If you hold a Texas insurance license, continuing education isn't optional — it's the thing standing between you and your renewal. And TDI doesn't give extensions for "I forgot."
This guide covers everything you need to know about Texas insurance CE requirements: how many hours, what kind, where to find them, and how to avoid the $50-per-hour fine that hits when you come up short.
How Many CE Hours Do You Need?
Texas uses a biennial (2-year) renewal cycle tied to your birth month. Before you can renew, you must complete all required CE hours.
License Type | Total Hours (per 2-year cycle) | Ethics Hours |
|---|---|---|
General Lines (P&C) | 24 hours | 3 hours |
Life, Accident & Health | 24 hours | 3 hours |
Personal Lines P&C | 24 hours | 3 hours |
Adjuster — All Lines | 24 hours | 3 hours |
Public Insurance Adjuster | 24 hours | 3 hours |
County Mutual Agent | 10 hours | 3 hours |
Life Insurance Under $25K | 10 hours | 3 hours |
Limited Lines Agent | 10 hours | 3 hours |
Funeral Prearrangement | None | None |
Bottom line: Most license types require 24 hours with 3 hours of ethics. If you hold multiple licenses in the 24-hour category (e.g., General Lines P&C plus Life & Health), you only need to complete 24 total hours — not 24 per license. Product-specific training (annuities, LTC, Medicare, small employer health) is on top of that and depends on what you actually sell.
Surplus lines note: Surplus lines licenses don't carry their own CE requirement. You meet CE through your underlying general lines or other qualifying license.
The Classroom Rule
This is where a lot of agents get tripped up. TDI requires that at least half of your CE hours be completed in a classroom or classroom-equivalent setting.
For a 24-hour requirement, that means a minimum of 12 hours must be classroom or classroom-equivalent. Pure self-study online courses won't cover your full requirement.
What counts as "classroom equivalent"? Live webinars and virtual instructor-led courses generally qualify. Check with your CE provider — they'll know whether their course is classified as classroom-equivalent or self-study in TDI's system.
When to Complete Your CE
Your CE must be done before your license expiration date — not by the renewal application date, not "soon after." Before.
TDI's recommendation: Finish at least 30 days before your expiration date. This gives your CE provider time to report your completions to TDI's system. If your provider reports late and your transcript doesn't reflect your hours at renewal time, that's a problem you'll have to sort out — and TDI won't hold your renewal open while you do it.
Keep your certificates for 4 years. TDI audits cover two renewal periods. If you can't prove you completed a course, it doesn't count.
What Happens If You Don't Complete CE on Time
Once your expiration date passes, your license is expired. You have up to 90 days to complete your missing CE, pay fines, and renew — but your license isn't active during this window. Under the Insurance Code, you can't solicit or transact insurance without an active license, so treat this as a hard stop until you're renewed.
$50-per-hour fine. For every CE hour you're deficient, TDI charges a $50 penalty. Short 6 hours? That's $300 on top of your renewal fee.
After 90 days: Your license goes inactive. You'll need to submit a new application, and depending on how long you've been lapsed, you may need to re-test. Lapsed more than a year? You're essentially starting over.
The math is simple: the cost of procrastinating on CE is always higher than just doing it.
The 20-Year CE Exemption
If you've held a Texas insurance license continuously for 20 or more years — with no breaks exceeding 90 days — and you've met CE requirements every renewal period, you can apply for a CE exemption.
How to apply: Submit your exemption request through Sircon (TDI's online licensing system) using form FIN517.
Even with the exemption, you still have product-specific training requirements:
Annuities: You must complete the one-time 4-hour "best interest" annuity certification before selling annuities. The ongoing annuity CE may be waived with a permanent exemption, but the initial certification is never waived.
Long-term care partnership: Initial 8-hour LTC certification plus 4 hours of LTC CE each renewal period — not waived by the 20-year exemption.
Medicare-related products: Initial 8-hour Medicare certification plus 4 hours of Medicare CE each renewal period — also not waived.
If you sell any of these products, you're doing product-specific CE regardless of exemption status.
Alternative Ways to Earn CE Credit
Standard courses aren't the only path. TDI recognizes several alternative credit methods:
Professional designation programs — Completing or maintaining designations (CPCU, CLU, ChFC, etc.) can count toward CE hours
Insurance association membership — Active membership in a qualifying state or national insurance association can earn up to 4 hours of self-study CE per renewal period, based on reviewing association educational materials and attending conferences. File form FIN523 with supporting documentation
College/university courses — Approved insurance-related courses from accredited institutions
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) courses — Certified FCIC training applies toward CE
Check with TDI or Sircon to confirm credit eligibility before relying on alternative methods for your full requirement.
Free CE: DWC CompCourses
Here's one most agents don't know about: the Texas Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) offers free on-demand CE courses called CompCourses. These cover workers' comp topics and are available at no cost to Texas-licensed insurance professionals.
If you write workers' comp or just want to knock out a few hours without paying for them, this is the move.
How to Check Your CE Status
Use Sircon/Compliance Express to view your CE transcript, verify completed hours, and confirm what TDI has on record:
From Sircon, you can:
View your full CE transcript
Search for approved courses by topic, location, and date
Find approved CE providers
Apply for extensions (limited circumstances)
Submit exemption requests
You can also contact TDI's CE team directly at [email protected] or 512-676-6500.
CE Extensions: Very Limited
TDI grants CE extensions only in narrow circumstances. Qualifying reasons include:
Long-term illness or medical incapacity (with documentation)
Active military deployment
Natural disaster affecting your area
Business-related reasons do not qualify. "I was too busy" or "I had a heavy workload" won't get you an extension. Plan accordingly.
Extension requests go through Sircon with supporting documentation.
First-Time Licensees: What You Need to Know
If you're getting your Texas insurance license for the first time:
Your first term's CE is prorated, not waived. TDI generally uses a rule of one CE hour per month of licensure in that first, shorter term. Check your CE transcript on Sircon to see exactly how many hours are required — it depends on when your license was issued.
Fingerprint background check required — All new applicants must complete an FBI/DPS fingerprint check through IdentoGO. Submit your initial application on TDI's portal, receive a service code by email, then schedule your IdentoGO appointment. Budget at least 2 weeks for processing.
Fingerprinting info: TDI Fingerprint Instructions
Quick-Reference Checklist
Use this before every renewal:
Verify your expiration date on Sircon
Confirm your CE transcript — do your recorded hours match your records?
Confirm you have at least 3 ethics hours completed
Confirm at least half your hours are classroom or classroom-equivalent
Complete all CE at least 30 days before expiration
Keep certificates on file for 4 years
Renew your license through TDI's online portal
Key Contacts
Resource | Contact |
|---|---|
CE Questions | [email protected] / 512-676-6500 |
License Renewal | |
Sircon (CE Lookup & Renewal) | |
TDI Agent Portal | |
Free CompCourses |
This guide is maintained by TX Insurance Regulatory Watch and updated as TDI changes CE policies. For informational purposes only — not legal advice. Always verify requirements directly with TDI or qualified counsel.
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