Connecticut Insurance Continuing Education

Connecticut Insurance Continuing Education Requirements

Resident Requirements

Residents licensed with property and casualty, life, accident, health, and sickness, or personal lines authority must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours of department-approved subjects during each two-year (biennium) reporting period.

• Three credits must be in insurance law, regulations, or ethics subjects.
• At least six hours of the total requirement must be taken in each line of authority held.

Courses may be completed in an in-person classroom setting, online course format, or through self-study. Coursework completed for another state cannot be applied to the Connecticut CE requirement except where specific exemptions apply

Additional guidelines for Connecticut CE requirements exist for several lines of work:

• Life settlement brokers are required to complete 15 hours relating to life and health every two years.
• Property, casualty, and personal lines producers are required to complete a one-time, three-credit CE course on federal flood requirements and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
• Insurance 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 biennial renewal.
• Producers selling Connecticut Partnership long-term healthcare policies must meet Partnership Certification Training Program standards, composed of two parts: a prerequisite online course with a final exam and a four-hour classroom course conducted by Connecticut Partnership staff.

Note that the lines of authority held at the beginning of the current license period determine the CE requirement for the biennial renewal. Any lines of authority added or removed during the license period will apply to CE requirements for the next term

Rules for Non-Residents

Non-residents are exempt from Connecticut CE requirements when renewing their license but are responsible for submitting a renewal application and payment by their license expiry date. Those who fail to claim this exemption must satisfy Connecticut resident requirements.

Carryover of Excess CE

Additional CE credit hours earned cannot be carried over from one biennium to the next

Insurance License Term Renewal Requirements

Licenses expire biennially, based on the year of original licensing. The license expiration date falls on the last day of the licensee?s birth month. For example, a producer whose license was awarded in an even-numbered year will need to complete renewal requirements before the last day of their birth month in the next even-numbered year

Renewals must be processed online at the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) website. Licensees are eligible to renew starting 90 days prior to the expiration date. An online renewal reminder with a renewal link will be e-mailed to you at least 60 days prior to the expiry date.

License renewal fees:

• $160 for insurance producers
• $250 for public adjusters and certified insurance consultants
• $625 for surplus lines, reinsurance intermediary brokers, reinsurance intermediary managers, and PA 187
• $80 for casualty adjusters, fraternal agents, and MVPD appraisers

You may submit a request for an extension of up to six months to the Insurance Commissioner of the State of Connecticut. This request must be received by the department at least 30 days prior to the license expiry date

Connecticut residents in all license classes who fail to renew before their expiration date may reinstate their license for up to one year by completing the outstanding CE requirements and paying an additional late fee of $160. After this one-year period, you will be required to complete the pre-licensing education course and exam and submit a reinstatement application

Rules for Taking the Exam

Certification exams are closed-book and students are not permitted to access course materials during the exam. Online exams must be monitored by an unbiased third party who will complete an online Declaration of Compliance. This document confirms understanding of, and adherence to, state insurance requirements and ensures the legitimacy of the exam results. Family members, friends, coworkers, or individuals with a financial interest in the exam-taker?s success may not act in this role.

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

Credit will be granted only once for the completion of the same course during an individual renewal period. A course can, however, be repeated for CE credit in different renewal periods

Credit for Instructors

CE instructors are eligible to receive the same credit as the students enrolled in their courses, but cannot receive this credit more than once per CE course during an individual renewal period

Reporting Rules

Credits must be reported within 15 days of completion and should be submitted to the state directly by the course provider. You can check the status of CE hour completion through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners website

It is recommended to complete all CE credits at least 60 days prior to the expiration of your license in order to give the CE provider sufficient time to report successful completions to the Connecticut Department of Insurance. However, CE courses can be completed at any time within the current license term

A $3.75 per course reporting fee will be automatically charged to the licensee.

Insurance CE Requirement Exemptions

Some licensees may qualify for full or partial CE exemptions, including:

• Licensees serving in the U.S. military on active duty during a substantial part of the compliance period.
• Producers who passed their license examination within the last 12 months of a biennium are exempt from meeting the CE requirements for that period. (However, those licensed within the first 12 months of a biennium or reinstated at any time during a biennium are required to meet the CE requirements for that period.)
• Former non-residents who have become Connecticut residents in the last 12 months of a biennium may have 12 hours of their CE requirements for that period waived by submitting a certification letter from the previous licensing state.

In addition, producers whose only line of authority is in one of the following areas are exempt from state CE requirements:

• Credit life
• Credit accident and health
• Limited auto physical damage
• Limited home warranty
• Mortgage guaranty
• Motor vehicle service agreement
• Travel accident
• Travel baggage
• Bail bonds

Connecticut Annuity Insurance Requirements

Insurance producers must complete specific training to comply with Connecticut?s annuity suitability regulation. This requires completion of a one-time, four-hour course, and is in addition to other continuing education requirements.

This course covers topics such as:

• The fundamentals of annuity contracts
• Individual suitability
• Sales practices
• Variable and fixed annuities
• Immediate and deferred plans
• Different types of premiums
• Appropriate tax rules

This requirement may be waived for licensees who have satisfied similar annuity suitability requirements for another state

Connecticut Long-Term Care Training Requirements

Both resident and non-resident accident and health producers who solicit, sell or negotiate Connecticut Partnership LTC policies are required to complete a one-time, seven-hour program to receive a Connecticut Partnership Certification. Successful completion of this program counts toward eight credit hours of your 24-hour CE renewal requirement (five credits toward life and health and three credits toward ethics)

The Connecticut Partnership Certification is awarded after completion of two-course components. First, you must complete an online prerequisite course and pass a 50-question final exam. This is followed by a four-hour classroom session taught by Partnership staff. There is a $150 fee for new certifications.

Connecticut Flood Insurance Training Requirements

Licensees who intend to sell flood insurance must follow national guidelines. In order to sell flood insurance, the individual must complete a one-time minimum of three training hours as outlined by the National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA. This may be completed in any state in which the producer is licensed.