1.3 License Maintenance and Continuing Education

A Mississippi license is not permanent - it must be renewed and supported by ongoing continuing education (CE). The numbers here are dense and heavily tested, so commit the tables to memory.

Renewal Cycle

Continuing Education - Section 83-17-251

The core requirement, codified in Mississippi Code Section 83-17-251, is 24 hours every 2 years, of which 3 hours must concentrate in ethics.

Trap: The 3 ethics hours are part of the 24, not in addition to it. A producer who completes 21 elective hours plus 3 ethics hours has met the full 24 - they do not owe 27.

First-renewal proration (high-yield)

Mississippi prorates CE for a brand-new licensee whose first license term is short:

Worked example. A producer first licensed in March who renews about 14 months later falls in the "18 months or less" bucket and owes only 12 hours (3 of them ethics). Every two-year cycle after that, the full 24 applies.

CE Exemptions

Senior long-service exemption (HB 1084, April 17, 2023)

Both conditions must be met - age and 25 continuous years. A 66-year-old licensed for only 10 years is not exempt; a 50-year-old with 25 years is not exempt.

Trap: Distractors say "all producers over 60 are exempt" or "25 years of licensure alone exempts you." Neither is correct - it is the combination of 65+ and 25 continuous years, effective April 17, 2023.

NAIFA participation credit (2025 bulletin)

A MID bulletin posted July 24, 2025 lets members of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) earn up to 4 hours of CE through active engagement in NAIFA programming, effective July 1, 2025. This is a credit toward the 24, not a separate add-on.

Special Product Training

Beyond general CE, certain products carry one-time training prerequisites before a producer may sell them. These exist because of consumer-protection concerns specific to those products.

Exam Tip: Best-interest annuity training and LTC initial training are prerequisites to sell, separate from the 24-hour CE total. A producer can be fully current on CE yet still barred from writing annuities until the best-interest course is done.

Reporting Obligations

Producers must keep MID informed. Failure to report is itself a violation. Required notifications include:

• Change of business or residence address
• Change of legal name
• Any administrative action taken against the producer by another state's regulator
• Criminal charges or convictions

Report through the NIPR/Sircon portal or directly to MID, generally within the timeframe MID specifies (commonly 30 days for administrative/criminal actions).

Disciplinary Authority and Penalties

MID can discipline a licensee for, among other things: violating the insurance code, fraud or dishonesty, misappropriating premium funds, misrepresentation to clients, letting CE lapse, failing to report required information, or a disqualifying criminal conviction.

Exam Tip: The $10,000-per-violation cap is a recurring recall item. Note the phrase "per violation" - several violations can stack into a much larger total.

Due process: notice, hearing, appeal

MID cannot simply yank a license. The process is:

1. Notice of the proposed action is issued to the producer.
2. The producer may request a hearing before a hearing officer.
3. A formal hearing is held and evidence is presented.
4. A written decision is issued.
5. The producer may appeal to Chancery Court.

License Status and Non-Residents

Non-resident producers must keep an active license in their home state, satisfy their home state's CE (not Mississippi's separate 24 hours), and report any out-of-state disciplinary action to MID. If the home-state license lapses, the Mississippi non-resident license falls with it.