Indiana Insurance CE Requirements for Agents

Indiana's continuing education requirements for Property and Casualty (P&C) insurance producers are regulated by the Indiana Department of Insurance (IDOI). Every resident producer holding a major line of authority must complete CE to keep their license active, stay current with regulatory changes, and demonstrate ongoing professional competency. Indiana has a notable distinction that surprises agents coming from other states: P&C producers are not required to complete a separate ethics course. The ethics mandate applies only to Life, Health, and Variable Life & Annuity lines. That said, the 24-hour biennial requirement is firmly enforced, and missing the deadline can mean license termination, lost carrier appointments, and reinstatement penalties totaling three times the standard renewal fee.

TLDR: Indiana P&C producers must complete 24 hours of CE every 2 years. There is no ethics requirement for P&C-only licensees (ethics applies to Life/Health lines). Licenses expire on the last day of your birth month biennially. Up to 12 excess hours can carry over if earned more than 120 days before renewal.

Who Needs CE in Indiana

All resident Indiana insurance producers holding major lines of authority must complete 24 hours of CE each biennial license term. This includes agents licensed for Property & Casualty, Life, Accident & Health, Variable Life & Annuity, and Personal Lines. If you hold multiple lines of authority on a single license, you still only need 24 total hours — the requirement does not stack by line.

Limited lines licensees — including those holding credit insurance, travel insurance, or surplus lines authority — are generally exempt from the standard 24-hour CE requirement. Check with the IDOI for your specific limited line. Adjusters holding Property & Casualty adjuster licenses are also subject to the 24-hour CE requirement under the same timeline as producers.

Non-resident producers licensed in Indiana are exempt from Indiana CE requirements if they maintain CE compliance in their home state and their home state has a reciprocity agreement with Indiana. Indiana participates in the NAIC CE Reciprocity (CER) program, so most non-resident agents will qualify for this exemption. There is no years-of-service exemption in Indiana — regardless of how long you have been licensed, the 24-hour biennial requirement applies for the duration of your active license.

How CE Hours Break Down

The total requirement is 24 hours of approved continuing education per two-year license term. Here is how those hours are structured for P&C producers:

• Ethics (0 hours for P&C): This is Indiana's key distinction. The 3-hour ethics requirement applies only to producers holding Life, Accident & Health, Variable Life & Annuity, or combined Life/Accident & Health lines of authority. If your license is limited to Property & Casualty, you are not required to complete an ethics course. However, if you hold both P&C and Life/Health lines, the 3-hour ethics requirement does apply.

• General/Elective Hours (24 hours): All 24 hours can be completed in any IDOI-approved subject area relevant to your lines of authority. Courses must be approved by the IDOI for Indiana credit.

• Flood Insurance (3 hours, recurring): P&C producers who sell National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies must complete a 3-hour NFIP Flood Insurance course every renewal cycle. This is required before selling flood coverage and counts toward your 24-hour total.

• Annuity Best Interest Training (one-time or updated): All producers licensed and certified to sell annuity products in Indiana before July 1, 2024, were required to complete an updated Annuity Best Interest course by January 1, 2025. Producers licensed on or after July 1, 2024, must complete a one-time, 4-hour Annuity Best Interest Certification Training course before selling any annuity business. This training counts toward your 24-hour total.

• Long-Term Care Training (if applicable): Producers who sell long-term care (LTC) products must complete an initial 8-hour LTC certification training before writing LTC business. Ongoing LTC training must be completed each two-year license period. These hours count toward your 24-hour total if the courses are IDOI-approved.

• Carryover Hours: Indiana allows up to 12 excess CE hours to carry over to the next renewal period, but only for hours earned more than 120 days before your renewal date. Hours completed in the final 120 days do not carry forward. Course repetition is not allowed within the same compliance period.

Renewal Timeline and Deadlines

Indiana insurance licenses expire on the last day of your birth month, every two years. Your initial license term is set based on your birthdate, and the biennial cycle repeats from there. You can check your specific renewal date through Sircon or the IDOI website.

The IDOI strongly recommends completing all CE well in advance of your renewal date. CE providers have 14 days to report course completions to the IDOI, and there is a $4 per-course reporting fee assessed to providers (which they may pass along to you). If you wait until the final week to complete courses, reporting delays could leave your transcript showing incomplete hours at the time of renewal.

There is no CE grace period in Indiana. CE hours must be completed and reported before your license expiration date. However, Indiana does offer a limited 30-day window for late license renewal itself — you can submit the renewal application and the standard $40 fee within 30 days of expiration without penalty.

After that 30-day window, you enter reinstatement territory. Producers who have been expired for less than 12 months can reinstate by submitting the renewal application, the $40 renewal fee, and a reinstatement penalty of $120 (three times the renewal fee), for a total of $160. Beyond 12 months, your license cannot be reinstated — you must apply as a new applicant and pass the state exam again. During any lapse, all carrier appointments are terminated and must be individually reestablished.

Approved CE Providers

Indiana requires all CE courses to be approved by the IDOI before they can count toward license renewal. The IDOI certifies providers and courses through the Sircon platform. You can search for approved courses through Sircon's Indiana portal.

