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Basic CE Requirement: 24 credit hours, at least 3 of which must be in Ethics.

Your credits are reported within hours.  However, CA DOI rules state that course completions must be reported no later than 30 days after the course completion date. Accordingly, complete and pay for your bundle within 30 days from the date you complete your first course in the bundle. 

Thank you for choosing BestEd.com, a division of Best Insurance Education Company, the ce provider that values your support and puts you first.

 Life-Only and/or Accident and Health Licensees

• 24 CE hours every 2 year license period are required. 3 of the 24 must be in Ethics.(see license term below). (see Topic Requirements below)
• If you plan to sell the following products you must complete the appropriate special training described below.

Special Training Education Required

Annuity Training

• An initial 8-hours of state-approved annuity training is required before selling annuities in California. (see the course menu to complete the BestEd CA 8-Hour Annuity Training requirement.)
• An ongoing 4-hour of state-approved annuity training is required each 2-year renewal period after completing the 8-hour requirement if you continue to sell annuities. (see the course menu to complete the BestEd CA 4-Hour Annuity Training)

Long-Term Care (LTC)

• An initial 8-hours of state-approved LTC training is required before selling LTC insurance products in California. (see the course menu to complete the BestEd CA 8-Hour LTC training requirement)
• Important Facts: If you want to solicit/sell long-term care insurance in California, as a producer, you must have a current Life Accident and Health Insurance License. You must comply with the LTC 8-hour training requirements. If you hold a Life-Only Agent license, you may sell LTC only as an LTC rider on a full life policy. You must also complete the 8-hour training requirements.
• Ongoing 8-hour of state-approved LTC training is required annually after completing the initial 8-hour training requirement for producers during your first 4 years of licensure. Agents licensed more than 4 years are required to complete 8 hours of state-approved LTC training in every 2-year license term.

Long-Term Care Partnership (LTCP)—Must be completed in a classroom.

• An initial LTC partnership training program is required before selling LTCP insurance products in California. Producers must first complete 16 hours of state-approved LTC training. Of these 16 hours, 8 hours must be fulfilled in a state-approved classroom, and 8 hours must be fulfilled by taking a state-approved LTC self-study course.
• Ongoing LTC partnership training is required after completing the initial 16-hour training requirement. LTCP insurance producers are required to complete 8 hours of state-approved LTCP training in every 2-year license term, n a state-approved classroom.

Flood Training Requirement

• All California fire and casualty producers who sell federal flood insurance policies must complete a one-time 3 hour course addressing National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) training. (see the course list to complete the BestEd Flood Insurance Training requirement)

 Homeowners Valuation Insurance 

• All California fire and casualty broker-agents and personal line broker-agents who negotiate or sell homeowners’ (HO) insurance will be required to complete a one-time 3-hour homeowners’ insurance valuation training course. (see the course list to complete the BestEd CA Homeowners Valuation requirement)

 Dual Licenses:  

Life-Only and/or Fire and Casualty Producers 

 24 CE hours every 2 year license period are required. 3 of the 24 must be in Ethics.(see license term below). (see Topic Requirements below)  

 Special Training Education Required

Annuity Training 

• An initial 8-hours of state-approved annuity training is required before selling annuities in California. (see the course list to complete the BestEd  CA 8-Hour Annuity Training requirement)  
• An ongoing 4-hour of state-approved annuity training is required each 2-year renewal period after completing the 8-hour requirement you continue to sell annuities. (see the course list to complete the BestEd CA 4-Hour Annuity Training requirement)

 Long-Term Care (LTC) 

• An initial 8-hours of state-approved LTC training is required before selling LTC insurance products in California. (see the course list to complete the BestEd CA 8-Hour LTC Training requirement)
• Important Facts: If you want to solicit/sell long-term care insurance in California, as a producer, you must have a current Life Accident and Health Insurance License. You must comply with the LTC 8-hour training requirements.  If you hold a Life-Only Agent license, you may sell LTC only as an LTC rider on a full life policy. You must also complete the 8-hour training requirements.    
• Ongoing 8-hour of state-approved LTC training is required annually after completing the initial 8-hour training requirement for producers during your first 4 years of licensure. Agents licensed more than 4 years are required to complete 8 hours of state-approved LTC training in every 2-year license period.  

