Washington State Insurance Continuing Education
We are an approved Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner education provider (Provider ID# 300354). At Your Pace Online offers you a simple and convenient way to complete your continuing education as an insurance producer in Washington! Our classes can be taken anywhere, anytime, At Your Pace Online. Sign up today for instant access.
Washington 24 Hour Property & Casualty Review
24h course
This 24-hour continuing education course will provide the Washington Property and Casualty licensee with current and up-to-date information in order to successfully renew their Washington license. Topics in this course include current insurance regulations and property and casualty laws and rules in the state and on a federal level, and amplifies basic, but important and essential information regarding P&C essentials. Continuing, a thorough discussion of fire dwelling, personal and commercial automobile insurance, and other P&C coverages that provide an emphasis on modern protection and how to best take care of the client.
Other important coverages, such as watercraft coverage, flood insurance, surety and more are included in this lesson. The next lesson in the course gives the licensee a thorough and complete discussion of commercial insurance policy packages, and the course concludes with an updated lesson on professional ethics for insurance licensees.
Washington 24 Hour Life & Disability Review
24h course
This 24-hour course will provide the Washington Life and Disability Insurance licensee with current and up-to-date information in order to successfully complete their continuing education requirements. The course provides information and material on topics and concerns that are commonly seen in today’s insurance world, including important Washington and federal laws and rules surrounding life and disability insurance, a modern take on life insurance policies and their uses, important provisions and riders that producers can use to tailor policies to an insured, and a thorough discussion of annuities.
Continuing, the course covers life and disability tax concerns, medical plans and group health discussions, an in-depth lesson on senior citizens and special needs individuals, and a fresh look at disability insurance taxation. Finally, the course finishes with a complete look at ethics and the insurance professional.
(WA OIC Approval ID: 629548)
WA LTC Initial 8 Hour Course
8h course
This 8 hour class is approved by the State of Washington. It meets the mandatory initial continuing education requirement to start selling Long Term Care Insurance for licensed producers.
(WA OIC Approval ID: 618982)
Washington 3 Hour Ethics Review
3h course
This course discusses many different topics surrounding ethical practices, such as ethics versus morals, ethics in practice, ethical decision-making models that illustrate how ethical dilemmas may be solved, and the terminology used in ethics, such as tort law, equity, and more. The course will assist the student in making the proper ethical decisions, provide examples of poor ethical choices, and the legal enforcement of ethics.
(WA OIC Approval ID: 626933)
National Flood Insurance Program Course
3h course
This course applies to producers in all lines. It is required if you sell Flood Insurance. The AYPO class on the National Flood Insurance Program is based on the Basic Flood Insurance Course Outline published in the Federal Register in September 2005 as a fulfillment of the directive in the 2004 Flood Insurance Reform Act. This course will satisfy any Flood insurance producers 3 hour requirement. It will also count as 3 hours of general material CE for any WA insurance producer.
(WA OIC Approval ID: 630132)
WA LTC Refresher 4 Hour Course
4h course
This course applies to producers who need to renew their Long-Term Care Certification to continue selling LTC Insurance. It will review key principles and concepts related to long-term care insurance policies.
(WA OIC Approval ID: 618752)
WA Annuity Best Interest Standard 4HR
4h course
This 4 hour training course is designed to meet the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) education requirements for producers authorized to sell annuities. In 2020, the NAIC updated its Model Regulation for annuity transactions, which mandates insurance producers offering annuities to their customers to take a suitability and best interest training course. This course meets the NAIC’s education requirement.
Specifically, this course includes the updates to the NAIC’s amended Model Regulations for annuity transactions. This course covers annuity suitability and best interest laws, as well as in-depth information on types of annuities, understanding each party of an annuity, contract structures, recordkeeping, contract provisions, and more. This course will teach students how to help a customer choose an annuity product that is right for them, and how to do so lawfully.
(WA OIC Approval ID: (629989)
Renters Insurance for Washington Insurance Producers
1h course
Renters and Condominium Insurance explains the benefits that offering these policies can offer your business. The course also explains what you need to know to maximize this lucrative and underserved market. This course satisfies 1 hour of general continuing education for any WA insurance producer, and applies to producers in all lines.
(WA OIC Approval ID: 610551)
Toxic Mold Insurance CE Course
2h course
This course explains the impact toxic mold has on the insurance industry, and your customers. It satisfies 2 hours of general continuing education credit for any Washington insurance producer. This course applies to producers in all lines.
(WA OIC Approval ID: 610690)
Anti Money Laundering CE Course
1h course
This Anti-money Laundering course discusses the impact the crime of money laundering has on the insurance industry. It also explains the efforts taken to prevent money laundering by the industry. This course satisfies 1 hour of general material CE for any WA insurance producer, and applies to producers in all lines.
(WA OIC Approval ID: 610634)
Washington Insurance Continuing Education Requirements
Resident Requirements
Resident licensees must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours of Department-approved subjects during each two-year (biennial) reporting period, three credits of which must be in ethics subjects.
