Texas Insurance CE Requirements for Agents

Texas continuing education requirements for Property and Casualty (P&C) insurance producers are administered by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). Every licensed P&C agent and adjuster in Texas must complete CE to maintain their license, and Texas adds a wrinkle that catches many agents off guard: at least half of your CE hours must come from classroom or webinar instruction. Self-study alone will not get you across the finish line. Understanding the full requirements — including specialty training for flood, annuities, and long-term care — is essential to staying compliant and avoiding fines that can reach $500.

TLDR: Texas P&C producers must complete 24 hours of CE every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics. At least 50% (12 hours) must be classroom or webinar. Licenses expire on the last day of your birth month biennially. There is a 90-day grace period with fines of $50 per deficient hour (up to $500 max).

Who Needs CE in Texas

All Texas-resident licensed insurance agents and adjusters holding major lines of authority — including General Lines (Property & Casualty) — must complete 24 hours of CE each biennial licensing period. This applies whether you operate as an independent or captive agent, and whether you write personal lines, commercial lines, or both.

Limited lines licensees (such as those licensed only for credit insurance or travel insurance) have a reduced requirement of 10 hours per biennium, with no specific ethics mandate.

Texas does offer one notable exemption: producers who have been continuously licensed for 20 or more years with no gaps longer than 90 days may apply for a CE exemption. This is not automatic — you must submit an application to TDI, and the exemption is granted at TDI's discretion. If you qualify, it eliminates the CE requirement entirely for subsequent renewal periods, though TDI can revoke the exemption if circumstances change.

Non-resident producers are generally exempt from Texas CE requirements if they maintain compliance with their home state's CE rules and their home state has a reciprocity agreement with Texas. However, the flood insurance training requirement (discussed below) may still apply depending on what products you sell.

How CE Hours Break Down

The core requirement is 24 hours every 2 years for major lines producers. Here is the detailed breakdown:

• Ethics (3 hours required): Three of your 24 hours must be in TDI-approved ethics courses. These hours count toward the 24-hour total — they are not in addition to it.

• Classroom/Webinar Requirement (12 hours minimum): This is the requirement that distinguishes Texas from many other states. At least 50% of your CE hours (12 hours) must be completed through certified classroom, webinar, or classroom-equivalent courses. The remaining 12 hours may be self-study (online or textbook). TDI defines "classroom equivalent" as live, instructor-led instruction where the instructor can interact with students in real time. Pre-recorded video courses typically count as self-study, not classroom.

• Elective Hours (remaining hours): After meeting the ethics requirement and delivery-method minimums, the balance of your hours can be any TDI-approved course relevant to your lines of authority.

Specialty Training Requirements

Beyond the standard 24 hours, Texas P&C producers may need additional training depending on the products they sell:

• Flood Insurance (3 hours, one-time): Before selling flood insurance policies, Texas P&C producers must complete a one-time 3-hour state-approved course on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This is a prerequisite — you cannot legally sell flood insurance without completing it first.

• Annuity Suitability (4 hours initial, then 8 hours per renewal): Before selling, soliciting, or negotiating annuity products, producers must complete a one-time 4-hour Annuity Suitability Best Interest Standard course. After the initial training, producers who continue selling annuities must complete 8 hours of annuity CE every license period.

• Long-Term Care (8 hours initial, then 4 hours per renewal): Before selling LTC products, producers must complete a one-time 8-hour Long-Term Care Training course. Ongoing LTC sellers must then complete 4 hours of LTC CE per renewal period.

These specialty requirements may count toward your 24-hour total depending on the course approval, but verify with TDI or your CE provider to be certain.

Renewal Timeline and Deadlines

Texas insurance licenses expire on the last day of your birth month, every two years. TDI recommends completing all CE hours at least 30 days before your license expiration to allow sufficient time for CE providers to report completion to TDI.

Unlike California, Texas provides a 90-day grace period after the license expiration date. However, this grace period comes with financial penalties:

• $50 per deficient hour, up to a $500 maximum fine. If you are 10 hours short on your expiration date, you will owe $500 in fines even if you complete those hours during the grace period.
• During the 90-day grace period, you must complete any deficient hours AND pay all assessed fines.
• If you fail to complete the deficient hours and pay fines within the 90-day window, your license is inactivated. At that point, you must apply for an entirely new license — TDI will not reactivate the old one until the deficient CE hours are completed and all fines are paid.

The financial penalties make the grace period a last resort, not a planning strategy. The $50-per-hour fine structure means that even a few missing hours can cost several hundred dollars.

Approved CE Providers

TDI certifies CE providers and maintains a searchable database of approved courses. You can search for approved courses and providers on the TDI Continuing Education page.

