September 1, 2025
The California Department of Insurance has adopted two (2) new training requirements for California Life Insurance Agents who sell certain products. These new requirements are a result of SB 263, recently passed by the California legislature. Both training requirements will become effective January 1, 2025, and apply to both resident and non-resident life agents who sell certain products.
4-Hour Life Insurance Policy Training Course
Agents whose licenses were issued on or after 1-1-2024 and sell life insurance policies other than term life with no cash value shall be required to complete this new 4-hour training course prior January 1, 2025. Agents licensed on or after January 1, 2025 are required to take this training before soliciting or selling any non-term life insurance products. Per the California Department of Insurance, agents licensed prior to 1-1-2024 do not have to complete this requirement. This is a 1-time training requirement.
2-Hour Variable Life Insurance Training
A life agent who sells variable life insurance policies will have to complete two hours of training before each license renewal period. This is in addition to the current 4-hour annuity training requirement that agents must complete every 2 years.
The department has issued 2 separate notices related to these new requirements. The notice related to the 4-Hour Life Insurance Policies Training Course can be located here: CA 4-Hour DOI NOTICE. The notice related to the 2-Hour Variable Policies Training Course can be located here: CA 2-Hour Variable Training DOI NOTICE
The 4-Hour Life Insurance Policies course has been developed and approved by the California Department of Insurance, and is available here: 4-Hour Life Insurance Policies Course
We are currently in the process of developing the 2-Hour Variable Training Course and will update this post when it becomes available.