How much does an insurance license cost?

Texas: how much does it cost to get insurance license authority?

In Texas, the general lines exam costs $49, whether you take life, accident and health or property and casualty. The license application fee is $50. New applications are free for military service members, veterans and their family members.

Two cost traps: if you change or cancel your exam less than 48 hours before the appointment, the fee is forfeited, and each retake is a new exam with a new fee. TDI also notes that some companies will pay for your exam if you agree to work for them.

• Exam (General Lines, Life, Accident & Health or Property & Casualty): $49
• License application: $50
• Temporary license application (180 days): $150
• Fingerprint background check: fee not stated on the TDI page checked

Source: Pearson VUE — Texas Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook (October 2024). Checked 19 October 2026.

California: how much does it cost to get life insurance license authority?

California lists the same fees for every producer license type: a $55 examination fee and a $188 filing fee for the original license, both per license type. Filing fees are not refundable. On top of the department’s exam fee, PSI charges a $43 convenience fee, both at PSI locations and for remote testing.

So the cost of life insurance license authority in California, counting only official fees, is $55 + $43 + $188 for the Life-Only Agent license, plus fingerprinting and the required 12-hour ethics course, whose prices the department does not set.

• Examination fee: $55 per license type
• PSI convenience fee: $43 per exam (test center or remote)
• Filing fee for the original license: $188 per license type
• Renewal fee: $188; late renewal: $282

Source: California Department of Insurance — Licensing fees. Checked 19 October 2026.

New York insurance license cost

In New York, the life, accident and health license fee for residents is $80 for a license issued for more than one year and $40 for one issued for one year or less. Licenses are issued for up to 2 years.

The New York insurance license cost also includes the PSI exam fee and the required pre-licensing course (20 to 90 hours depending on the license); DFS does not state either price on the pages we checked.

Source: New York DFS — Life, accident and health agent licensing. Checked 19 October 2026.

Life and health insurance license cost compared

Life and health insurance license cost depends on whether your state licenses the lines together. Texas has one general lines license for life, accident and health: one $49 exam and one $50 application. California lists the Life-Only Agent and the Accident and Health Agent as separate license types, each with its own $188 filing fee and $55 exam fee in the fee table.

The health insurance license cost on its own in California is therefore the Accident and Health Agent fees: $55 exam, $43 PSI convenience fee and $188 filing fee. The cost of life and health insurance license authority together is higher there than in Texas, before courses and fingerprints.

Source: California Department of Insurance — Licensing fees. Checked 19 October 2026.

Property and casualty insurance license cost

In Texas the property and casualty insurance license cost uses the same official fees as life and health: $49 for the exam and $50 for the application. In California, the Property Broker-Agent and the Casualty Broker-Agent are separate license types, each listed with a $188 filing fee and a $55 examination fee, and a Personal Lines Broker-Agent license has the same fees.

In New York, the bigger cost difference for P&C is the course: 90 hours of pre-licensing education, compared with 40 hours for personal lines.

Source: California Department of Insurance — Licensing fees. Checked 19 October 2026.

Costs the official fee tables leave out

Exam and license fees are only part of the insurance license cost. Fingerprinting is required in Texas and California, but neither page we checked states the amount. Pre-licensing courses are priced by providers, not regulators. Retakes are charged again.

The cheapest way to keep the total down is to pass the first time. Certsqill’s question bank has expert-developed questions, an explanation for every answer option and a readiness score per exam area.

Source: California Department of Insurance — Examination information. Checked 19 October 2026.

Insurance License cost: questions people ask

How much does it cost to get an insurance license?

Official fees in Texas: $49 exam plus $50 application. California: $55 exam, $43 PSI fee and $188 filing fee per license type. Fingerprints and courses are extra. Checked 19 October 2026.

How much does it cost to get your insurance license in New York?

The resident license fee is $80 (or $40 for a license of one year or less). The PSI exam fee and course price are not stated on the DFS page checked on 19 October 2026.

How much does insurance license cost in Texas?

$49 for the general lines exam and $50 for the application, before fingerprints. Sources: Pearson VUE and TDI, checked 19 October 2026.

How much does life insurance license cost in California?

Official fees for the Life-Only Agent license: $55 exam, $43 PSI convenience fee and $188 filing fee, plus the 12-hour ethics course. Source: CDI, checked 19 October 2026.

How much does a life insurance license cost to renew?

In California the renewal fee is $188 ($282 if late). New York renewals also require 15 continuing education credits. Checked 19 October 2026.

What is the life insurance license cost in Texas?

The general lines life, accident and health license costs $49 for the exam and $50 for the application. Military members, veterans and families pay no application fee.

Are insurance license fees refundable?

California filing fees are not refundable. In Texas, the exam fee is forfeited if you cancel less than 48 hours before the exam. Checked 19 October 2026.