Texas Insurance Continuing Education State Requirements

Annuity Best Interest Training Requirements

A producer who engages in the sale of annuity products must complete a one-time, 4-credit training course approved by the Department of Insurance and provided by a Department of Insurance-approved education provider. Producers may not engage in the sale of annuities until the annuity training requirement has been completed.

A producer who has completed a 4-credit annuity suitability training course approved by the Department of Insurance prior to 1/1/2022 must complete one of the following:

• a new 4-credit annuity best interest training course approved by the Department of Insurance; or
• an additional one-time, 1-credit annuity best interest training course approved by the Department of Insurance and provided by a Department of Insurance-approved education provider on appropriate sales practices and replacement and disclosure requirements.

Texas requires producers to complete 8 hours of continuing education that specifically relates to annuities during the producer’s 2-year licensing period. Resident producers may use the 4-hour Best Interest (BI) course to satisfy part of the 8-hour annuity CE required during the agent’s 2-year licensing period.

Long-Term Care Training

Flood Requirements

All Other State Requirements

Resident Requirements

All Texas resident licensees (producers and adjusters) must complete 24 hours of CE every 2 year reporting period, including 2 hours of ethics (EFFECTIVE 09/01/2021, the ethics requirement will increase from 2 hours to 3 hours). At least half (12 hrs) of the CE hours must be completed in a classroom setting or with classroom equivalent courses. Courses are no longer divided by license type; therefore, they may be taken in either General and/or Ethics/CP.

This state has issued a notice reminding licensees who sell flood insurance of their requirement to comply with the minimum training requirements established by FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program.

Non Resident Requirements

Non-residents, who comply with CE requirements of the resident state, are exempt from Texas CE requirements.

Medicare Training

Agents wishing to sell, solicit, or negotiate a contract for Medicare products in Texas are required to complete an eight-hour initial certification course (able to be used to satisfy general CE) prior to selling, soliciting, or negotiating a contract for a Medicare product.

Agents must complete four hours of continuing education that specifically relates to Medicare-related products during the agent’s two-year reporting period.

Course Repetition

Course repetition is not permitted within the compliance/renewal period.

Exam Rules

Online certification exams are closed book. Course materials are not available while the exam is in progress. The final exam must be passed with a score of 70% or higher to receive CE credit. If the exam is not passed on the first attempt, students have an unlimited number of retakes.

Classroom Equivalency Courses

Students taking Classroom Equivalency (CLEQ) courses must complete the Feedback unit found at the end of the course in order for the course to be considered complete.

Period Requirements

Texas resident and nonresident licensees must complete their CE requirements before the last day of their birth month every two years.

Carryover Requirements

Carryover of CE hours is not permitted.

Reporting Requirements

Report within 30 days of course completion. Need student’s Texas license number to report.

State Reporting Fees

The Texas Department of Insurance requires a course reporting fee of $.88 per credit hour (online, self-study and classroom courses). This state reporting fee will be automatically charged to you (on the last credit card used in your account) each time you complete an online, self-study, or classroom course.

Exemptions

The 20 years of licensure needed to qualify for an exemption must be continuous (i.e., no breaks greater than 90 days) and the license must be held under the Texas Insurance Code.

Acceptable Training Methods

• Correspondence (Print)
• Company Seminars
• Classroom
• CBT/CD-ROM (Computer-Based Training)
• Online (Internet Delivery)
• Classroom Equivalent

Notice

This information is based on state laws and regulations and is subject to change. Kaplan Financial Education makes every effort to make sure this information is current and accurate, however, Kaplan Financial Education is not engaged in rendering legal or professional advice and shall not be held responsible for inaccuracies contained herein.