What are the continuing education rules for my license?
Go to: https://www.tdi.texas.gov/agent/index.html and Texas Department of Insurance will walk you through the process. For example, if you are a Personal lines property and casualty agent:
- To keep your license in good standing, you must take 24 hours of continuing education every two years.
- Two hours must be in ethics / consumer protection. To find these courses, go to the Sircon website, click on “Approved Courses Inquiry,” and find “Ethics” in the category column.
- At least 12 hours must be “classroom” or “classroom equivalent” courses. To find these courses, go to the Sircon website, click on “Approved Courses Inquiry,” and look in the method column.
- In most cases, if you have a non-resident license, you don’t need to take continuing education courses through the state of Texas. To find out if you need to take Texas courses, go to the Sircon websiteand click on “Continuing Education Transcript Inquiry.”
- There’s a $50 fine for every hour not completed on time, up to a maximum of $500 per license. You won’t be able to renew your license until your continuing education is complete, and you’ve paid any fines. (There is no cap on fines for licenses that expired before June 1, 2018.)
- Create an account on the Sirconwebsite to:
- Find courses and providers.
- View your transcript.
- Ask for an exemption or extension (you must do this two weeks before your license expires).
- You may not need to complete continuing education if you have been licensed in Texas for at least 20 years.
License renewal
- To ensure there is no delay in renewing a license, complete continuing education hours at least 30 days before your license expires. This will allow time for the continuing education provider to report the successful completion of the course to us. See the section aboveto find out how to see your transcript or ask for an extension.
- The renewal fee is $50. The late fee is $25.
- There are several ways to renew your license:
- If you have more than 30 days to renew, use Sircon($8.25 to process), National Insurance Producer Registry ($5 to process), or gov (no charge to process)
- If you have less than 30 days to renew, you can use Sircon($8.25 to process) or National Insurance Producer Registry ($5 to process).
How do I check the status of my continuing education credits?
- To check how many credits you need:Visit our agent and adjuster licensing page, click on the type of license you have, and select “Continuing education credits.”
- To check how many credits you have:Visit the Sircon website to view your transcript, look up approved courses, and check your licensing renewal status. If some of your credits are missing, contact the course provider. If you need help, email us at CE@tdi.texas.gov.
I got a letter saying that my continuing education is not complete. How do I fix this?
You won’t be able to renew your license until your continuing education is complete, and you’ve paid any fines. There are several ways to fix this:
- Pay your fine:There is a $50 fine for each hour not completed by the day before your license expires. To pay the fine, send your payment with the CE Automatic Fine Payment Voucher. (These fines do not apply to title and escrow licenses.)
- Apply for an exemption:You may be able to get an exemption if:
- You have been licensed in Texas for 20 years or more without a break.
- You met the continuing education rules for all terms.
- You apply by going to Sirconand clicking on “Request CE Exemption.”
- Apply for an extension:You may be able to apply for an extension due to a medical issue, military duty, or other issues beyond your control.
If I’m permanently exempt from continuing education, do I still need continuing education to sell certain specialty products?
Yes. You’re still subject to continuing education rules for annuities, long-term care partnerships, and Medicare-related products. You’ll find continuing education rules specific to each license on their webpage. To find each license’s webpage, go to the agent and adjuster licensing page.
I have a non-resident license. Do I still need to follow Texas continuing education rules?
It depends:
- If you have a Texas designated home state adjuster license:You need to follow Texas rules.
- If you have a license other than a designated home state adjuster license:You must follow your home state’s rules.
- If your state doesn’t require continuing education:You need to follow Texas rules.
Do I still need continuing education credits if I’m not using my license?
If you want to keep your license active and avoid penalties, you must follow the continuing education rules.
If you leave the insurance industry, you can cancel your license. If you cancel your license with a substantial portion of the term remaining, we will reduce the continuing education hours for that term.
When should I take my continuing education courses?
The “begin date” to the “review date” on your online transcript marks the start and end of your review period. Continuing education must be completed during this period to apply. The review date is one day before your license expires. You’ll miss your continuing education deadline if you wait until your license expiration date.
Why are there no continue education requirements on my transcript for my current license period?
If you still need to meet the continuing education rules for an earlier period, you won’t see what you need for the current period. After you meet the rules for the earlier period, the current period’s information will appear.
Can I take any course to meet the continuing education rules?
Only TDI-certified courses offered by approved providers will count toward your license. A list of certified continuing education courses is at Sircon’s Approved Courses Inquiry. You also can use Sircon to look up a provider, see what courses are available, or find details about a course.
Do I need to report completed continuing education courses to TDI?
Our certified providers post proof of your course credit online. You don’t need to send course certificates to us. You should check your online transcript to make sure all courses you took are posted.
How do I make sure my continuing education courses are credited to the right Texas license?
Continuing education course credit posted to your online transcript will be applied to every license that you hold on the day that you finished the course. If you have more than one Texas license, continuing education posted to your transcript will apply to them all.
Do I have to take extra continuing education courses if I have more than one Texas license?
Maybe. Completed continuing education courses will apply to every license you have on the day that you complete it. If you hold more than one license and they have different start and end dates, it’s possible to meet the rules of one license, but not the other. Make sure you’ve taken the required continuing education hours within each license term for every license you hold.
Why doesn’t my online transcript show all of the courses that I completed?
Our certified course providers must electronically post proof of your continuing education course credits. If you don’t see credit for a course you’ve taken, contact your continuing education provider. Be sure you don’t go over the limit of self-study hours.
If my credits are posted electronically, do I still need to keep my certificates of completion?
Yes. If the course provider fails to post the credit for you, certificates are the proof we need. Because your license can audited by us for the past two license periods, you should keep certificates for at least four years.
What if my continuing education course wasn’t certified by TDI?
There are limited instances in which we will grant credit for unapproved coursework. The form to request this is Request for Qualifying Continuing Education Credit.
Why is a course credit posted to my transcript but not applied to my continuing education requirements?
- Be sure the credit was taken within your license term.
- You will get only one credit if you take the same course more than once during a license term.
- At least half of your required hours must be taken in a classroom or classroom equivalent setting, so not all self-study hours will apply.
Reference: https://www.tdi.texas.gov/agent/agent-questions.html