Hawaii Continuing Education (CE) Requirements

Hawaii requires licensed insurance producers to complete continuing education to maintain their licenses. CE requirements ensure producers stay current with insurance products, regulations, and ethical practices.

Basic CE Requirements for P&C Producers

Required Hours

Property & Casualty Producers:

• Total CE Hours: 24 hours every 2-year license term
• P&C Content: 21 hours relating to Property or Casualty insurance topics
• Ethics/Legal: 3 hours relating to ethics training OR insurance laws and rules

License Term Timing

CE requirement aligns with license renewal cycle:

• License Term: 2 years (based on birth month)
• Even Birth Month: Renew in even years (2026, 2028, 2030, etc.)
• Odd Birth Month: Renew in odd years (2027, 2029, 2031, etc.)
• Complete CE before renewal deadline: All 24 hours must be completed before license expiration

Example:

• Producer born June 15 (even month)
• Licensed 2024-2026 term
• Must complete 24 CE hours by June 30, 2026
• Renews June 2026 for 2026-2028 term
• Next CE requirement: June 30, 2028

CE Requirements by Line of Authority

Different license combinations have different CE requirements:

Property & Casualty Only

Life & Health Only

Both P&C and Life & Health (Multi-Line)

Exam Tip: If you hold both P&C and Life & Health licenses, you still only need 24 total hours, but split between topics (10 Life/Health, 11 P&C, 3 ethics). You do NOT need 48 hours total.

Ethics and Legal Content Requirement

The 3-Hour Requirement

All producers must complete 3 hours of ethics training OR insurance laws and rules every license term:

Acceptable Topics:

• Insurance ethics and professional conduct
• Hawaii insurance laws and regulations (Chapter 431 HRS)
• Unfair trade practices
• Producer duties and responsibilities
• Consumer protection laws
• Claims handling ethics
• Confidentiality and privacy requirements

Courses must be:

• Specifically designated as "ethics" or "laws and rules" content
• Approved by Hawaii Insurance Division
• Completed within the current license term

Ethics Course Content

Typical ethics CE courses cover:

1. Professional Standards

   • Duties to clients and insurers
   • Conflicts of interest
   • Confidentiality obligations

2. Legal Obligations

   • Hawaii insurance statutes and regulations
   • Prohibited practices
   • Disclosure requirements

3. Ethical Decision-Making

   • Resolving ethical dilemmas
   • Case studies and scenarios
   • Consequences of unethical conduct

Approved CE Providers

CE courses must be taken from Hawaii-approved providers:

Major Approved Providers

• WebCE (webce.com)
• Kaplan Financial Education (kaplanfinancial.com)
• ExamFX (examfx.com)
• Insurance Schools, Inc.
• America's Professor (americasprofessor.com)
• CE Professor
• Insurance Career Training, Inc.

Approval Process

Providers must:

1. Submit course materials to Hawaii Insurance Division
2. Demonstrate course relevance to insurance topics
3. Meet educational standards for content and delivery
4. Receive approval number for each course
5. Report completed CE credits to Division

Producer Responsibility: Verify provider is Hawaii-approved before taking course

CE Course Formats

Hawaii accepts multiple CE delivery methods:

Approved Formats

All formats must:

• Be approved by Hawaii Insurance Division
• Include verification of completion (quiz, exam, or attendance)
• Be reported to Division by provider

Credit Hour Definition

• 1 CE Credit: 50 minutes of instruction (not 60 minutes)
• 3-hour course: 150 minutes of instruction
• 24 hours: 1,200 minutes (20 hours of actual instruction time)

No credit for:

• Sales training or product marketing
• Company-specific procedures
• General business topics not related to insurance

Special CE Topics and Requirements

One-Time Flood Insurance CE

Producers licensed in Property lines who will solicit National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies must complete:

• One-time 3-hour flood insurance course
• FEMA-approved course on flood insurance
• Required before selling flood insurance
• Does NOT count toward 24-hour CE requirement
• Does NOT need to be repeated (one-time only)

Course Content:

• NFIP program structure and requirements
• Flood zone determination
• Coverage limits and exclusions
• Rating and underwriting flood policies
• Claims handling for flood insurance

Exam Tip: The 3-hour flood insurance course is a one-time requirement for producers selling NFIP policies. It does NOT satisfy the 3-hour ethics requirement and does NOT count toward the 24 total CE hours.

Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund (HHRF) Training

Producers working with high-value commercial properties and condos should complete training on:

• HHRF eligibility requirements (properties over $10M)
• Application process for HHRF excess coverage
• Coordinating primary and excess coverage layers
• Condo association insurance needs

Not mandatory, but highly recommended for commercial property producers in 2026

CE Reporting and Compliance

Provider Reporting

Approved CE providers must:

• Report completed courses to Hawaii Insurance Division electronically
• Submit reports within 14 days of course completion
• Include student name, license number, course title, date, and hours
• Maintain records of completion for 5 years

Producer Verification

Producers should:

• Verify CE credit posting: Check Hawaii Insurance Division portal after completing courses
• Maintain certificates: Keep copies of CE completion certificates for at least 3 years
• Monitor CE status: Track CE hours throughout license term
• Report discrepancies: Contact Division if CE credits not posted correctly

Non-Compliance Consequences

Failure to complete CE before renewal:

• License lapses on expiration date
• Cannot transact insurance business
• Must complete missing CE hours
• Pay late renewal fee ($36 additional)
• May need to reinstate license (fees and requirements)

License lapse over 1 year:

• Must reapply as new applicant
• May need to retake pre-licensing education
• May need to retake licensing exam

CE Rules and Restrictions

Important CE Rules

Prohibited:

• Taking same course multiple times for credit (within same license term)
• Carryover of excess CE hours to next license term
• Using expired or non-approved courses
• Falsifying CE completion

Allowed:

• Completing CE hours early in license term
• Taking more than 24 hours (but no carryover)
• Online courses completed at own pace
• Courses taken in other states (if Hawaii-approved for reciprocal credit)

Repeat Course Restriction

Cannot take same course more than once per license term for credit:

Example:

• Producer completes "Ethics in Insurance" (3 hours) in 2026
• Same producer cannot take "Ethics in Insurance" again in 2027 for credit
• Must choose different ethics course for future CE

Purpose: Ensures producers receive diverse, updated education

No Carryover

Excess CE hours DO NOT carry over to next license term:

Example:

• Producer completes 30 CE hours in 2024-2026 term
• Only 24 hours count for that term
• Extra 6 hours do NOT apply to 2026-2028 term
• Must complete full 24 hours again for 2026-2028

Exemptions and Extensions

Exemptions from CE

Limited exemptions available for:

1. New Licensees

• Producers licensed for first time receive partial exemption
• If licensed in first year of 2-year term: Full 24 hours required
• If licensed in second year: Prorated CE requirement (varies by months remaining)

2. Military Service

• Active duty military deployed outside Hawaii may receive extensions
• Must request extension and provide documentation
• CE requirements resume upon return from deployment

3. Hardship

• Medical hardship (serious illness or disability)
• Family emergency or personal crisis
• Must request waiver in writing with documentation
• Insurance Commissioner reviews on case-by-case basis

Non-Resident Producer Reciprocity

Non-resident producers licensed in Hawaii:

• Home state CE compliance satisfies Hawaii CE requirements (reciprocity)
• Must complete CE requirements of home state
• Hawaii accepts home state reporting
• Must maintain good standing in home state

Non-resident producer born in odd month:

• Follows Hawaii renewal cycle (odd years)
• Must complete home state CE before Hawaii renewal date

Exam Tip: Non-resident producers do NOT need to complete separate Hawaii CE if they satisfy their home state CE requirements. Hawaii recognizes reciprocal CE compliance.

CE Best Practices

Recommendations for Producers

1. Plan Ahead

• Don't wait until last minute before renewal
• Complete CE early in license term
• Spread courses throughout 2-year period

2. Track Your Progress

• Maintain spreadsheet or file of completed CE courses
• Save all certificates of completion
• Check Division portal regularly to verify posting

3. Choose Quality Courses

• Select courses relevant to your practice
• Focus on topics that improve your knowledge
• Take courses from reputable providers

4. Stay Informed

• Sign up for Division email updates
• Review CE requirement changes
• Attend Hawaii Insurance Division webinars

5. Document Everything

• Keep course certificates for at least 3 years
• Save receipts and payment confirmations
• Note course approval numbers