How to Get Your Life Insurance License: Steps, Timeline and What It Pays
Sell Life and Health From One License
Pick your state, study on your phone, and use practice exams to know when you're ready to book.
Quick Answer
- Pick your home state, complete the course or exam prep that state calls for, pass the state exam, get fingerprinted, and apply for your license.
- We'd get Life and Health together instead of Life only. It's one more exam section, and it roughly doubles what you're allowed to sell.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay for insurance sales agents at $62,280 a year, and most of that comes from commissions.
A life insurance license comes from the state you live in, and every state follows the same basic order: education, exam, fingerprints, application. Our take: get licensed in your home state first, and take Life and Health together unless you're certain you'll only ever sell life policies. The health half adds one exam section and opens a second set of products.
How Do You Get a Life Insurance License?
You earn it from your home state's insurance department in five steps. The order is the same almost everywhere, but the hours and rules inside each step change by state.
- Pick your home state. Your resident license comes from the state where you live. Licenses for other states come later.
- Complete the education your state calls for. Illinois requires 20 hours per line, with 7.5 of them in a live classroom or webinar. Florida requires a 30 hour course for its Life license. In Texas, the course is exam prep written to the state's exam outline.
- Pass the state exam. Most exams pair national insurance concepts with your state's laws.
- Get fingerprinted. Your fingerprints go to a state and FBI background check.
- Apply. Most states take applications online through NIPR or their own portal.
Every state's version of these steps is on its own course page, so start by finding your state's coursePre License.
Should You Get Life Only or Life and Health?
Get both if you can. A combined license lets you sell life insurance and annuities plus health products like disability income, Medicare supplements, and long term care, so you can help the same client with more than one need.
The cost is real but small. In Florida, for example, the Life course is 30 hours and the Health and Life course is 60 hours, according to the Florida DFS requirementsDocs Sf Insurance Agents And Agency Services Libraries Agents Docs Licensure Agents Adjusters 2 14 Resident Life Agent License.pdf Myfloridacfo.com. We think the extra study is worth it, because adding a line later means another exam and another application.
Life only makes sense for one kind of agent: someone hired to sell a single life product, such as final expense, who is sure that's all they'll ever sell. If you're still deciding, compare the main license typesPre License Property And Casualty Vs Life And Health Vs All Lines Resources or read about your first licensePre License Which Insurance License Should I Start With Resources.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Life Insurance License?
Anywhere from about two weeks to a couple of months, depending on your state's hours and how fast you're ready for the exam. These are our estimates.
- States built around exam prep, like Texas: two to six weeks for most people. In Aceable Insurance's Texas Life and Health course, the median student finishes the coursework in about 10 hours.
- States with required hours, like Illinois or Florida: plan on four to eight weeks. Those hours are minimums set by the state, and the live hours in Illinois run on a schedule.
- After the exam: add a week or more for fingerprints and the application review.
Choose a State and Course
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How Hard Is the Life Insurance Exam?
Hard enough that preparation matters. In Texas, 56.8 percent of first time Life, Accident and Health candidates passed, according to official Pearson VUE results reported to the Texas Department of Insurance. Our Texas pass rates analysis breaks those numbers down by license.
The questions that cost the most points are usually about state law and policy provisions, because they ask you to apply a rule to a situation. Our guide to studying for it shows how to practice that skill.
How Much Do Life Insurance Agents Make?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a median annual wage of $62,280 for insurance sales agents across all lines. BLS doesn't publish a separate figure for life agents. Pay for new agents usually depends on commissions, so your first year tracks how many policies you place. For a look at higher earning paths, see our list of top paying jobs.
What Happens After You Pass?
Two things keep your license working. First, a carrier has to appoint you before you can sell its policies. Florida, for example, says its Life license requires an appointment to be valid. Second, you'll owe continuing education on a set cycle, such as Florida's 24 hours every two years. Our guide to CE by state lists each state's rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Get a Life Insurance License Online?
In most states, yes. Online courses can meet the education requirement, and many states offer the exam online or at a test center. Some states add live requirements, such as Illinois's classroom or webinar hours.
Is a Life and Health License Harder Than Life Only?
It covers more material, so it takes more study time. Most people find the health topics, like policy provisions and Medicare supplements, take the most review.
Where Do You Start?
Start with your home state. Find your state's course, pick Life and Health unless you're sure you'll only sell life, and use the practice exams to tell you when you're ready to book.
Ready to Start Your Insurance Career?
Aceable makes it easy to get your insurance license online. Our state-approved courses are designed to fit your schedule and set you up for exam success.