What Type of Insurance License Should I Get in Texas?

Who's a better fit for L&H selling?

Life, Accident & Health rewards a specific working style:

• You like long, consultative conversations where the client makes a decision over weeks, not minutes.
• You are willing to learn financial planning concepts: time value of money, tax-deferred growth, beneficiary designations, retirement income strategy.
• You are comfortable with topics that touch mortality and healthcare.
• You want renewal income from policies that may stay on the books for 20 or 30 years.
• You are patient enough to spend the first 6 to 12 months building a pipeline that pays out later.

If you have a financial services background, a teaching or counseling personality, or experience selling complex products, L&H tends to feel natural.

Who's a better fit for P&C selling?

Property & Casualty rewards a different style:

• You like to close. Many P&C policies sell in a single conversation, especially auto and homeowners renewals.
• You are comfortable working through coverage limits, deductibles, and endorsements quickly.
• You enjoy problem-solving around tangible risks: water damage, hailstorms, fender benders, business interruption.
• You want to start earning commission almost immediately after licensing.
• You are interested in commercial accounts where policies renew annually and a single client can generate multiple lines of business.

If you have a sales background, a real estate or banking background, or experience in service trades, P&C tends to feel natural.

What does the income picture look like for each?

The national baseline

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, insurance sales agents earned a median annual wage of $60,370 in May 2024, with the top 10 percent earning more than $138,020. The BLS projects 4 percent employment growth through 2034 and approximately 47,000 openings each year, on average, over the decade.

How the two paths differ

Within those numbers, the earnings curves differ by license:

• L&H tends to have a slower ramp and a higher long-term ceiling driven by renewal income and large life and annuity commissions.
• P&C tends to have a faster ramp and steadier monthly income, with experienced agents building a book of business that compounds through renewals and cross-sales.

Most successful agents eventually add the second license to capture more of each household's insurance spend. For an honest look at year one income across both lines, that breakdown shows what new producers actually take home. For a deeper look at what each path can earn over time, see our career options guide.

Which exam is harder, L&H or P&C?

Both Texas General Lines exams are administered by Pearson VUE. Each contains roughly 130 questions, runs about 2.5 hours, and requires a 70 percent score to pass. The exam is split into a national section and a Texas-specific section.

Per the Pearson VUE Texas Insurance Report, first-time pass rates run roughly 58 percent for the Life, Accident & Health exam and roughly 53 percent for Property & Casualty. The headline takeaway is that neither exam is a layup. Most candidates who pass on the first try used a structured course rather than self-study. For a section-by-section breakdown of what shows up on test day, see our exam content guide.

Can I hold both Texas insurance licenses?

Yes, but you cannot apply for both General Lines Agent for Property & Casualty and General Lines Agent for Life, Accident, Health & HMO at the same time. Texas requires separate applications, which means you take one exam, get licensed, then come back for the second.

Most full-service agents end up holding both. Once you have the foundation in either, the second license is faster to add because the regulatory and ethics content overlaps significantly. If you want to compress the timeline, our piece on the fast track walks through how to sequence the steps.

What's the application process like?

The TDI process is the same for both license types:

1. Choose your license type and a study plan. Texas does not legally require pre-licensing education for most types, but the exam pass rates make it strongly recommended.
2. Schedule and pass your exam through Pearson VUE.
3. Complete fingerprinting through IdentoGO. Fingerprints are submitted to the Texas Department of Public Safety as part of the background check.
4. Submit your license application through the National Insurance Producer Registry or Sircon. TDI verifies eligibility and issues your license, typically within a few business days of a complete application.
5. Get appointed by an insurance company so you can write business in your line of authority.

For a complete fee and timeline picture, see our cost guide. After licensing, Texas requires 24 hours of continuing education every two years, including 3 hours of ethics, with 12 hours in classroom-equivalent format. The full renewal process is straightforward once you know what to track.

What do employers actually look for?

Carriers and agencies hiring new producers in Texas look for a short list of practical signals: an active license, a clean background, a recognizable work ethic, and at least one specific reason the candidate chose insurance over the dozen other commission-based careers they could have picked. Holding the right license for the role is the price of admission. What separates candidates after that is preparation. Did you study the carrier? Do you understand what they sell? Can you describe how you would find your first ten clients in your local market? Producers who walk into a hiring conversation with answers to those questions tend to get the offer.

How do I actually decide between L&H and P&C?

Use this short test:

• If your network is full of homeowners, small business owners, and people shopping for cars, lead with P&C.
• If your network is full of new parents, professionals nearing retirement, and people thinking about estate planning, lead with L&H.
• If you are starting from scratch and need fast cash flow, lead with P&C.
• If you are willing to invest in a longer ramp for higher long-term income, consider L&H first.
• If you genuinely cannot choose, start with whichever exam you feel more confident about and add the second license within your first 12 months in the industry.

You are not locked in. Texas issues both licenses to many producers each year. The first one is the foothold. The second one rounds out your practice.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell both life and property insurance with one license in Texas?

No. Life and health products require an L&H line of authority. Property and casualty products require a P&C line of authority. The two are issued under separate licenses.

How long does it take to get a Texas insurance license?

Most candidates complete the entire process in 3 to 8 weeks. Faster timelines are possible with full-time study and immediate exam scheduling.

Do I need a sponsor before I can apply?

For most license types, no. You can pass the exam, complete fingerprints, and submit your application without a sponsor. Sponsorship matters for appointment, which is what allows you to actually write policies for a specific carrier.

What's the minimum age to get a Texas insurance license?

You must be at least 18 years old on the date you apply.

Will a criminal record disqualify me?

Not automatically. TDI reviews each application individually and considers the nature of the offense, time elapsed, and rehabilitation evidence. Disclose everything truthfully on the application.

How long is a Texas insurance license valid?

Two years from the issue date. You renew with 24 hours of CE, including 3 hours of ethics, before the expiration date that falls on the last day of your birth month.