Both classroom and online (self-study) courses are accepted in Indiana. However, Indiana has a specific requirement for online course exams: a proctor must be present when you take the certification exam for any online course. The proctor must be either a test center representative or a currently licensed Indiana insurance producer. You can complete the coursework itself without a proctor, but the final exam requires supervised administration.

National CE providers such as Kaplan, WebCE, ExamFX, and AD Banker offer Indiana-approved courses. When selecting a provider, confirm that: (1) the course is approved for Indiana CE credit, (2) the provider can handle exam proctoring logistics, and (3) the course hours align with your lines of authority. We recommend keeping your own certificates of completion as backup documentation in case of any reporting issues.

Common Mistakes Agents Make

1. Assuming P&C producers need ethics hours. Indiana's ethics requirement applies only to Life, Health, and Variable Life & Annuity lines. P&C-only producers do not need ethics CE. If you hold both P&C and Life/Health lines, you do need 3 hours of ethics — but many P&C-only agents waste time and money on ethics courses they are not required to take.

2. Not arranging a proctor for online exams. Indiana requires a licensed producer or test center representative to proctor your online course exam. Completing a course only to discover you cannot find a proctor before your deadline creates unnecessary stress. Plan your proctoring before you start the course.

3. Missing the 120-day carryover cutoff. Indiana allows 12 hours of carryover, but only for hours earned more than 120 days before your renewal date. If you complete extra courses in the final four months of your license term, those hours will not carry forward. Front-loading CE early in the cycle gives you the most benefit from the carryover provision.

4. Ignoring the flood insurance course requirement. If you sell or plan to sell NFIP flood insurance, the 3-hour course is required every renewal cycle — not just once. Writing flood coverage without this certification puts you out of compliance with IDOI rules.

5. Not checking your Sircon transcript before renewal. CE providers have 14 days to report completions, and delays happen. We recommend checking your Sircon transcript at least 30 days before your renewal date to verify all courses have been properly reported. If hours are missing, contact your provider immediately.

How Indiana Compares to Other States

Indiana's 24-hour biennial requirement matches the most common standard across the country and is identical to Ohio, Tennessee, and Florida in total hours. Where Indiana stands out is the absence of an ethics requirement for P&C producers. Most states — including neighboring Ohio and Illinois — require 3 hours of ethics for all lines, making Indiana one of the few states where a P&C-only agent can skip ethics entirely.

The exam proctoring requirement is another Indiana-specific wrinkle. While most states allow fully self-paced online courses with unmonitored exams, Indiana requires supervised exam administration. This adds a logistical step that agents in states like Ohio, Tennessee, or Michigan do not face.

Indiana's 12-hour carryover with the 120-day cutoff is moderately generous. Ohio allows the same 12-hour carryover without a timing restriction, and Tennessee allows 12 hours of carryover as well (though ethics hours do not carry over in Tennessee). States like Maryland and Wisconsin offer no carryover at all.

Indiana's reinstatement penalty of three times the renewal fee ($120 on top of $40) is steeper than many states. Missouri, by comparison, charges $25 per month of lapse. Tennessee charges a flat $60 reinstatement penalty. The lesson is clear: renewing on time in Indiana saves you significant money.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take CE courses online in Indiana?

Yes. Indiana allows CE courses to be completed online through self-paced, internet-based instruction from any IDOI-approved provider. However, Indiana requires that a proctor be present for the course exam. The proctor must be a licensed Indiana insurance producer or a test center representative. The coursework itself can be completed without supervision, but the exam requires in-person oversight. This makes Indiana slightly more restrictive than states that allow fully self-paced online CE without any proctoring requirement.

What happens if I don't complete CE on time in Indiana?

If you do not complete your 24 hours of CE before your license expiration date, your license will lapse. You have a 30-day window to submit the renewal application without penalty (but CE must already be done). After 30 days, reinstatement costs $160 ($40 renewal plus $120 penalty). After 12 months, you cannot reinstate — you must reapply as a new applicant. During any lapse, you cannot legally transact insurance and all carrier appointments may be terminated.

Do CE hours from other states transfer to Indiana?

Indiana participates in the NAIC CE Reciprocity (CER) program. Courses approved in other CER-participating states may be accepted for Indiana credit, provided the course meets Indiana's approval standards. However, we recommend verifying acceptance before relying on out-of-state credits. Non-resident producers licensed in Indiana are generally exempt from Indiana CE if they maintain compliance with their home state's requirements. Check your status on the Sircon portal to confirm your obligations.

How do I verify my CE hours with the Indiana DOI?

You can check your CE transcript through Sircon's Indiana portal by logging in with your license information. This transcript shows all courses that CE providers have reported on your behalf. CE providers are required to report completions within 14 days, so recent courses may not appear immediately. If you find missing hours, contact your CE provider first to confirm they submitted the completion report. If the discrepancy persists, contact the IDOI CE Coordinator at 317-232-5858 or brwalters@idoi.IN.gov for assistance. Keep your certificates of completion as backup documentation for any errors and omissions protection.