Texas: Insurance Continuing Education

We all know what they say: Everything’s bigger in Texas. 

But the saying doesn’t necessarily carry through to insurance producer continuing education (CE) requirements. Texas’ requirements are fairly low-key when compared to the requirements coming from other states – yes, you, South Dakota – but that doesn’t mean they can be ignored. 

A producer’s resident state license is key to maintaining all nonresident licenses, and CE is a massive part of that. So, if you’re a resident producer in Texas, now’s the time to sit up and pay attention. 

While we like to think we’re the big guns on Texas’ CE requirements, we’d be remiss if we didn’t note that the Texas Department of Insurance website is really the place to go for the most up-to-date information on CE requirements. Be sure to go there to ensure compliance across state CE requirements.

What is the due date for Texas Insurance CE Credits? 

Resident producer licenses expire in Texas biennially on the last day of the licensee’s birth month. CE requirements must be completed before the last day of the licensee’s birth month every two years.

Who’s exempt from Texas Insurance CE?

Not a resident producer in Texas? No problem. You’re exempt from these requirements and can defer to your resident state to know what requirements you need to comply with to maintain your licensure status. 

If you’ve held your license for more than 20 years with no breaks greater than 90 days and the license is held under the Texas Insurance Code, then you don’t need to worry about CE. You can stop reading here and feel free to check out our blog for fun articles about the what’s what in insurance. 

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

Licensees should expect to complete 24 hours of CE every two-year reporting period, including three hours of ethics courses. 

At least half of the CE hours taken (12 hours) must be completed in a classroom setting or through a classroom-equivalent course. 

To help simplify matters, Texas no longer divides CE courses by license type. Instead, all courses can be taken either as general courses or as ethics courses. However, if you’re planning to give CE your all in a single licensing period, please note, Texas won’t let you carry those credits over to the next renewal cycle. 

To get CE credits, students must take an exam at course completion. These courses are closed book and must be passed with a score of 70 percent or higher. Don’t stress if you struggle with an exam as they can be taken an infinite number of times. That said, courses cannot be repeated within a single compliance period. 

Certain lines of authority and products include what we’d like to call “boutique” requirements. Those are outlined below. 

Annuity requirements

Producers who are involved with annuity products – whether they sell, solicit, or negotiate annuity contracts or represent an insurer in relation to an annuity product – must first complete an initial one-time, four-hour training course. 

On top of that, producers must complete eight hours of ongoing training every two-year license renewal period. The initial four-hour training course may count toward the eight-hour requirement for the first licensing period. 

Long-Term Care Partnership training requirements

To sell long-term care (LTC) partnership policies in Texas, producers must first be licensed for life, accident, and health and have completed an eight-hour LTC partnership certification course. This LTC course may count towards the producer’s total 24 hours of CE requirements per renewal period. 

On top of the initial training requirements, producers are required to take four hours of department-certified CE on LTC partnerships per licensing period. Again, these course credits may count towards the completion of the total 24 hours of CE. 

Flood training requirements

FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program set baseline requirements for licensees who sell flood insurance. As a result, Texas producers who sell flood insurance must meet a minimum of three hours of training specific to flood insurance. 

Medicare training requirements

Agents wishing to sell, solicit, or negotiate Medicare products in Texas must complete an eight-hour initial certification course. This course can be used toward the total 24 hours of CE credits required per renewal period. 

Additionally, agents must complete four hours of follow-on Medicare training per 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.

Texas Insurance CE FAQs