Courses may be completed in a classroom setting, through self-study or at your own pace online. There are no category restrictions for completing these other 21 credits. Licensees may take CE-approved courses in any subject.
Additional guidelines to CE exist for several lines of work, including:
- LTC products: To sell long-term healthcare policies, producers must hold a license with a disability line of authority and complete an initial one-time, eight-hour LTC course. Licensees must complete a four-hour refresher LTC training course every renewal term to maintain this license.
- Annuity products: Producers must complete a one-time, four-hour course to sell, solicit, or negotiate an annuity product. This is in addition to the 24 continuing education credits required for renewal.
- Flood products: Producers must complete a one-time, three-hour course that covers the minimum training requirements established by FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Per state law, companies are required to provide employees with fraud training as well.
Rules for Non-Residents
Non-resident licensees in compliance with the CE requirements of their home state are exempt from meeting Washington requirements, provided that the home state's requirements are similar to those set by Washington law.
These rules also apply to CE training required for producers selling LTC, LTC Partnership, annuities, or flood products in Washington.
The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner may verify a non-resident's compliance and standing with their own state's license requirements.
Carryover of Excess CE
Licensees are encouraged to complete additional CE training, but extra credits earned in a renewal period cannot be carried over to the next term.
Insurance License Term Renewal Requirements
A license expires on the last day of the licensee's birth month every 2 years.
Licensees are eligible to renew their licenses beginning 90 days prior to their license expiration date. All CE requirements must be met to process a license renewal.
Licenses may be renewed online at the National Insurance Producer Registry website up to 10 days before the license expiration date. The renewal fee is $55 for producers and $200 for surplus line brokers.
Renewals made in this 10-day timeframe before license expiry and late renewals must be submitted through the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner's website.
The state of Washington sends licensees a reminder e-mail 90, 60, and 30 days prior to the license expiry date. This reminder is sent to the licensee's email address on record with the Office. It is the licensee's responsibility to keep their contact information up-to-date with the Office and report any changes.
Licensees who fail to renew their license before its expiration date have 60 days to comply and will be charged a late renewal fee. After this 60-day period, individuals must submit a reinstatement application along with the associated fees.
Rules for Taking the Exam
Final exams are open-book and do not require a monitor. Students may access and refer to course material throughout the exam.
Students may take their course exams on paper or online. Paper exams will be mailed to the student together with an attestation form that must be signed and returned with the completed exam.
A score of 70 percent or higher is required to receive the CE credit. Unlimited retakes are permitted until a passing score is achieved.
Rules for Repeating a Course
Repeating a course is not allowed within an individual renewal period. A licensee can repeat courses already taken to meet CE requirements for a subsequent renewal period. However, if the licensee's previous renewal was submitted late, any CE coursework completed after the license expiry date cannot be retaken for credit in the next term.
Credit for Instructors
CE course instructors are eligible to receive the same amount of credit as the students taking the course. Instructors are only eligible to receive credit for an individual course taught once per renewal period.
Reporting Rules
Required CE credits must be submitted to the state directly by the course provider within 10 days of course completion. Licensees must keep course completion certificates in their files for three years.
It is recommended to complete all continuing education at least 30 days prior to the expiration date of your license to give the CE provider sufficient time to report successful completions to the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner. However, CE courses can be completed at any time within the current license term.
Insurance CE Requirement Exemptions
Some resident licensees are exempt from CE reporting requirements, including:
- Non-residents in compliance with their home state requirements
- Individuals holding limited licenses in the following areas: credit life and disability, credit casualty, travel, vehicle, or surety
Licensees who qualify for CE exemptions should contact the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner to verify this eligibility.
Washington Annuity Insurance Requirements
Insurance producers must complete specific training to sell, solicit, or negotiate an annuity product. This training is in the form of a one-time, four-hour course and is in addition to other continuing education requirements.
Starting January 1, 2024, insurance producers who sell annuities must complete an annuity best interest course.
If you have taken an annuity course before December 31, 2023, you must:
- Complete a one-hour annuity best interest course OR complete the full four-hour annuity best interest course. The one-hour version is only available until June 30, 2024.
If you have not previously taken an annuity course, you must:
- Complete the four-hour annuity best interest course before selling annuities.
Washington Long-Term Care Training Requirements
Per federal regulation, Washington health producers must also complete specific training to sell, solicit, or negotiate long term care policies or LTC Partnership insurance.
Licensed professionals must complete a one-time, eight-hour training course following their initial certification. Coursework must be approved to meet Washington LTC regulations - courses approved only as general credit do not meet this mandate. These eight credit hours can be applied to a licensee's 24-hour CE requirement for that renewal term.
To maintain their status, licensees must complete a four-hour refresher course every biennial renewal period.
This four-hour refresher course covers subjects including:
- The history of long term care
- How to build an LTC policy
- The difference between tax-qualified and non-tax-qualified plans
- Alternatives that exist for individual clients
This requirement applies to both resident and non-resident agents working in Washington.