Long-Term Care Partnership (LTCP)—Must be completed in a classroom 

• An initial LTC partnership training program is required before selling LTCP insurance products in California. Producers must first complete 16 hours of state-approved LTC training. Of these 16 hours, 8 hours must be fulfilled in a state-approved classroom, and 8 hours must be fulfilled by taking a state-approved LTC self-study course.  
• Ongoing LTC partnership training is required after completing the initial 16-hour training requirement. LTCP insurance producers are required to complete 8 hours of state-approved LTCP training in every 2-year license term, in a state-approved classroom.

 Flood Training Requirement

• All California fire and casualty producers who sell federal flood insurance policies must complete a one-time 3 hour course addressing National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) training. (see the course list to complete the BestEd Flood Insurance Training requirement.)

Homeowners Valuation Insurance 

• All California fire and casualty broker-agents and personal line broker-agents who negotiate or sell homeowners’ (HO) insurance will be required to complete a one-time 3-hour homeowners’ insurance valuation training course.  (see the course list to complete the BestEd CA Homeowners Valuation  requirement.) 

Personal Lines Broker-Agents with a Property Casualty License

 24 CE hours, including 3 hours of ethics are required every 2 year license term.  

Producers planning to sell the following products have special training or education requirements as described below.

Special Training/Education Requirements

Flood Training Requirement

• All California personal lines broker-agents who also sell federal flood insurance policies must complete a one-time 3-hour course approved for National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) flood training.   

Homeowners Valuation Insurance 

• All California fire and casualty broker-agents and personal line broker-agents who negotiate or sell homeowners’ (HO) insurance will be required to complete a one-time 3-hour homeowners’ insurance valuation training course.  

Life Settlement Broker

 If you are not licensed as a resident or non-resident California life agent  or you have not held a resident or non-resident California life agent license for more than a year you are required to complete 15 hours of  education related to life settlements and life settlements transactions, prior to operating as a life settlements broker. If you have held a life agent or life settlement broker license as of July 2, 2010 see Continuing education exemptions below.  

Limited Lines Automobile Insurance Producers

20 CE hours, including 3 hours of ethics are required every 2 year license term (see License Renewal Dates). 

Independent or Public Adjusters 

Independent or Public Adjusters who also hold a property or casualty broker-agent license, will only be required to complete 24 total CE hours to include 3 hours of ethics every 2 year license term.

Life and Health, Property and Casualty, Limited Lines license

The license period ends on the last day of the license issuance month every 2 years.

Example: if you received your license on January 3, 2016 your renewal date is January 30, 2018.

Personal Lines 

If licensed before Jan 1, 2009 the license period is every ODD year on December 31st. If a personal lines broker-agent has an additional license(s) with a different renewal date, all licenses will renew with the same license term as that of the original license issued.

Licensed after Jan 1, 2009 - the license term is the last day of the license issuance month every 2 years. 

Independent and Public Adjuster

Licensed before Jan 1, 2011-the license periods every EVEN year on May 31st.

Licensed after Jan 1, 2011-the license period is the last day of the license issuance month every 2 years. 

Life Settlement Brokers

For persons not currently licensed as a life settlement broker and who do not hold a life agent license or have held the life agent license for less than one year, the license must be renewed on an annual basis.  If the inpidual holds a life agent license, on the one year anniversary of the life agent license the life settlement broker becomes eligible for the two year life settlement notification.  For your step-by-step notification and application procedures click here.

For persons not currently licensed as a life settlement broker, but who are licensed as a life agent for at least a year will need to pay the life producer notification fee of $128 to become a life settlement broker, which is good for a two year period.  The license will need to be renewed on the same date as the life agent license expires.  For your step-by-step notification and application procedures click here.

Persons licensed prior to July 2, 2010 as a life settlement broker who have also been licensed as a life agent for at least one year will be initially issued a two-year life producer notification of Brokering Life Settlements that corresponds with their life agent license.  The life producer notification will need to be renewed on the same date as the life agent license expires.

