If you want to work in the insurance industry, you need to follow a set of rules and requirements, which includes regularly completing continuing education (CE). The areas you’ll explore can be more general and cover things like ethics, or they can be specific to an area, like medical insurance or long-term care. Each state sets its own education requirements, including the number of hours and topics. Even states with perpetual licenses (licenses that never expire) have CE requirements.
Below you’ll learn what CE means in the insurance industry. We’ll share guidance and tools to help you understand the concept of CE in insurance and show you where to find information about continuing education in all 50 states.
Learn why CE matters
Taking CE courses helps ensure you:
Remain current on changing topics like regulations, laws and trends.
Avoid penalties by meeting state licensing requirements.
Maintain trust with your customers.
Build your skillset, credibility and expertise.
CE requirements by state and role
The requirements for CE can vary by state, specialty and license type. These differences can include the hours of CE you need to complete and how often you need to take certain courses. Some states, for example, may only require four hours of CE, while others could require 30.
Visit NIPR’s CE requirement page to learn more about the insurance education requirements in different states.
Key topics covered in CE
This can also be different depending on the state and line of insurance. But there are some common topics covered in insurance licensing education. They include:
Ethics and compliance
Risk management and claims handling
Emerging industry trends (e.g., cyber insurance, artificial intelligence in underwriting, etc.)
Changes to policies and regulations
CE course formats and accessibility
To make it easier for working professionals, many states offer virtual webinars and seminars, as well as self-paced courses. You can take the courses you need without leaving your office and often on your own schedule.
CE course providers
CE courses are administered by an educational provider approved by each state. After completing a course(s), the provider has 14 to 30 days to report the completion to the state. Once your license is confirmed as CE-compliant and you’ve earned all required credits, the state will report this information to NIPR.
To find CE course providers for a specific state, visit NIPR’s State information page. We also recommend familiarizing yourself with your state’s requirements.
To ensure you meet your deadlines, it's a good idea to complete your required CE courses at least 30 days before your license expiration date. You can also visit our CE transcripts page to monitor the courses you’ve completed and see which ones are still outstanding.
