Florida CE Requirements & FAQs

Since 1993, the Insurance Code requires licensed agents to complete approved continuing education courses to renew existing appointments. The continuing education requirements apply to all agents who sat for a licensing examination. (One exception is for “dental representatives”, a limited health agent license, who are exempt from CE requirements.)

Any person who holds a license to solicit or sell insurance in this state must complete a minimum of 5 hours in CE approved by the department on the subject of Law & Ethics, starting with compliance period ending October 31, 2014 and every period after. Beginning January 1, 2022, the requirement was reduced from 5 credit hours to 4 credit hours.

Recommended for staff and producers who need to understand federal regulations and the role state plans play in funding public and private long-term care. The course requires an initial 8 hours of training for those who sell partnership policies, and 4 credits every compliance period after.

Unauthorized Entities — This requirement has been dropped but the course will still count towards elective requirements. Starting with compliance periods ending December 2004 and after, all agents were required to complete a 2 credit hour course in Unauthorized Entities.

Ethics — This requirement has been dropped but the course will still count towards elective requirements. Starting with compliance periods ending June 30, 2005 and after, all agents were required to complete a 3 credit hour course in Ethics.

Senior Suitability — This requirement has been dropped but the course will still count towards elective requirements. Starting with compliance periods ending January 31, 2009 and after, all life licensed agents were required to complete a 3 credit hour course in Senior Suitability.

The Department requires agents to complete the required CE credits no later than the last day of the agent’s birth month after holding the license for 24 consecutive months. After that, the continuing education requirement must be met every 24 months.

The Department can grant a 90-day extension to the compliance date for good cause. Valid reasons include events outside the agent’s control: illness, short-term disability, accidents, emergencies, and military duty. A pre-existing permanent disability is not a valid reason for an extension.

To qualify, the agent must apply for the extension before the “regular” compliance date. An extension applies only to the current compliance period — subsequent compliance dates remain unchanged.

If the agent fails to complete the required CE credits by the compliance date, the Department will not renew the agent’s appointments. Without a valid appointment, the agent may not transact insurance business in Florida.

Agents face fees up to $250 for non-compliance — and the Department will cancel an agent’s license if the agent does not have a valid appointment for a 24-month period. When an agent’s license is canceled, that agent must re-apply for the license (including examination, pre-licensing course, etc.) to regain his or her license.

Please note: Simply completing the CE credits does not by itself maintain an agent’s license. The agent must maintain active appointments. Failure to complete the required CE credits will cause non-renewal of appointments, which can eventually cause the Department to cancel the agent’s license.

Recently licensed agents must complete a minimum of 24 (reduced from 28) CE credits per two-year compliance period. Agents who have held an insurance license for 25 or more years and hold a CLU or CPCU designation qualify for a reduced requirement. The same applies to agents who hold a college degree in risk management or insurance and have completed at least 18 semester hours of upper-level, insurance-related college courses.

Administrative agents are licensed health or life agents who primarily engage in clerical functions. They must be supervised by another licensed agent, and cannot transact insurance business outside the office or be compensated based on production. To qualify, the agent must file the appropriate form with the Department before the compliance date. There is a fee to designate an agent as “administrative”.

Experienced agents are those holding a Florida insurance license for six years or more as of the beginning of their compliance period. This change applies to compliance periods beginning January 1, 1998. Experienced agents must earn their 20 hours of CE credits in courses designated as intermediate or advanced levels — no basic level courses. Newly-licensed agents may earn their 24 hours in basic, intermediate, or advanced courses.

Non-resident agents may not have to comply with Florida’s continuing education requirement if the agent’s home state imposes a CE requirement, has a reciprocal arrangement with Florida, and will certify the agent’s compliance with that state’s CE requirements. Otherwise, the non-resident agent must comply with Florida’s CE requirements.

As of Spring 2000, Florida has reciprocal agreements with 43 states. The following states do not have CE reciprocity with Florida: Alaska, Hawaii, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont. Alabama and Tennessee have modified reciprocity — check those states’ departments of insurance for details. Mississippi allows reciprocity for P&C only.

Non-resident agents should contact their home state to determine their CE requirements.

As of 1996, agents may carry “excess credits” forward from one compliance period into the next. This represents a change from the previous rule that only allowed for carry-forward of credits earned in the last half of an agent’s compliance period.

To count the excess credits that an agent may apply toward the current compliance period, the Department reviews only the 24-month period immediately preceding the agent’s current compliance period — and any credits in excess of the required number for that period are carried forward. Only the excess credits actually earned in the preceding compliance period are carried forward.

Agents may earn continuing education credits in one of two ways: classroom instruction or self-study programs. Classroom courses require agents to attend class for the approved number of hours. To earn credit via self-study, the agent must successfully complete a monitored, closed-book final examination with a passing grade of 70%. Some online courses do not require a monitored exam — Wall Street Instructors online self-study courses do not require a monitor for exams.

An agent must earn CE credits in courses dealing with topics related to his or her license (life courses for life agents, property courses for property agents, etc.). Agents holding a life, health and variable annuity license may earn CE credits in any courses dealing with life, health or variable annuities. Agents holding both a life/health license and a property/casualty license must complete one half their CE requirement in life/health courses and the other half in property/casualty courses.

The Department will not grant credit to an agent for repeating a course within a three-year period. The Department will also deny CE credit for courses dealing with: mechanical office or business skills, use of computer software, accounting or tax preparation, internal company rules and policies, motivation or sales ability, pre-licensing training, preparatory courses for licensing examinations, or specific product or company knowledge.

As of January 1, 2002, the Department of Financial Services Education Database handles the administrative aspects of Florida’s CE system. This database monitors the continuing education credits earned by Florida agents. Course providers furnish the Department with a roster of agents who successfully complete a CE course, and must also furnish agents with a certificate of completion within 30 days.

The certificates of completion are for the agent’s files — resident agents do not have to file the certificates with the Department, unless instructed otherwise. Unless the agent can prove otherwise, the Department uses these records to determine an agent’s compliance.

Each agent is responsible for completing the required courses by his or her compliance date. Agents can enroll in Wall Street Instructors’ Free Reminder Service that notifies agents approximately 60 days prior to the end of their compliance period with a postcard and/or an e-mail.

This agent acts as an independent consultant in the business of analyzing or abstracting insurance policies, providing insurance advice or counseling, or making specific recommendations or comparisons of insurance products for a fee established in advance by a written contract signed by the parties.

The bill prohibits an unaffiliated insurance agent from being affiliated with an insurer, insurer-appointed insurance agent, or insurance agency contracted with or employing insurer-appointed insurance agents. However, these agents may continue to receive commissions on sales made before the date of appointment as an unaffiliated insurance agent, as long as the agent discloses the receipt of commissions to the client when making recommendations.

Unaffiliated insurance agents must pay the same agent appointment fees required under current law for agents appointed by insurers. Chapter 626.015(18) — Self-appointing surplus lines agents, unaffiliated insurance agents, viatical settlement brokers, public or all-lines adjusters must log in to their own MyProfile account and complete an appointment:

• Go to MyProfile and log in to your account.
• Select the “Access eAppoint” button under “Apply”. If you have never used eAppoint, you must first register and select “Register to become an appointing entity”.
• Once in the eAppoint Workbench, select the required tab (New Appointment, Renew Appointment, or Terminate Appointment) and follow the instructions on the page.
• Remit the appropriate appointment fee(s). Appointments must be renewed every 24 months during the birth month for the appointee.