It’s essential that you renew your insurance license in Ohio. The first reason is you need that license to stay active as an agent. The second, and every bit as important, is to avoid wasting all the time, effort, and money you spent earning your license.
It’s not at all difficult to keep your license active. All it takes is two steps every two years:
- Complete the required continuing education.
- Submit the renewal application on time.
Fortunately, the Ohio Department of Insurance sends license renewal notifications via email. They are sent to the email address on file approximately 90 days, 60 days, and 30 days prior to a license expiration date. If you’ve received one of those emails, there’s no time to be lost in completing your CE requirements.
Step #1: Complete the Continuing Education Requirements
Ohio major lines licensed agents are required to take 24 credit hours of approved continuing education every two years. At least three hours must be in the category of ethics. The major lines include life, accident, and health; property; casualty; and personal lines.
Ohio continuing education requirements are non-license type-specific. What that means is that, apart from the required three hours in ethics, you can take approved courses in any subject matter.
Special Training Requirements
While the major lines are relatively open with their continuing education requirements, not so with those selling long-term care policies. They must complete an initial eight-hour long-term care training course. That’s followed by a four-hour long-term care course every renewal period.
Life and Health agents who sell annuity products must complete a one-time four-hour annuity suitability training course. Property and Casualty agents that sell flood insurance must complete a one-time three-hour course on the National Flood Insurance Program.
There are a few more license types with considerably different continuing education requirements. Here’s the list along with their requirements.
- Title only, 12 hours total with 10 hours in title-specific courses and 2 hours in ethics.
- Title and Resident Agent, 24 hours total with 10 in title-specific courses and 3 in ethics.
- Surety Bail Bond, seven hours total with 6 hours in surety bail bond specific courses and 1 in ethics. Note that this license expires annually on the last day of February.
- Viatical/Life Settlement Broker, 15 hours in viatical/life settlement courses. This license expires every other year on March 31.
- Viatical/Life Settlement Broker and Resident Agent, 24 hours total with 15 hours in viatical/life settlement courses, three hours must be in ethics, and six hours may be in the line of licensing.
Exemptions
There are three types of licenses that are not required to complete any continuing education or pre-license education. These are limited authority, adjuster (both independent and public), and credit.
There are also exemptions for extenuating circumstances where the agent is unable to complete the continuing education. These include long-term medical disability, military service, and other similar circumstances. To obtain the exemption, you must file a written request for an extension of the renewal date with the Ohio Department of Insurance.
Carry Over Credits
Any excess continuing education credits up to 12 can be carried over to the next renewal period. Excess ethics training can only be carried over as general credit, not ethics credit.
Step #2: Submit Your Renewal Application Prior to Expiration
You’ll get plenty of notice from the Ohio Department of Insurance who sends email notices 90, 60, and 30 days prior to the expiration date.
To renew your license, complete a renewal application online at Ohio Agent Renewal (NIPR). The fee to renew your Ohio insurance license is only $5.
What Are the Late Fees and Penalties if I Don’t Renew My Ohio Insurance License on Time?
Now is the Time to Start Your Continuing Education
While the State of Ohio will provide plenty of notice within the 90-day renewal period, don’t put yourself under the considerable pressure of trying to complete 24 hours of continuing education in just a few days. Start now and steadily work your way through the needed courses.
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 Ohio Insurance Continuing Education Course Catalog.
We offer complete compliance packages to make course selection very 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.
All courses are approved as “Online Interactive” by the Ohio Department of Insurance. So, there are no monitor requirements or final examinations for any course in our catalog. That includes traditional online text-based courses and webinars.
Traditional Online Text-Based Courses
The training is self-paced and delivered to your computer, tablet, and smartphone. Plus, you can return to the training whenever it is convenient. Simply clicking the “return to course” button takes you back to where you left off and the course progress bar shows you where you are in the course.
Webinar CE Courses
We also offer live webinars. You can find the current listing of approved webinars in our Ohio Webinar Catalog.
Plus, you also have the option of blending your learning through a combination of webinars and online courses.
Same Day Completion Reporting
Note that your continuing education course credits will be reported directly to the Ohio Department of Insurance 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 Ohio Insurance License Active Summary
That may seem like a lot of detailed information, but we’re certain that everything you need to keep your license active is readily 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 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 license renewal reminders.