Persons licensed prior to July 2, 2010 as a life settlement broker who do not hold a life agent license or who have held a life agent license less than one year will be initially issued a one-year life settlement broker license.  After one year they will either apply to renew the one-year life settlement broker license or if qualified, renew for a two-year life producer notification.

California Insurance CE Course Approval Requirement

A licensee is required to take courses approved for a line of insurance he or she is licensed to sell. Courses approved as life only can only be taken by producers with a life only or life, accident, and health license. 

Continuing education courses cannot be reported to the state until BestEd has received a valid insurance license number from the student.

Approved Course Formats for California Insurance CE

• Self-Directed with PDF or paper textbook
• Online Interactive
• Classroom
• Video

California Insurance CE Self-Directed Study

The student is required to review the course material prior to taking an open-book final exam.

Online Interactive Insurance CE Study

The student is required to read the course material and answer each set of end-of-chapter quizzes with a score of at least 70 percent prior to taking a closed book non-proctored final exam. 

 California Insurance CE Requirement for Monitors

Final exams for Self-Directed or Online Interactive courses do not require a monitor.

California Insurance CE Exam Requiremens

•Self-Directed course exams are open book and students may refer to the course material as much as needed.

•Online Interactive course final exams are closed book until the exam has been graded.

Successful completion of California Insurance CE

All types of course exams, no matter the delivery method, must be successfully completed with a 70 percent or higher to receive credit. 

Repeating exam

Students that fail to successfully complete a course can retake the course at no additional charge.

California Insurance CE Carryover Requirement

All continuing education hours completed, that are in excess of the required hours,  will be carried forward to the next renewal period.

Excess ethics, annuity, or LTC course hours will be carried forward as general ce credits .

Requirement for Repeating California Insurance CE Courses

 Courses cannot be completed for ce credit more than once within a 2-year license renewal period. 

 A producer, within the first 4 years of selling LTC products, cannot repeat a LTC course more than once within 24 months from the original course completion date

California Insurance CE Completion Certificates

Best Insurance Education Company, BestEd, emails printable certificates of completion in California.

The completion certificates are emailed to you when you make payment after completing your continuing education courses.  Keep a copy of each certificate of completion in your files for 5 years per California rules and regulations.

California Continuing Education Completion Requirement

BestEd reports completions to California DOI within 24 to 48 hours or less of course completion.  

Remember: the State of California uses your course completion date found on your certificate of completion, for compliance purpose...not the report date for compliance purpose.

Continuing education courses can only be reported if at registration you provided BestEd with your valid insurance license number.

California Insurance License Renewal Process

Producers can renew their license online.   Renew Your License Online

You can pay the fee before you complete your required CE.

Note that if you do not provide BestEd your correct insurance license number when registering, your completion cannot be reported.   If this occurs, student must update his or her profile with the correct license number as per California Department of Insurance Rules and Regulations.

California Insurance Continuing Education Exemptions

Call CA Department of Insurance to request an Insurance CE Exemption: 800-967-9331 .

A licensee is exempt from insurance continuing education if the:

•producer holds a nonresident license and does NOT sell annuities, LTC, LTC partnership, or flood products.

•the producer is a nonresident adjuster.

•the producer holds only a cargo shippers license. 

•the producer is 70 years or older and has held a California insurance license in good standing for 30 years or more. This does not include an exemption from product specific training for LTC and Annuities.

•the producer holds a life license and claims a funeral exemption (sells less than $15,000 of insurance). 

•the Producer held a life agent license for at least one year or obtained a life settlement broker license prior to July 2, 2010 are exempt from the 15 hour life settlement broker training course only. You are not exempt from the life agent CE requirement of 24 CE hours rule that includes 3 hours of ethics.

If an inpidual course is selected it must be purchased within 60 day of date taken.

If a bundle of courses is selected, all courses in the bundle must be taken and payment made within 60 days of the first course in order to be reported to the state, and receive the bundle discount.

If payment is not made, the course(s) will become inactive.