The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes there were 466,100 insurance agent jobs in the U.S. in 2014. The number of insurance agent jobs is also expected to increase 9% nationally between 2014 and 2024 — faster than the national average among all professions.
For those who want to become insurance agents, licensure is key. These professionals must be licensed in the states where they work. In addition, many states require insurance agents to receive continuing education that provides them with advanced training.
At StateCE, we offer specialized, user-friendly continuing education courses for insurance agents across the United States. By doing so, we make it simple for insurance agents to build their skill sets and achieve their career goals.
Ready to take the next step toward becoming a top insurance agent? Check out our insurance agent’s guide to continued education, and you can learn about the importance of continuing education for insurance professionals.
Why Is Continuing Education Vital for Insurance Agents?
There are many reasons for insurance agents to enroll in continuing education courses, including:
- Superior Training: Continuing education enables insurance agents to stay up to date about the industry. That way, these professionals are better equipped than ever before to respond to customer requests.
- Compliance With State Requirements: Insurance professionals may need to complete continuing education courses periodically to maintain licensure in various states.
- Extensive Knowledge: With continuing education, insurance agents may be able to go above and beyond state licensing requirements. As a result, these insurance professionals can become insurance experts.
- Key Differentiator: As the number of insurance jobs increases nationwide, insurance agents will need to do everything possible to differentiate themselves from rivals. Successful completion of continuing education courses may help insurance agents stand out in a highly competitive insurance marketplace.
- Increased Earnings: The average annual salary of the top insurance agents in the United States was $122,590 in May 2015. Meanwhile, continuing education may help insurance agents gain the training and expertise needed to earn higher annual salaries than their rivals.
Clearly, there are many great reasons to enroll in continuing education classes for insurance agents. With support from a proven continuing education course provider, you should have no trouble finding classes that meet or exceed your expectations.
What Are the State Requirements for Continuing Education?
It is essential for insurance agents to understand the state requirements to maintain licensure. Now, let’s take a closer look at each state’s continuing education mandates for insurance agents.
Alabama
Alabama insurance agents must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Among these hours, three must be used for ethics training.
Alaska
In Alaska, insurance agents must finish 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Three of these hours must be used for ethics training.
Arizona
Arizona residents must receive 40 hours of continuing education during their insurance license term if they provided insurance as a resident in another state. If an individual is not an Arizona resident and does not provide insurance in another state, then he or she is not required to complete continuing education classes.
In most instances, non-resident licensed insurance professionals who are in good standing will not need to complete continuing education classes in Arizona. However, property and casualty insurance agents must finish 40 continuing education hours every four years. Life and health insurance agents also must complete 40 hours of continuing education every four years.
Arkansas
Insurance agents in Arkansas must receive 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Three of these hours must be used to finish ethics training.
California
In California, fire and casualty broker-agents must complete 24 continuing education hours every two years. Four of these continuing education hours must include ethics training.
For life-only agents as well as accident and health agents, license holders must finish 24 continuing education hours every two years. Four of these hours must consist of ethics training. Conversely, exceptions apply for long-term care insurance agents.
For limited lines automobile insurance agents, license holders must complete 20 hours of continuing education classes every two years, starting on the date the license was issued. Two of these hours must include ethics training.
Furthermore, for dual-license holders, continuing education requirements vary depending on licensure.
Colorado
Colorado insurance agents are required to complete 24 continuing education hours every two years. Three of these hours must include ethics training, while 18 hours are required in major lines of insurance, and the remaining hours can be used for miscellaneous classes. Also, courses cannot be repeated in a two-year period.
Connecticut
In Connecticut, insurance agents must complete 24 continuing education hours every two years. Among these hours, three must be used for ethics training, six for major lines of insurance, and 15 for miscellaneous courses. Moreover, dual licensees must complete 24 hours of continuing education for each license.
Delaware
Delaware insurance agents are required to finish 24 continuing education hours every two years, and three of these hours need to be used for ethics training. For public adjusters, 12 hours of continuing education must be completed every two years, including three hours of ethics training.
District of Columbia
In the District of Columbia, insurance agents will need to complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Three of these hours must focus on ethics training.
Florida
In the first six years of licensure, all Florida insurance agents must finish 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Following the six-year period, license holders will need to complete 20 continuing education hours every two years.
Georgia
Georgia license holders must finish 15 continuing education hours each year in major lines of insurance. Among these hours, three must be used for ethics training. In addition, insurance professionals who have been licensed for more than 20 years must take 10 hours of continuing education annually in major lines, and three of these hours must include ethics training.
Hawaii
In Hawaii, insurance agents must finish 24 continuing education hours every two years. Three of these hours must be used for ethics training.
Idaho
For Idaho insurance agents, there is a requirement of 24 continuing education hours every two years. Three of these hours are required for ethics training.
Illinois
Illinois insurance agents must finish 24 continuing education hours every two years, and three of these hours must include ethics training.
Indiana
Indiana insurance agents will need to finish 36 continuing education hours every two years. Three of these hours must be used for ethics training.
Iowa
Iowa insurance agents are required to complete 36 continuing education hours every two years. Three of these hours must be used for ethics training, and 12 hours may be self-study.
Kansas
For single license holders, 12 continuing education hours are required every two years. One of these 24 hours must include ethics training.
For combined license holders, 24 continuing education hours are required every two years. Two of these 24 hours must include ethics training.
Kentucky
Kentucky insurance agents will need to complete 24 continuing education hours every two years. Six of these hours must include major lines training. Meanwhile, insurance adjusters can take all of their continuing education courses in P&C. Three hours of continuing education ethics training also is required.
