California Insurance CE Requirements: What Changed for 2025-2026?
If you hold a California insurance license, your continuing education (CE) now includes several product-specific training requirements added by Senate Bill 263: an updated 8-hour and 4-hour annuity training, a 2-hour variable life course, and a one-time 4-hour course for newer agents who sell cash-value life insurance.
This completely free guide lists each requirement with its source so you never risk a late renewal.
General CE Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Total CE Hours | 24 hours every 2-year license term (life-only and/or accident and health, property, casualty, personal lines) |
| Limited Lines Auto | 20 hours every 2-year license term |
| Ethics | 3 hours, including 1 hour on insurance fraud (counted in the 24) |
| Course approval | Credit only for courses approved for the license type you hold |
| License term | 2 years; the expiration date is shown on your license |
| Renewal Fee | $188 for a life-only and/or accident and health agent license (CDI fee schedule) |
| Recommended Completion | At least 60 days before license expiration |
Sources: Insurance Code 1749.3, the CDI Continuing Education FAQ and the CDI Licensing Fees page. CDI also notes that a course can be repeated for credit only in a different two-year license term.
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Annuity Training: 8 Hours Initial, 4 Hours Before Each Renewal
Under Insurance Code 1749.8 and SB 263's annuity training rule (Insurance Code 10509.9205(b)), every life agent who sells annuities must complete:
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Initial training | 8 hours before soliciting individual consumers to sell annuities |
| Ongoing training | 4 hours before each license renewal |
| Counting | The 8 initial hours do not satisfy the 4-hour requirement |
| Counts Toward | Your 24-hour CE total, for resident licensees |
CDI's annuity training FAQ adds the timing for the new 2025 Annuity Eight-Hour Training Course:
| Agent Status | Required Training | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed on or after January 1, 2025 | 2025 Annuity Eight-Hour course | Before soliciting annuity business |
| Held a life line of authority before January 1, 2025 | 2025 Annuity Eight-Hour course | By July 1, 2025 |
| All life agents who sell annuities | 2025 Annuity Four-Hour course | Before the next license expiration date, then before each renewal |
Important for 2026 renewals: If you held a life license before 2025 and sell annuities, check that your 2025 eight-hour course is on file and that your four-hour course is complete before your expiration date. Contact the CDI Producer Licensing Bureau if your record looks incomplete.
Variable Life: 2 Hours Before Each Renewal
Starting January 1, 2025, a life agent who sells variable life insurance must complete 2 hours of training before each license renewal (Insurance Code 1749.81(b)). The four-hour annuity training does not satisfy it, and for resident licensees it counts toward the 24 CE hours.
Life Insurance Policies Course (Senate Bill 263)
A life agent licensed on or after January 1, 2024 who sells individual life insurance policies other than term life with no cash value must complete a one-time 4-hour course before soliciting those policies (Insurance Code 1749.81(a)). Agents licensed before January 1, 2024 do not need it, and it is not repeated at each renewal (CDI annuity training FAQ).
Long-Term Care (LTC) Insurance Training
If you sell or plan to sell long-term care insurance, CDI's long-term care FAQ sets this schedule:
| Stage | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Before selling | 8-hour LTC course before soliciting |
| First four years licensed | 8 hours of LTC training each year |
| From the fifth year | 8 hours of LTC training every two-year license term |
Agents who market a California Partnership for Long-Term Care policy must also complete 8 hours on long-term care in general and 8 hours of live classroom training on the Partnership program.
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Exemption for Long-Time Licensees
Insurance Code 1749.3(c) exempts a licensee from the CE article if the licensee has been licensed in good standing in California for 30 continuous years and is 70 or older. The exemption does not apply to anyone licensed for the first time on or after January 1, 2010. CDI's annuity training FAQ adds that an exempt licensee who sells annuities still has to take the 2025 eight-hour and four-hour annuity courses, but not the 2025 life insurance policies course or the variable life course.
Excess Hours
CDI's CE FAQ says excess hours completed on time are credited to your next license term: a new CE cycle begins the day after the expiration date on your renewal form, and the excess hours should then appear in the new term. Hours completed while a license is expired or inactive can be used to reinstate it.
Renewal Timeline and Penalties
| Milestone | Rule |
|---|---|
| Renewal notice | CDI emails a notice about 90 days before the license expires |
| Recommended completion | At least 60 days before expiration |
| Fee and CE done before expiration | You may keep operating for 60 days, or until told the renewal is deficient |
| Grace period | None |
| Late renewal | Within one calendar year of expiration, with a 50 percent penalty fee; appointments must be reestablished |
| More than one year expired | New application and fees, plus prelicensing education if required and the qualifying exam |
Source: CDI Renewal FAQ.
Pro tip: Complete your CE at least 60 days early. Providers have 30 days to report your course to CDI, so a late course can delay your renewal.
Special Training by Product Line
| Product Line | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Annuities | 8 hours before soliciting; 4 hours before each renewal |
| Variable Life | 2 hours before each renewal (from January 1, 2025) |
| Cash-value life (licensed on or after Jan 1, 2024) | One-time 4-hour course before soliciting |
| Long-Term Care | 8 hours before selling, 8 hours a year for the first four years, then 8 hours every two-year term |
Complete CE Checklist for 2025-2026 Renewal
All California Life and Accident & Health Agents:
- 24 total CE hours (20 for Limited Lines Auto)
- 3 hours of ethics, including 1 hour on insurance fraud
- Courses approved for your license type
- $188 renewal fee
Annuity Agents:
- 4-hour annuity course before renewal (and the 8-hour course if you have not completed it)
Variable Life Agents:
- 2-hour variable life course
Cash-Value Life Agents (licensed on/after Jan 1, 2024):
- One-time 4-hour life insurance policies course
Long-Term Care Agents:
- 8 hours LTC per year (first four years) or 8 hours per two-year term (from year five)
How to Find CDI-Approved CE Courses
- Visit the California Department of Insurance website at insurance.ca.gov
- Use the Education Provider and Course Search under Seeking Prelicensing / Continuing Education
- Search for approved courses by license type and course category
- Verify the course is approved for the specific requirement you need (for example the 2025 annuity courses or ethics)
- Keep certificates of completion for at least 5 years; do not send them to CDI, because providers report your hours
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