Maryland Insurance Continuing Education

Maryland Insurance Continuing Education Requirements

Carryover of Excess CE

Additional credits earned in a renewal period may not be carried over to the next term.

Note: CE credit hours may be completed via any combination of in-classroom, self-study, or online coursework.

Resident Requirements

Resident producers and public adjusters must complete a minimum of 24 hours of Maryland Insurance Administration-approved CE subjects during each 2-year (biennium) reporting period. CE courses must be in the category or subdivision of the insurance listed on the license. 3 of these credit hours must cover the subject of ethics.

For public adjusters, additional hours of ethics credits will not count toward their required CE credits. Property and casualty courses do, however, contribute to this requirement

Combined life/health and property/casualty producers must complete at least 6 hours of coursework in each line of authority and 3 hours of ethics as a part of their 24 credit hours. Any remaining credits may be fulfilled by courses in either insurance line

• Producers in these combined lines who qualify for reduced CE requirements must complete at least 2 hours of CE in each line, 3 hours of ethics, and the remaining one 1 can be in either line.

Additional guidelines for CE requirements apply to licensees who sell specific products, including:

• Flood: 2 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) training credit hours must be fulfilled every renewal period. Excess flood courses cannot be applied to other CE requirements in the property/casualty line.
• Long-Term Care (LTC): a one-time, 8-hour training requirement must be completed in addition to at least 2 hours of LTC CE every biennial period.
• Long-Term Care Partnership: a one-time, 8-hour training requirement must be completed in addition to at least 4 hours of LTC CE completed every biennial period.
• Annuities: a one-time, 4-hour training course must be completed.

Per state regulations, companies are also required to provide at least 2 hours of anti-fraud training to employees every 2 years

Rules for Non-Residents

Non-residents in compliance with their state's CE requirements are exempt from completing Maryland CE. However, if your home state does not have CE requirements or those requirements do not meet the standards for your license type or line of authority in Maryland, you will have to complete the associated Maryland resident CE requirements

LTC agents must comply with the initial LTC 8-hour training in Maryland or their home state, provided that the state meets the standards of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) LTC Model

Insurance License Term Renewal Requirements

License renewals are on a two-year cycle based on the birth month of the licensee. Your license expires on the last day of your birth month every 2 years, based on the year of original licensing

As of January 1, 2020, producers must complete the required CE hours no later than 15 days prior to their license expiration date. Public adjusters must complete the requirements within 30 days of license expiration

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 may be submitted via paper to the Maryland Insurance Administration or electronically at the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) website. Licensees are eligible to renew starting 90 days prior to their license expiration date

The license renewal fees are:

• $69 for producers
• $65 for public adjusters
• $50 for viatical settlement brokers or providers
• $200 for surplus lines
• $215 for advisers

Residents who fail to renew before their expiration date may complete their CE within 1 year and submit their application with the appropriate fee plus a $100 late fee. After this 1-year period, residents must complete a pre-licensing course and pass the Maryland exam before their license can be reinstated

Rules for Taking the Exam

Certification exams are closed-book and students are not permitted to access course materials during the exam. No monitor is required

A score of 70 percent or higher is required to receive CE credit. Unlimited retakes are permitted until a passing score is achieved

Rules for Repeating a Course

Courses may not be repeated within the same renewal period. In addition, courses cannot be duplicated within 6 months of completion for the credits to qualify for a consecutive term's CE requirements

Credit for Instructors

CE course instructors are eligible to receive 1.5 times the credit amount awarded to students enrolled in any course they are teaching.

Reporting Rules

Credits must be reported within 10 days of course completion and should be submitted to the state directly by the course provider

It is recommended to complete all CE 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 Maryland Insurance Administration

A $1.00 per credit hour reporting fee will be automatically charged to the licensee by the Maryland Insurance Administration using credit card information currently on file with the Administration

Insurance CE Requirement Exemptions

Some resident licensees may qualify for full CE exemptions, including:

• A licensee who holds only the title line of insurance and is a Maryland attorney in good standing with the Maryland Court of Appeals.
• Limited lines licensees.
• Individuals selling only travel insurance.
• Individuals selling only credit insurance.
• Licensees over age 70.

Other resident licensees may qualify for partial CE exemptions:

• Licensees holding a continuously active license for 25 years may have CE credit requirements reduced from 24 hours to 8 hours.
• Producers who hold the title line of authority only or the life line-of-authority only and are licensed as a funeral director or mortician are required to complete 16 hours of CE

Licensees who qualify for full or partial CE exemption must contact the Administration to verify this eligibility

Maryland Annuity Insurance Requirements

Before selling, soliciting, or negotiating annuity products in Maryland, insurance producers must complete a one-time, 4 annuities training course approved by the Administration and provided by an Administration-approved continuing education provider

This course covers topics, such as:

• The fundamentals of annuity contracts, individual suitability, and 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 in another state

Maryland Long-Term Care Training Requirements

Producers selling long-term care products in Maryland must complete a one-time, state-approved training course consisting of a minimum of 8 hours.

Following this initial training, producers selling LTC products are required to complete 2 hours of CE training. Producers selling LTC Partnership products are required to complete 4 hours of CE training every biennial period.