Iowa Insurance Continuing Education

Resident Requirements

To renew an insurance license in the state of Iowa, producers must complete 36 hours of continuing education (CE) every three years. These 36 hours must include at least three hours of education in professional ethics. The remaining hours may be for any line of authority, provided that the course is state-approved.

 Self-study is not available for courses that are required as part of a national designation.

Producers of crop insurance have a lesser CE requirement of 18 hours total, including three hours of ethics, for every three-year renewal period. 

For public adjusters, the renewal period is two years rather than three. Adjusters must complete 24 hours of CE, including two hours of ethics training, during this time. There is no classroom or classroom-equivalent requirement for public adjusters.

Rules for Non-Residents

If you are a non-resident producer in Iowa, you qualify for exemption from Iowa's CE requirements if your home state or district has a CE requirement. Instead, you will file your Iowa renewal through the National Insurance Producer Registry gateway. 

For non-resident sellers of annuities or long-term care insurance, your continuing education must comply with the laws of a state with similar training requirements. If you intend to sell long-term care insurance as a non-resident licensee, you must comply with the training laws of a state that meets the requirements of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

If your home state does not have a CE requirement, you must comply with Iowa's 36-hour requirement. Also, if you intend to sell fixed indexed life products, you must complete a four-hour training course. You must complete this course before selling fixed indexed life products in the state of Iowa.

Carryover of Excess CE

The State of Iowa does not permit licensees to carry over CE hours from one period to the next.

Insurance License Term Renewal Requirements

Iowa insurance licenses must be renewed by the last day of the licensee's birth month, three years after the most recent renewal. It is advisable to complete and file your CE credits no less than one month before your renewal.

You will receive a renewal notice by email, if available, 60 days prior to the date when your license is scheduled to expire. The notice will state whether you have already met your CE requirement. You must complete and post your required hours before you apply for renewal.

Rules for Taking the Exam

To receive credit for completing a CE course, you must pass the exam with a score of 70% or higher. You may retake the exam an unlimited number of times until you pass. If you are completing a classroom equivalent course with interactive quizzes presented periodically throughout the program, you must pass each quiz with scores of 70% or higher.

All certification exams for Iowa insurance licensees are closed book. You may not access course materials or supplemental information while taking the exam. 

For the exam to be valid, it must be proctored by a neutral third party. Eligible proctors are individuals who have no economic or personal interest in the licensee receiving a passing score.

Rules for Repeating a Course

You may not repeat a course within the same three-year license renewal period. 

Credit for Instructors

If you serve as an instructor for an insurance CE course in Iowa, you qualify to receive the same number of credit hours as a student would earn by taking the course.

Reporting Rules

You must report your CE hours, or have your education provider report your CE hours, within 15 days of completing the course. Those reporting on behalf of an agent must provide the agent's National Producer Number.

The Iowa Department of Insurance charges a course reporting fee of $1 per credit hour. This fee applies to the classroom, online, and self-study courses.

Insurance CE Requirement Exemptions

Professionals in certain categories are exempt from CE requirements in Iowa.

If you are an attorney licensed to sell insurance, you are not required to complete the 36 hours of required insurance CE. To qualify for this exemption, you must file a report that proves your compliance with continuing legal education in your home state. You must pay the Iowa CE fee and renewal fee when you file for your exemption.

Producers who are licensed for credit, crop, and surety are also exempt from CE requirements. If you fall into this category, you do not need to report CE credits, but you must file a renewal report and pay the appropriate fee for each category.

Finally, producers who are on extended active duty in the US Armed Forces do not need to comply with CE requirements.

Annuity Requirements

1 hr - Producers already licensed* and certified to sell annuity products in Iowa, must complete an additional 1-hour of training no later than June 30, 2021. Producers may take the 4-Hour Annuity Best Interest course to satisfy the update training.

4 hrs - Producers licensed on or after January 1, 2021 must complete a one-time 4-Hour Annuity Best Interest Certification Training course prior to selling, soliciting, or negotiating annuity products.

Long-Term Care Training

Iowa agents must complete an eight-hour training course before selling any long-term care insurance products. After that program is complete, agents must complete four hours of ongoing long-term care training. If the training is approved as CE, the agent can get CE credit for those training hours.

If you are a non-resident who has substantially similar long-term care training in your home state, Iowa will consider you to have satisfied the in-state requirement. 

If a producer has completed a course that has received prior approval as long-term care training and is dedicated to complying with new standards, that course will count toward compliance with the current requirements.

Flood Requirements

The state of Iowa requires all licensees who sell flood insurance to complete a minimum of three hours of flood-specific training. This one-time training is mandated by the National Flood Insurance Program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more commonly known as FEMA.