What training do I need to become an insurance agent?

Training requirements depend on your state. Several states require no prelicensing education at all, and some, including Maryland and North Carolina, have repealed their requirements outright, while others mandate set hours per line of authority (20 hours per major line under the NAIC Uniform Licensing Standards). In every state, resident applicants must pass a licensing exam covering insurance fundamentals and state insurance law. After licensure, most states require continuing education, typically 24 hours every two years including 3 hours of ethics.

Alaska does not require prelicensing education or a training course before you take the licensing exam, according to the NAIC's producer education chart. You must pass the state licensing exam, which Pearson VUE administers for an $89 fee with a passing score of 70. After licensing, you must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two-year cycle, including at least 3 hours of ethics. Specialized training also applies if you sell annuities or flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Delaware requires no prelicensing education to become an insurance agent. You must pass the Pearson VUE licensing exam for each line of authority ($90 per exam) and apply online through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) with a State Criminal Background Report. After licensing, you must meet continuing education requirements under Regulation 504 to keep the license.

DC does not require pre-licensing education. DISB eliminated the requirement, so resident producers need only schedule and pass the licensing exam, and no proof of a pre-licensing course is needed to sit for it. Candidates commonly prepare through a prep course provider, self-study, classroom, or internet study, and Pearson VUE sells online practice tests for $19.95.

Illinois requires 20 hours of pre-licensing education per line of authority before the licensing exam, with 7.5 of those hours in a classroom. After licensing, product-specific training applies: a one-time 8-hour course plus 4 hours per renewal for long-term care, a one-time 4-hour annuity course, and a 3-hour flood course. Each renewal also requires 24 hours of continuing education, including 3 classroom or webinar ethics hours.

Iowa requires no pre-licensing training, only the licensing exam. After licensure, resident producers must complete 36 continuing education credits each CE term, including 3 credits of ethics. Producers selling annuities must complete a one-time 4-credit course; indexed products require a 4-credit course before selling; and long-term care requires a one-time course of at least 8 CE credits plus 4 ongoing credits each CE term.

Kansas requires no pre-licensing training or coursework for any line of insurance. You may take the licensing exam without buying study materials or attending a course, though private exam preparation courses are available if you want one. After you are licensed, you must complete 18 hours of continuing education every two years, including 3 hours of ethics.

Before licensing, you complete 20 hours of prelicensing education per line of authority, which is valid for one year from the date of completion. After licensing, resident agents must complete 24 hours of continuing education each biennium, including 3 hours of ethics. Agents selling certain products need extra training: 8 hours of initial long-term care partnership training, a one-time 3-hour flood course for those selling policies through the National Flood Insurance Program, and 4 hours of annuity training for life-line agents before selling annuities.

Maine requires resident producer applicants to complete 16 credit hours of prelicensing education for each line of authority, or to present a certificate showing at least 6 months of relevant full-time experience as an employee of an insurer or producer. You must then pass the Pearson VUE licensing exam with a scaled score of 70 or higher. After licensing, added training applies to certain products: long-term care, annuities, and flood insurance for producers with a property line who sell National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies.

Missouri requires no prelicensing training to become an insurance producer, though optional exam prep courses are common. You must pass the Pearson VUE exam for your lines and pay the $100 application fee. After licensing, resident producers complete 16 hours of continuing education every two years, including 3 hours of ethics, and producers selling Long-term Care Partnership policies must first complete 8 hours of initial training.

Nebraska does not require any pre-licensing training or education. The Department of Insurance does not provide or approve study materials, and it does not review or recommend exam-prep providers, so you may use any materials you choose. You may register and take the exam whenever you feel ready. Free study resources include the Nebraska exam outlines (with the percentage of questions per topic) and PSI's practice exams.

New Hampshire requires no prelicensing training. Since July 11, 2008, the state has not required a prelicensing course, and the New Hampshire Insurance Department does not specify an official study manual, so you may prepare with materials of your choosing and then pass the PSI licensing exam. One exception comes after licensing: property and casualty producers must complete a one-time flood insurance course, on the department's approved list with the "FEMA" prefix, within one year of receiving the line of authority.

New Mexico does not require prelicensing education, an official study manual, or a mandatory course; candidates study with materials of their own choosing. Training requirements begin after licensure: producers complete 24 hours of continuing education each compliance period, including 3 hours of ethics, with at least 3 hours in a live-instructor format. Specialized training applies before transacting certain products: a one-time 4-credit annuity course, 8 hours on long-term care (plus 4 hours each period after), and flood training for producers transacting flood insurance.

North Dakota does not require prelicensing education or classroom instruction to sit for insurance producer exams; the state repealed its prelicensing education statute. You may prepare by classroom instruction or self-study, and you do not have to provide verification of study to the Department or the testing center. Study material providers are not approved or regulated by the state, so choosing a course format is left to the applicant.

Ohio requires 20 hours of pre-licensing education for each line of authority you want to sell, taken from an Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) approved provider by classroom, distance learning, or self-study. Your course completion certificate is valid for 180 calendar days, and you must pass the exam for that line during that period. If you plan to sell flood insurance, Ohio also requires a one-time National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) course worth at least 3 hours of continuing education credit.

Oklahoma requires no prelicensing training for producers. The Oklahoma Insurance Department does not regulate pre-licensing education and will not recommend a provider, though exam study manuals are available for purchase from the department's partner publisher. After licensing, resident producers must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years, including 3 hours of ethics and 2 hours of legislative updates, before renewing.

South Dakota requires no pre-licensing education to obtain a producer license. You must pass a written examination for each line of authority you wish to sell, which covers the lines, producer duties, and South Dakota insurance law. After licensing, you must complete continuing education every two years, such as 10 hours for property/casualty or life/health only. Additional one-time or ongoing training applies for long-term care, annuity best interest, and flood insurance products.

Vermont requires no prelicensing education hours to become an insurance producer, so a training course is optional exam preparation. The state's requirements are that you be at least 18, pass the written licensing exam, and submit an application and fees. If you will sell long-term care insurance, you must complete a one-time 8-hour course first, with at least 2 hours of Vermont-specific content including Vermont Medicaid.

New resident producers must complete 20 hours of approved pre-licensing education for each line of authority, so a combined Property and Casualty path covers both lines. Adjuster and surplus lines candidates do not need pre-licensing courses. After licensing, producers and resident adjusters must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years, including 3 hours of ethics. Producers who sell annuities need a one-time 4-hour annuity course, and long-term care producers need 4 hours of training each biennium.

Wyoming requires no prelicensing training to become an insurance agent; the state imposes no mandatory course hours for resident producers. You only need to pass the Wyoming Insurance Licensing Exam for your lines of authority, taken through Pearson VUE. The Wyoming Department of Insurance (DOI) lists providers with known study materials but does not endorse any of them, so a prep course is optional rather than required.