Life Insurance License
Sell life insurance and annuities across North Carolina.
NC life license guideNorth Carolina Insurance Continuing Education Requirements
If you hold a North Carolina insurance license, you must complete continuing education (CE) to keep it active. The rules are straightforward once you know the numbers — and missing your deadline can put your license and your commissions at risk. Here is exactly what North Carolina requires, when it is due, and how to get it done.
North Carolina CE at a glance
- 24 hours of continuing education every 2-year licensing period
- 3 of those 24 hours must be ethics
- Due by the last day of your birth month, every two years
- Courses end in a closed-book exam you pass at 70% or higher
- Completions are reported to the NC Department of Insurance under your National Producer Number
How many CE hours does North Carolina require?
Resident producers must complete 24 hours of CE during each two-year licensing period. Within those 24 hours, 3 hours must be ethics — that requirement repeats every renewal, so you need fresh ethics credit each cycle. The remaining 21 hours can be general insurance CE in approved subjects relevant to the lines you hold.
When is my CE due?
Your license renews on a two-year cycle tied to your birthday: your deadline is the last day of your birth month in your renewal year. North Carolina does not mail you a reminder that your CE is coming due, so the responsibility to track it is yours. We strongly recommend finishing your hours several weeks before the deadline — course providers report completions to the state, and that reporting takes a few days to post. Cutting it close is the most common way producers end up scrambling or lapsing.
What happens if I miss the deadline?
Letting your CE lapse can place your license in an inactive status, which stops you from writing new business and can interrupt your commissions until you are compliant again. Reinstating a lapsed license is more expensive and more time-consuming than simply staying current — one more reason to finish early.
Extra requirements for certain lines
On top of the standard 24 hours, a few lines of business carry their own training requirements:
- Long-term care. Producers who sell long-term care or LTC partnership policies have additional partnership training requirements before and during the period they sell those products.
- Flood insurance. Producers who write federal flood policies must complete flood-specific training on a recurring basis.
Because these line-specific rules depend on exactly what you sell and can change, confirm your own obligations with the North Carolina Department of Insurance or your course provider before each renewal.
How to complete your North Carolina CE
Our continuing education is approved by the North Carolina Department of Insurance and built for busy, licensed professionals — study online, on your own schedule, and knock out your hours (including your 3 ethics hours) without taking time off work. We have been educating North Carolina insurance professionals since 1999, so our CE is focused on this state and the lines you actually write.
Browse our North Carolina CE catalog to find courses for your renewal, including ethics credit and general hours across Life, Accident & Health, Property, and Casualty.
Frequently asked questions
How many CE hours does North Carolina require?
Resident producers must complete 24 hours of continuing education during each two-year licensing period, and 3 of those 24 hours must be in ethics.
When is my North Carolina insurance CE due?
Your license renews every two years by the last day of your birth month. All required CE must be completed before that deadline — finishing several weeks early is strongly recommended so your course completions are reported and posted in time.
Does North Carolina require ethics CE every renewal?
Yes. 3 of your 24 hours must be ethics continuing education in every two-year period.
Are there extra CE requirements for long-term care or flood insurance?
Possibly, depending on what you sell. Producers who sell long-term care partnership policies and those who write flood insurance have additional training requirements on top of the standard 24 hours. Confirm your specific obligations with the NC Department of Insurance.
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