Insurance license courses and classes: what your state requires
Whether you need an insurance license course depends on your state. New York requires a DFS-approved pre-licensing course of 20 to 90 hours depending on the license, California requires a 12-hour ethics and Insurance Code course for life and health licenses, and the Texas Department of Insurance recommends a preparation course without listing one as required for the general lines license.
Get notified when the Insurance License question bank launches →
Insurance license pre-licensing course hours in New York
New York is the clearest example of a mandatory insurance license pre-licensing course. The Department of Financial Services requires a pre-licensing course approved by the Department, with hours set by license type, and DFS offers a search tool for approved courses and providers.
A life insurance license course for a life-only agent is 20 hours; a health insurance license course for an accident and health agent is also 20 hours. A life and health insurance license course for both authorities is 40 hours. Applicants who hold CPCU, CLU, CLUA, ChFC or MSFS are exempt from the course.
- Life Agent only: 20 hours
- Accident and Health Agent only: 20 hours
- Life, Accident and Health Agent: 40 hours
- Personal Lines Agent: 40 hours
- Property/Casualty Agent or Broker: 90 hours
Source: New York DFS — Agent and broker prelicensing education. Checked 19 October 2026.
P&C insurance license course requirements
A P&C insurance license course is the longest requirement in New York: 90 hours for a property/casualty agent or broker, compared with 40 hours for personal lines. If you only plan to sell personal auto and homeowners coverage, compare the personal lines route first.
After the NYS insurance license course, you must pass the licensing exam administered by PSI within 2 years of applying for the license.
Source: New York DFS — Life, accident and health agent licensing. Checked 19 October 2026.
Classes for life insurance license applicants in California
California’s pre-licensing page lists a 12-hour course on ethics and the California Insurance Code as a requirement for the life license, the accident and health or sickness license, and both together. The course includes one hour of study on insurance fraud.
These classes for life insurance license applicants are about ethics and state law, which are tested on the exam. The CDI page we checked does not list further required hours for the property, casualty or personal lines licenses.
Source: California Department of Insurance — Prelicensing education. Checked 19 October 2026.
Insurance license prep courses in Texas
The Texas Department of Insurance does not list a required course for the general lines license on the pages we checked, but it says you are a lot more likely to pass if you take a preparation course. Insurance license prep courses in Texas are therefore a choice, not a requirement.
The exception is the temporary license: TDI requires at least 40 hours of training for it. Neither TDI nor Pearson VUE endorses specific study materials.
Source: Texas Department of Insurance — Careers in insurance. Checked 19 October 2026.
Online insurance license course options
Whether an online insurance license course counts toward a pre-licensing requirement is a state rule. The New York DFS pre-licensing page we checked does not state which formats are allowed, so check the course in the DFS provider search before you pay.
For a life insurance license course online, the same rule applies: the course must be approved where the requirement exists. Online courses for insurance license preparation in a state without a course requirement, such as Texas for the general lines license, are simply exam prep.
Source: New York DFS — Agent and broker prelicensing education. Checked 19 October 2026.
Continuing education classes for insurance license renewal
Courses do not stop at licensing. In New York you need 15 credits of continuing education in each licensing period to renew, including at least one hour of ethics and professionalism, taken from a New York approved provider.
New York allows these continuing education classes for insurance license holders in the classroom, by webinar or as self-directed study online or by textbook; self-study requires passing a final exam to earn credit.
Source: New York DFS — Continuing education requirements. Checked 19 October 2026.
After insurance license classes: checking exam readiness
Insurance license classes teach the content; timed practice shows whether you can apply it. Certsqill’s insurance license question bank has expert-developed questions, an explanation for every answer option and a readiness score per exam area.
Insurance License training & courses: questions people ask
Do I need an insurance license course before the exam?
It depends on the state. New York requires a DFS-approved course of 20 to 90 hours; California requires a 12-hour ethics course for life and health licenses. Checked 19 October 2026.
Are pre insurance license classes required in Texas?
TDI does not list a required course for the general lines license on the pages checked, but recommends a preparation course. A temporary license needs at least 40 hours of training.
How long is a life and health insurance license course in New York?
40 hours for the life, accident and health authority; 20 hours for life only or accident and health only. Source: New York DFS, checked 19 October 2026.
Can I take insurance license courses online?
For New York continuing education, yes: classroom, webinar or online self-study. For pre-licensing, check the course in your state regulator’s approved provider list.
Who is exempt from the New York pre-licensing course?
Applicants holding CPCU, CLU, CLUA, ChFC or MSFS, and some broker applicants with qualifying work experience. Source: New York DFS, checked 19 October 2026.
How much do insurance license classes cost?
State regulators do not publish course prices on the pages checked; providers set them. Compare the course hours your state requires before comparing prices.
