1.3 License Maintenance and Continuing Education

Renewal Cycle

Indiana ties expiration to your birth month, not the anniversary of issuance and not a fixed calendar date. A producer born in March renews by March 31 every two years. CE must be completed and on record before the expiration date — a renewal filed without completed CE will not process.

Continuing Education (CE)

Indiana requires 24 CE hours every 2-year term for major lines. The ethics requirement is the key differentiator by license type.

Exam Tip: The 3-hour ethics rule applies to life, health, and annuity producers — not Property & Casualty. The ethics course must specifically address ethical practices in marketing and selling life, health, or annuity products.

Course rules

• Use IDOI-approved providers only (online or classroom).
• You may not repeat the same course within a single 2-year reporting period for credit.
• CE must be completed before the license expires — there is no automatic grace period.

Carryover

Up to 12 excess CE hours may carry forward to the next term, but ethics hours and LTC-specific hours cannot be carried over, and hours earned too close to the deadline may not count. Treat carryover as a cushion, not a plan — always complete the full 24 fresh.

CE exemptions

Special Product Training

Beyond the 24 general hours, certain products carry their own one-time and ongoing training.

Long-Term Care (LTC) training

Trap: A common stale figure is "4 hours ongoing." Indiana's ongoing LTC minimum is 5 hours per renewal, on top of the 8-hour initial certification.

Annuity training

Producers who sell annuities must complete a one-time 4-hour annuity best-interest/suitability course approved by IDOI before soliciting any annuity. This aligns with the NAIC best-interest standard Indiana adopted.

Reporting Changes — the 30-Day Rule

Producers must notify IDOI within 30 days of:

• Change of residence or business address
• Change of legal name
• Administrative action taken by another state or financial regulator
• Criminal charges or convictions (felony and certain misdemeanors)

Report through Sircon or NIPR (or in writing). Failure to report timely is itself a violation, independent of the underlying event. Notice that a criminal charge — not just a conviction — triggers the duty to report.

Worked example

A producer born in September moves to a new home in June and is charged with a felony in July. What must she do? She must report the address change and the criminal charge to IDOI within 30 days of each event (by early July and early August respectively) — she does not wait until her September renewal to disclose them.

IDOI Discipline

IDOI enforces Title 27 against producers who violate the law. Grounds include fraud or dishonesty, misappropriating premiums, misrepresenting policies, failing to complete CE, failing to report required changes, and criminal convictions involving dishonesty or breach of trust.

The Commissioner issues an order after notice and an opportunity for a hearing. Penalties can stack — for example, a fine plus suspension for the same conduct.

License Status Types

Reinstatement

An expired license can often be reinstated within a limited window by completing outstanding CE and paying late/reinstatement fees; let it lapse too long and you must re-qualify as a new applicant (full pre-license education and exam). A revoked license is not simply reinstated.

Common Traps in This Section

• Birth month, not anniversary. Expiration is the last day of your birth month, biennially.
• Ethics is line-specific. 3 ethics hours for life/health/annuity; none for P&C.
• LTC ongoing = 5 hours, not 4, plus the one-time 8-hour course.
• 30-day reporting. A criminal charge (not just conviction) must be reported within 30 days; failing to report is its own violation.
• Carryover caps at 12 and excludes ethics and LTC hours.