Arizona: Insurance Continuing Education

If you hold a resident insurance license in Arizona, staying on top of industry trends and information is mission critical. For one thing, it’s just the right thing to do for your clients. For another, falling behind on your continuing education (CE) requirements means letting your Arizona resident license lapse – which in turn would jeopardize any nonresident licenses you hold in other states.

So, as we explore the individual rules and regulations of CE in Arizona, keep in mind that while we believe this information to be factual and up to date, it’s important for readers to do your own due diligence.

Who is Arizona Insurance CE for?

If you are a nonresident insurance producer, as long as you are up-to-date on the CE requirements of your resident state, then Arizona exempts you from its own CE requirements. 

Arizona also exempts those whose only roles are as insurance adjusters, or those who are exclusively licensed as bail bond agents.

The state law exempts anyone who has held an Arizona resident insurance license since Jan. 1, 1995, who hasn’t been licensed as a nonresident in other states, and who hasn’t ever been found to be in violation of Arizona insurance law from having to complete CE.

What is the due date for Arizona Insurance CE Credits? 

While many states operate on a biennial license renewal cycle – meaning renewing licenses and completing CE happens every two years – Arizona runs on a four-year timetable.

This makes it a little tricky considering some specific federal CE requirements such as those for long-term care or flood insurance run on a two year cycle. And if you have added a line of authority to your license, it will renew on the same timeline as your original license, so Arizona has an exemption in place if you have been licensed for less than a year.

For everyone else, though, you have to complete CE requirements and the license renewal by the end of your birth month between three and four years of your initial licensing, and every four years after that.

For example, let’s consider these folks who obtained their licenses in May 2023:

• Someone born January 3 will need to complete CE by the end of January 2027.
• Someone born June 3 will need to complete their CE by the end of June 2026.

The state of Arizona sends you a notice of your CE requirements 90 days before your birth month at the end of your renewal period.

How many hours of CE are required for Arizona insurance producers?

Insurance producers in Arizona must take 48 hours of continuing education courses within each four-year renewal cycle, with six of those hours covering the subject of ethics. Thanks to the unique four-year cycle, 48 is the highest CE-hour requirement in the country, with most states averaging 24 hours. It also means you should consider getting a jump on your education and not leave it to the last minute!

In Arizona, you’re also not required to take CE hours that are exclusive to your line of authority. In fact, the state FAQs page encourages producers who intend to branch out into a new line of authority to take CE courses that’ll expand your knowledge base.

The state allows you to take courses via correspondence, online, or in-person in a classroom setting, as long as the course is approved through Arizona’s CE vendor.

You can’t take the same CE course more than once in any given renewal period, and Arizona doesn’t allow you to carry over “excess” CE credits over to the next renewal period, either.

If you have a life insurance license and plan to sell annuities, the state requires that you must take a one-time four-hour class. If you are licensed to sell flood insurance, you of course must have three CE hours of the training requirements established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program, as well.

You can earn dual-credit CE while also pursuing additional professional designations such as those provided by the College for Financial Planning, as long as the courses are certified with the state of Arizona’s CE provider.

If you are licensed in Arizona to sell long-term care insurance (LTCI), your initial certification will require an eight-hour training course and ongoing CE of four hours specific to LTCI every renewal cycle. 

For more information about state-specific licensing requirements, or to find out how AgentSync can make it easier to operate across multiple states, check out our state pages.

Arizona Insurance CE FAQs