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Continuing Education
How do I know how many continuing education hours I will need to renew my license?
New licensees must complete twenty-five hours (25) of continuing education hours per year for each of the first four years. After the first four years, the licensee will need to complete thirty-hours (30) of continuing education for every two-year license term.
We suggest that you complete your required continuing education hours at least sixty (60) days prior to the expiration date of your license to allow sufficient time for your provider to submit the necessary information and for the California Department of Insurance to update your records. If hours are completed at the end of your renewal term, the license renewal process may be delayed while your hours are processed.
How can I check to see if the California Department of Insurance has received my continuing education hours and how many hours of credit I have accumulated?
Inquiries should be made 60 days after the course completion date. To check your continuing education hours, you may call our 24-hour Interactive Voice Response System at (800) 967-9331or (916) 322-3555 to hear your hours and/or receive a FAX of those hours; or you may visit our License Status Inquiry Web page, for on-line license status information.
The continuing education provider has 30 days from the course completion date to submit the student roster to the department. The California Department of Insurance needs a reasonable amount of time to enter the completed hours into the database, which may take up to 30 days. If it has been more than 60 days since you completed the course, contact the provider to verify both your social security and license numbers with the provider and request that they submit the student roster to the California Department of Insurance.
How is the completion date determined for courses that I have taken?
For correspondence courses, the education provider sets their own policies as to how completion dates are determined. They can choose whether it is by postmark date, receipt date, grading date, etc. All students will receive credit based on the policy the provider sets forth, without exceptions. Please verify with the provider’s policy for completion dates at the time of purchasing the course.
How often can I repeat a course for continuing education credit?
Courses can only be duplicated for continuing education credit if the completion dates are in a different two-year license term.
Can I get credit for completing any approved course?
No. A licensee can only get credit for approved courses for the license type held.
What is the continuing education requirement if I want to sell long-term care?
Please review the long-term care link.
Can I receive partial credit from a Provider if I complete a portion of a course?
No. When you take a course, the course is approved for a specific number of credit hours. For example, if a prelicensing course is approved for 52 hours, providers should not enroll a student who only needs 12 hours of ethics & code. You should enroll in an ethics & code course that is approved for 12 hours.
My license was renewed late and I completed excess hours.
Will they be credited towards my next renewal?
Yes. Education hours completed when a license has expired or is inactive can be used to reinstate an inactive license. Excess hours completed while a license is inactive will be credited towards the appropriate license term.
My license recently renewed and the excess hours I completed (on-time) were not credited (carried-forward).
A new continuing education cycle will begin the day after the expiration date listed on your renewal form. Once the new cycle begins, the excess hours should be reflected in the new license term.
What is the continuing education requirement if I want to sell annuities?
Please review the annuities link.
After I complete my continuing education hours, do I need to send the certificates to the California Department of Insurance?
No, it is the provider's responsibility to submit the credits to the California Department of Insurance. DO NOT send your certificate, or copies of the certificate, even if your renewal form indicates you are deficient in hours. The certificate is for your records and you should retain it for at least five years. The California Department of Insurance must enter the hours from the providers roster.
Leila Morris
Editor
California Broker Magazine
www.calbrokermag.com
©Copyright 2005, McGee Publishers, Inc.