Alaska Insurance Continuing Education

Resident Requirements

In Alaska, meeting state continuing education (CE) requirements is required for the renewal of an insurance license for most residents. 

Any person who is licensed to sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance in Alaska is subject to this requirement. This includes insurance adjusters, insurance producers, managing general agents, reinsurance intermediary brokers, reinsurance intermediary managers, surplus lines brokers, viatical settlement brokers, viatical settlement providers, and viatical settlement representatives.

Every two years, licensees are required to complete 24 credit hours of CE. All credit hours must be earned and reported prior to the renewal date. Of the 24 total credit hours, three must be in ethics, and no more than eight may be in management, marketing, sales, or training.

Rules for Non-Residents

Non-residents who have met CE requirements in their home state are exempt from the Alaska CE requirement. CE requirements of the home state must be substantially similar to the CE requirements of Alaska for the exemption to apply.

Carryover of Excess CE

Carryover of up to eight excess CE credit hours is allowed in Alaska. However, carryover credit hours cannot be in management, marketing, or sales training. Additionally, carryover ethics credit hours cannot be applied to the ethics credit hour requirement of subsequent license renewal cycles. Carryover ethics credit hours will instead be converted to general credit hours.

Insurance License Term Renewal Requirements

As of 08/20/2016, the expiration date of an individual license corresponds with the last day of the birth month of the licensee. Additionally, licensees born in even number years will be required to renew in even years, and licensees born in odd number years will be required to renew in odd years.

Renewals may be submitted up to 90 days prior to the license expiration date. Cancellation of any line or class of authority needs to be submitted prior to renewal. A minimum of five days is required for this cancellation process to take effect.

Rules for Taking the Exam

There is no requirement in the state of Alaska for a CE examination. However, most course providers will hold an exam following completion of the course. Course providers may set their own examination rules.

Rules for Repeating a Course

Within a single license renewal cycle, CE courses may not be repeated for credit. However, a course from a previous renewal cycle may be repeated during a subsequent renewal cycle.

Credit for Instructors

Instructors teaching a CE course receive the same amount of CE credit as their students receive for the course. However, credit may only be claimed once for the instruction of a specific program, even if the course is taught multiple times during the same renewal cycle.

Reporting Rules

The CE provider is responsible for submitting a record of credit hours completed by the licensee directly to the state of Alaska. The licensee is not required to submit their own credit hours to the state. The status of a licensee's CE credit hour completion can be checked through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) website.

While a licensee is not required to submit their own credit hours to the state, it is advisable that they do maintain a copy of each CE certificate of completion they receive in their own records. A certificate of completion must be issued to the licensee by the course provider within 30 days of the course completion date.

Insurance CE Requirement Exemptions

Several groups are exempt from the Alaska insurance CE requirements. These groups include:

• Nonresident licensees who have met the CE requirements in their home state, provided those requirements are substantially similar to CE requirements of the state of Alaska
• Resident licensees who have been issued a temporary license or a limited lines license. Limited lines include credit insurance, travel insurance, title insurance, portable electronics, and bail bonds
• Resident licensees who have held an active Alaska resident license since 1979 or earlier
• Resident licensees who have not yet held their licenses for a full 24 month period

Alaska Annuity Requirements

Annuity producers are subject to special requirements in the state of Alaska. First, producers are required to hold a life line-of-authority. Second, producers are required to complete a one-time, four-hour annuity suitability course. These requirements must be met prior to selling, soliciting, or negotiating any annuity products in the state of Alaska. 

The training requirements may be satisfied if the producer has completed substantially similar training requirements in another state.

An annuity suitability course must cover the following topics:

• The types and various classifications of annuities
• The identification of the parties to an annuity
• How fixed, variable, and indexed annuity contract provisions will affect the customer
• The application of income taxation for qualified and non-qualified annuities
• The primary uses of an annuity
• The sales practices, replacement, and disclosure requirements that are consistent with state administrative codes 3 AAC 26.750 to 3 AAC 26.825

Alaska Long-Term Care Insurance Training Requirements

Long-term care insurance producers are also subject to special requirements in the state of Alaska. First, producers are required to hold a health line of authority. Second, producers are required to complete a one-time, eight credit hour course in long-term care insurance. These requirements must be met prior to selling, soliciting, or negotiating long-term care insurance in the state of Alaska. 

The training requirements may be satisfied if the producer has completed substantially similar training requirements in another state.

A long-term care insurance training course is required to consist only of topics related to:

• Long-term care insurance
• Long-term care services
• Qualified long-term care insurance partnership programs, if applicable 

After completion of the one-time eight credit hour course, producers are required to complete four CE hours specific to long-term care every 24-month license renewal cycle.