investment and keep your ability to sell insurance active. Plus, it’s simple.
Keeping your California insurance license active requires only two steps every two years: completing the required continuing education and submitting the renewal application.
First Step: Complete Your Continuing Education Requirements
Your Continuing Education (CE) must be done every two years prior to your expiration date to be eligible to renew your California insurance license. This applies to all major lines licenses: life, property, casualty, accident and health, and personal lines. Of those 24 credits required, 21 must be done in topics approved for at least one of your license types. The 3 remaining credits must be approved for ethics training.
California CE requirements are “License Type-Specific”. CE must be completed in topics approved for your particular line of licensing. So, if you are licensed in life insurance, 21 of the credits you take need to be approved for the topic of life insurance. If you hold more than 1 line of licenses (life and property, for example) you only need to complete 24 credits total, but 21 credits of the courses you take must be approved for at least one of the lines of license you hold (the other 3 need to be in ethics).
Special Training CE Requirements
There are also some special training requirements that need to be done if you sell certain products. Property and casualty agents who sell flood insurance need to complete a one-time, three-hour course on the National Flood Insurance Program. Agents who sell homeowners insurance must take a one-time homeowners insurance valuation course prior to estimating replacement value or explaining levels of coverage.
Life insurance agents who sell, solicit, or negotiate annuity products must complete an initial 8-hour annuity suitability training course. They must then complete a 4-hour annuity training course prior to renewing every 2 years.
Agents who sell long-term care products have a similar requirement: they must complete an initial eight-hour training course. Following this, agents licensed less than four years must complete eight hours of long-term care training every single year. Those licensed for more than four years must complete eight hours of long-term care training prior to renewing every 2 years.
Exemptions — Experience and Age
Now there are some exemptions. If you’re age 70 or older and have been licensed for 30 consecutive years or more without any disciplinary action, you’re exempt from CE requirements The only caveat is that if you’re selling annuities or long-term care products, you still need to meet those training requirements.
Carry Over Credits
Finally, if you collect more CE credits than you need for your renewal, any excess credits can be carried over to the next renewal period. Any excess credits for ethics or special training courses will carry over as general credits only.
Second Step: Submit Your Renewal Application Prior to Expiration
All this needs to happen prior to your renewal date, which is the last day of the month of your original license date. Renewing your California insurance license is easy. The renewal application can be filed any time you are within 90 days of your license expiration date.
There are two online renewal options: the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) or Sircon. You can also file a paper application through the California Department of Insurance.
Now is the Time to Start Your Continuing Education
Since you have two years to accumulate your 24 hours of continuing education there’s no real reason to hurry. Right? Wrong!
Don’t wait until the last minute to get started and run the risk of penalties and late fees – or even worse – starting the licensing process from scratch.
The good news is that we’ve got you covered with all the courses you need in the format that best fits your available time and your preferred learning style. You can find the full listing at California Insurance Continuing Education Course Catalog.
We offer complete compliance packages to make course selection super easy. You can select all the courses you need with one click. We also offer individual courses so that you can pick and choose the type of training that best meets your learning needs.
Traditional Online Text-Based Courses
The training is self-paced and delivered to your computer, tablet, and smartphone. The quizzes and exams are scored instantly, and you can take them as many times as necessary to pass. Plus, you can return to the training whenever it is convenient. The course progress bar tells you exactly where you left off.
Webinar CE Courses
If exams aren’t your thing, we also offer webinars that are totally exam-free. You can find the current listing of approved webinars on our California Webinar Catalog.
Plus, you also have the option of blending your learning through a combination of webinars and online courses.
If you’re not sure which format fits, we’ve provided a comprehensive review of the differences between webinar courses and traditional online text-based courses.
Same Day Completion Reporting
Note that your continuing education course credits will be reported directly to the California Insurance Department on the same day you complete the training. So, if you’re in a rush to complete your continuing education, we’ve got you covered.
How to Keep Your California Insurance License Active Summary
That may seem like a lot to sift through, but we’re certain that everything you need to keep your license active is easily accessible through our website. If not, simply call our office and we’ll happily assist you. Here’s a quick summary to get you started on the path to renewal.
- Determine your license expiration date.
- Determine your continuing education requirements.
- Select and enroll in courses or webinars well in advance of your expiration date.
- Complete your courses – we submit your credits to the Department of Insurance the same day as you complete them.
- Renew your license. We’ll direct you through the entire process.
If you’re near your renewal date, there’s no time to be lost. Sign up now for the most trusted and convenient solution for keeping your license active.
We’re Here to Help
At BetterCE we provide more than the most convenient and affordable solution for insurance continuing education. Our agent support services are provided by experienced insurance licensing professionals who have helped thousands of agents easily navigate the insurance license renewal process.
Have a question or need assistance? Phone 1-888-501-7330 for our customer care team. We also respond to email as well as via our Contact Form. On our contact page, you can also sign up for convenient licensure renewal reminders.