For life settlement license holders in Kentucky, 24 hours of continuing education must be finished every two years. Nine of these hours must be used for life settlement, life insurance, and ethics training (three hours each).
Louisiana
Louisiana insurance agents require 24 continuing education hours every two years. Three of these hours must be used for flood education, and three hours must be used for ethics training.
Maine
Maine license holders must finish 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Three hours must be allocated to ethics training.
Maryland
Maryland license holders are required to complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Three of these hours must be used for ethics training.
Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, insurance agents must finish 60 hours of continuing education during the first three years of licensure. After the initial three years, insurance professionals must finish 45 hours of continuing education every three years. Also, public adjusters must complete 15 P&C hours every three years.
Michigan
Michigan insurance agents are required to finish 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Among these hours, three must be used for ethics training.
Minnesota
In Minnesota, insurance agents must finish 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Three of these hours must include ethics training.
Mississippi
Mississippi license holders must finish 12 hours of continuing education in the first six months following the first year of licensure. After the initial six-month period, license holders will need to complete 24 hours of continuing education in the next six months, including three hours of ethics training.
Missouri
In Missouri, insurance agents will need to complete 16 hours of continuing education every two years. Three of these hours must be used for ethics training.
Montana
Montana insurance agents must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years. In addition, three of these hours must include ethics training, and one hour must focus on Montana law.
Nebraska
Nebraska license holders must finish 24 continuing education hours every two years. Three of these hours must include ethics training.
Nevada
In Nevada, insurance agents must finish 30 continuing education hours every two years. Three of these hours must be used for ethics training. Also, insurance adjusters must complete 15 continuing education hours every two years, including two hours of ethics training.
New Hampshire
In New Hampshire, life, accident and health, property, casualty, or personal lines license holders must finish 24 continuing education hours every two years. At least three of these hours — but not more than 10 hours — must include ethics training.
New Jersey
New Jersey license holders must finish 24 continuing education hours every two years, regardless of license. Three of these hours must consist of ethics training.
New Mexico
New Mexico license holders — except title insurance licensees — must complete 15 hours of continuing education for major lines annually. Title insurance agents must finish seven continuing education hours of title insurance education every year.
New York
In New York, insurance agents must complete 15 continuing education hours every two years.
North Carolina
In North Carolina, insurance agents must finish 24 continuing education hours every two years. Among these hours, three must be used for ethics training.
North Dakota
North Dakota insurance agents are required to complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years, and three of these hours must be allocated to ethics training.
Ohio
Ohio insurance agents must finish 24 continuing education hours every two years. Three of these hours must be used for ethics training.
Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, 24 hours of continuing education must be finished every two years. Three of these hours must consist of ethics training.
Oregon
Oregon insurance agents must finish 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Among these hours, three must cover ethics, and three must focus on Oregon law.
Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, insurance agents are required to receive 24 hours of continuing education every two years.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island insurance professionals must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Three of these hours must include ethics training.
South Carolina
In South Carolina, insurance agents will need to finish 24 hours of continuing education every two years.
South Dakota
In South Dakota, single license holders will need to finish 10 continuing education hours every two years. For dual-license holders, 20 hours of continuing education must be completed every two years. Crop agents also must take four continuing education hours every two years.
Tennessee
Tennessee insurance agents must finish 24 continuing education hours every two years, and three of these hours must consist of ethics training.
For combination multi-peril and life and health or property and casualty licensees, 48 hours of continuing education must be finished every two years. Four of these hours must be allocated to ethics training.
Texas
Texas insurance agents must finish 30 hours of continuing education every two years. Two of these hours must include ethics training or consumer protection training. For insurance adjusters, 10 hours of continuing education are required — including two hours of ethics training — every two years.
Utah
Utah insurance agents must finish 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Three of these hours must consist of ethics training, and half of all hours must be completed in a classroom or an approved online course equivalent.
Vermont
Vermont license holders must finish 24 hours of continuing education every two years, ending on March 31 of odd years. Three of these hours must include ethics training. Also, P&C producers must finish a one-time flood insurance course that lasts three hours.
For long-term care partnership licensees, eight hours of initial training is required, including two hours of Vermont-specific information. Licensees also must finish four hours of ongoing training related to long-term care partnership every two years.
Virginia
In Virginia, single license holders must finish 16 hours of continuing education every two years. Two of these hours must emphasize laws and regulations training.
For multiple license holders, 24 hours of continuing education must be completed every two years, including two hours of laws and regulations training.
Washington
Washington insurance agents must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Three of these hours must include ethics training.
West Virginia
In West Virginia, insurance agents must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Three of these hours must include ethics training.
For limited lines insurance agents, six hours of continuing education must be completed every two years. Half of the six hours must consist of ethics training.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin insurance agents must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years, in even years. Three of these hours must include ethics training.
Wyoming
Wyoming requires insurance agents to finish 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Three of these hours must include ethics training, and no more than 12 of the hours may be company-sponsored. Also, out-of-state certifications do not satisfy Wyoming’s continuing education insurance requirements.
Many states enable insurance agents to participate in online classes. This often makes it easy for insurance professionals to complete continuing education courses at their convenience.
A Final Word on Continuing Education for Insurance Agents
Continuing education is paramount for insurance agents across the United States. With StateCE at your side, you can participate in continuing education classes that can help you take your career to the next level.
StateCE launched in 2001, and since that time, we’ve served the continuing education needs of more than 100,000 individuals nationwide. We strive to deliver a convenient, affordable continuing education experience, one that provides you with the knowledge and insights you need to succeed in the insurance industry.
To find out more about our continuing education classes for insurance agents, please call us at 877-603-4073. You can also browse our insurance course catalog.