Texas insurance license renewal and CE hours

Passing the exam is only the start. Texas insurance agents renew every two years and complete continuing education (CE) first. The rules below come from the Texas Insurance Code (chapters 4003 and 4004) and TDI rules, and they apply to life and health agents and to property and casualty agents alike unless noted.

When the license expires

An individual license expires on the holder's birthday. It is issued for two years: it expires in the even-numbered year if it was issued or renewed in an even year, and in the odd-numbered year if issued or renewed in an odd year (Texas Insurance Code 4003.001). Some study material says licenses expire at the end of the birth month, but the statute says birthday. If you hold several licenses, they all expire on the earliest date. TDI sends an expiration notice at least 30 days before expiration.

The CE requirement

• 24 hours per two-year period for General Lines, life agent, property and casualty, adjuster and managing general agent licenses. Holding several licenses does not multiply it: no more than 24 hours total.
• 3 hours of ethics in each period.
• At least 50% classroom or classroom-equivalent hours, so 12 of 24.
• Hours must be finished before the license expires, and excess hours do not carry forward.
• Continuously licensed for 20 years or more (with no lapse over 90 days)? You are exempt from CE, though the Medicare training rules still apply.

Extra training for some products

Life and health agents pick up more requirements:

• Annuities: a one-time 4-hour annuity course before selling, then 8 hours of annuity CE each two-year period. The 4-hour course counts toward those 8 hours, and both count toward the 24.
• Medicare-related products (Medicare Advantage and Part D, not Medigap): 8 hours of training before selling, then 4 hours of Medicare CE every two years. The 20-year exemption does not apply here.
• Long-term care partnership policies: an 8-hour certification course on top of the life and health license.

If you fall behind

TDI fines $50 per hour not completed, up to $500 per license per reporting period, payable within 30 days unless you request a hearing. The license cannot be renewed if CE is not complete by the 90th day after the period ends, or if the fine is unpaid. Finishing late is not a defense in a disciplinary action.

If the license lapses

The renewal windows are precise, so they make good exam material:

• Expired 90 days or less: renew, paying the renewal fee plus half again.
• Expired more than 90 days but under a year: you cannot renew. You submit a new application without retaking the exam.
• Expired a year or more: you must retake the exam and reapply.

Turn this into a plan

Working backwards from your birthday and spreading CE across the period beats a last-minute scramble. The study schedule generator works for CE deadlines too. For the exam itself, see how to get a Texas life and health insurance license and how to get a Texas property and casualty license. Encodr's free Texas Life and Health and Texas Property and Casualty courses both cover the licensing rules, and the exam prep hub lists every course.