Because of the 50% classroom requirement, Texas agents need to be more deliberate about how they mix course delivery methods. National online providers like Kaplan, WebCE, and ExamFX offer Texas-approved courses, but you will need to verify whether each course counts as "classroom/webinar" or "self-study" toward the delivery method split.

Many Texas-based industry associations — including the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) — offer classroom CE courses, conferences, and webinars that satisfy the classroom requirement. These can be a practical way to combine networking with CE compliance.

When selecting courses, confirm three things: (1) the course is TDI-approved, (2) the delivery method classification (classroom vs. self-study), and (3) the course covers your specific line of authority.

Common Mistakes Agents Make

1. Treating all online courses as equal. In Texas, "online" does not automatically mean "self-study." A live webinar with real-time instructor interaction counts as classroom. A pre-recorded video you watch at your own pace counts as self-study. Agents who complete 24 hours of self-study courses find themselves noncompliant because they missed the 12-hour classroom minimum.

2. Ignoring the flood insurance prerequisite. The one-time 3-hour NFIP course is required before you sell a single flood policy. If you have been writing flood coverage without completing this training, you are out of compliance. TDI treats this as a separate requirement from your 24-hour CE total.

3. Relying on the 90-day grace period. The grace period is designed as a safety net, not a strategy. At $50 per deficient hour, an agent who is 8 hours short on the expiration date will owe $400 in fines — even if they complete those hours the next week. Complete your CE on time.

4. Not tracking classroom vs. self-study hours separately. We recommend maintaining a simple spreadsheet or using your agency management system to log each completed course along with its delivery method. Discovering on your expiration date that you completed 18 self-study hours and only 6 classroom hours is an expensive mistake.

5. Assuming the 20-year exemption is automatic. Agents with 20+ years of continuous licensure must still apply for the exemption — it does not happen on its own. If you qualify, submit the application to TDI well before your next renewal.

How Texas Compares to Other States

Texas's 24-hour biennial requirement matches the national average and is identical to California's total hours. The 3-hour ethics requirement is also standard across most states.

What makes Texas unique is the 50% classroom/webinar requirement. Most states — including California, Florida, and Pennsylvania — allow producers to complete 100% of their CE hours through online self-study. Texas's mandatory classroom split means agents must be more intentional about how and where they take courses. For agents in rural areas far from classroom CE venues, the webinar option provides some relief, but it still requires scheduling live, instructor-led sessions.

The 90-day grace period with fines is more forgiving than California (which has no grace period at all) but more punitive than many states that offer grace periods without financial penalties. The $50-per-hour fine structure is among the steeper penalty schedules in the country.

Texas's specialty training requirements for flood, annuities, and long-term care are also more extensive than most states. While several states require one-time NFIP training, Texas's ongoing annuity CE requirement (8 hours per renewal for active annuity sellers) adds a significant compliance burden for producers who write these products.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take CE courses online in Texas?

Partially. Texas allows up to 12 hours (50%) of your CE through self-study courses, which includes online, pre-recorded courses. The other 12 hours must be classroom or webinar — meaning live, instructor-led sessions where real-time interaction is possible. Live webinars count as classroom equivalent, so you can meet the classroom requirement from your desk, but you must participate in a scheduled, live session. You cannot complete all 24 hours through on-demand self-study courses as you can in states like California or Pennsylvania.

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

TDI provides a 90-day grace period after your license expiration date. During this window, you must complete any missing hours and pay a fine of $50 per deficient hour, up to a $500 maximum. If you do not satisfy both conditions within 90 days, your license is inactivated. Reactivation requires applying for a new license, completing all deficient hours, and paying all outstanding fines. While your license is inactive or expired, you cannot legally sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance.

Do CE hours from other states transfer to Texas?

Texas does not automatically accept CE credits from other states. Courses must be approved by TDI for Texas credit. However, some national CE providers offer courses with multi-state approval, meaning a single course might satisfy requirements in Texas and other states simultaneously. Non-resident producers licensed in Texas are generally exempt from Texas CE if they maintain compliance with their home state's requirements, provided a reciprocity agreement is in place. Check your producer license status on TDI's portal to confirm your specific obligations.

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

You can check your CE completion status through the TDI Agent Search and CE Lookup tools on the TDI website. Your CE provider is required to report completed hours to TDI, but reporting delays can occur. TDI recommends completing courses at least 30 days before your expiration date to allow time for reporting. If your hours are not reflected, contact your CE provider first to confirm they submitted the completion report, then contact TDI's Agent Licensing division if the discrepancy persists. Always retain your certificates of completion as documentation.