Florida Insurance Continuing Education Requirements Based on Experience Level
When you’re an insurance professional in the Sunshine State, you have to take some steps biennially to keep your license current. Specifically, you’re required to complete a number of continuing education hours. But those requirements shift depending on how long you’ve had your license and your license type, so it can feel a little complicated.
Don’t worry. We’ve built this article to catch you up to speed on the Florida insurance continuing education you need based on your experience level and license type. If you’re life, health, life and health, general lines, or personal lines agent, read on to make sure you’re taking the right number of continuing education hours in every two-year period.
How much continuing education do I need if I’ve been licensed for six years or fewer?
If you got your license in 2014 or later, you’ll need to take 24 total hours of continuing education per renewal period. This applies to insurance professionals with the following license types:
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Life (02-16 & 02-14)
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Health (02-40)
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Life & Health (02-15 & 02-18)
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General Lines (02-20)
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Personal Lines (20-44)
You can see more about the specific hour requirements based on your license type on this Florida Division of Insurance Agent and Agency Services webpage.
You’ll notice that you can’t just take 24 general hours. Instead, you’re required to take four-course hours specific to your license type. The Florida Statute dictates that: “The content of the course must address all lines of insurance for which examination and licensure are required and include the following subject areas: insurance law updates, ethics for insurance professionals, disciplinary trends and case studies, industry trends, premium discounts, determining the suitability of products and services, and other similar insurance-related topics the department determines are relevant to legally and ethically carrying out the responsibilities of the license granted.”
If it seems a little challenging to find a course that will comply with that fairly extensive requirement, don’t stress. Many state-approved providers offer law and ethics courses specifically tailored to help you get the hours you need.
How much continuing education do I need if I had my Florida insurance license for more than six years?
If you got your license before 2014, good news. You have to take fewer hours than those who are newer to the industry.
You’re still required to take four hours focusing on law and ethics for your license type, but beyond that, you have a reduced hourly requirement. The Florida Statute governing your continuing education requirements says, “A licensee who has been licensed for 6 or more years must also complete a minimum of 16 hours of elective continuing education every 2 years.” In other words, while people who’ve had their insurance license for fewer than six years need to take 24 hours during each renewal cycle, you only need to take 20 total hours.
How can I check the status of my continuing education hours?
If you’re not sure how many hours you’ve completed during this renewal period, you can head to the states MyProfile page. Log in using your information and click “CE Status.”
If you discover you need additional hours during this renewal period, consider taking them online. The state has approved some providers to offer the hours you need digitally on the required topics. Choose to complete your Florida insurance continuing education this way and you can chip away at your hours at your own convenience instead of having to sit in a specific classroom at a specific time.