1.3 Continuing Education Requirements

Continuing Education (CE) in South Carolina

South Carolina requires licensed producers to complete continuing education to maintain current knowledge and professional standards.

CE Requirements

Biennial Requirement

CE Structure:

Calculation:

• CE requirement is based on 2-year license term
• Must complete 24 hours before renewal
• Ethics requirement must be satisfied within each period
• Hours do not carry over to next renewal period

First Renewal Exemption

New Producer Exemption:

• Producers are exempt from CE for first renewal
• Exemption applies to initial license only
• Must complete CE for second and all subsequent renewals
• Exemption does not apply to licensed attorneys or CPAs who add insurance licenses

Example:

• License issued: January 15, 2026
• First renewal due: January 2028 (NO CE required)
• Second renewal due: January 2030 (24 hours CE required, including 3 ethics)

Exam Tip: New producers are exempt from CE for their first renewal only. This is a commonly tested topic.

Ethics Requirement

Ethics/Law Training:

The 3-hour ethics requirement must cover:

• Insurance laws and regulations
• Ethical business practices
• Consumer protection
• Professional conduct standards
• Prohibited practices
• Fiduciary responsibilities

Acceptable Ethics Courses:

• South Carolina insurance law and ethics
• Professional ethics for insurance producers
• Legal and regulatory compliance
• Consumer protection and fair dealing

Carryover Rules:

• Ethics hours do NOT carry over between renewal periods
• Must complete 3 new ethics hours each renewal period
• Cannot "bank" excess ethics hours

Approved CE Courses

Course Approval

Provider Requirements:

• CE providers must be approved by South Carolina Department of Insurance
• Providers submit courses for Department review and approval
• Approved courses receive CE approval number
• Producers must verify course approval before enrolling

Course Formats:

• Classroom instruction
• Live webinars
• Self-study courses (online or correspondence)
• Approved seminars and conferences
• Combination of formats

Topics Covered: Property & Casualty insurance topics including:

• Property insurance
• Casualty insurance
• Auto insurance
• Commercial insurance
• Risk management
• Insurance law and regulation
• Ethics and professional conduct
• Claims handling
• Underwriting principles
• Policy forms and endorsements

Verification of Completion

Provider Reporting:

• CE providers electronically report completion to SCDOI
• Reports submitted within 10 days of course completion
• Department maintains CE compliance database
• Producers can verify CE credits online

Producer Records:

• Maintain certificates of completion for 4 years
• Certificates prove completion if reporting error occurs
• Include: course name, provider, date, hours earned, approval number

CE Compliance and Enforcement

Compliance Monitoring

Department Oversight:

• Department monitors CE compliance through electronic database
• Renewal applications checked for CE completion
• Automatic notification if requirements not met
• No renewal if CE incomplete

Producer Responsibilities:

• Complete 24 hours CE before license expiration
• Ensure 3 hours are ethics/law
• Verify provider reports credits
• Maintain certificates of completion
• Check CE status online periodically

Non-Compliance Consequences

Failure to Complete CE:

If CE not completed by license expiration:

• License expires on expiration date
• No grace period for CE completion
• Cannot transact insurance business
• Must complete CE and apply for reinstatement

Reinstatement Process:

1. Complete all required CE hours (24 total, 3 ethics)
2. Submit reinstatement application through NIPR
3. Pay reinstatement fee
4. Wait for Department approval
5. License reinstated retroactively

Penalty for Lapsed License:

• Lapsed less than 12 months: Complete CE and reinstate
• Lapsed 12-24 months: Complete CE, reinstate, possible additional requirements
• Lapsed over 24 months: May require re-examination

Exam Tip: There is NO grace period for CE completion. If CE is not completed by the license expiration date, the license expires immediately.

Special CE Provisions

Course Substitutions

Acceptable Substitutions:

Teaching or Lecturing:

• Producers who teach approved CE courses earn credit
• Receive CE credit for actual presentation time
• Must teach approved course to approved audience
• Maximum: 100% of requirement can be satisfied by teaching

Published Articles:

• Authors of published insurance articles may earn CE credit
• Subject to Department approval
• Must be substantive insurance topic
• Limited credit available

Reciprocity

Out-of-State CE:

• South Carolina does NOT grant reciprocity for CE completed in other states
• Non-resident producers must comply with home state CE
• Resident producers must complete South Carolina CE regardless of other state licenses

CE Resources

Finding Approved Courses

South Carolina Department of Insurance Website:

• List of approved CE providers
• Course catalog with approval numbers
• Search by course topic or provider
• Verify provider approval status

CE Provider Options:

• Insurance associations (Independent Insurance Agents of South Carolina)
• Online CE providers (WebCE, Kaplan, etc.)
• Insurance companies offering in-house training
• Professional conferences with approved CE sessions

Tracking CE Credits

Online CE Tracking:

• Access SCDOI website
• Log in to producer portal
• View CE credits reported
• Verify compliance status
• Download CE transcript

Best Practices:

• Check CE status quarterly
• Complete CE early in renewal cycle
• Keep certificates for records
• Verify provider reporting
• Don't wait until last minute

Exam Tip: Producers should track their CE credits regularly online and maintain certificates of completion for 4 years as backup documentation.

South Carolina CE Requirements

South Carolina ties license renewal to continuing education (CE), and the numbers are high-yield exam facts:

The 3-hour ethics requirement is mandatory and counts within the 24 hours, not in addition to them - a common trap that tests whether candidates know the ethics hours are a subset of the total.

Maintaining the License in Good Standing

The first-renewal exemption is a frequently tested nuance: a newly licensed producer does not owe CE hours for the very first renewal cycle, but every cycle thereafter requires the full 24 hours including the 3 ethics hours. Producers should complete and have credits reported by the approved provider before the renewal deadline, because the burden of proof of completion rests on the producer.

Failure to complete CE by the deadline results in license expiration, after which the producer cannot transact insurance until reinstated, typically by completing the missing CE and paying reinstatement fees; a long lapse can require re-examination. Because the consequences fall on the producer, recordkeeping matters - keeping CE certificates and confirming the provider reported hours to the SCDOI. The exam reliably asks the 24-hour/2-year total, the 3-hour ethics subset, and the first-renewal CE exemption, so commit those three facts to memory.