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Continuing Education
**NOTICE** The Department will no longer be mailing hard copy renewal notices to licensees. Please visit SBS to update your email address.
A newly passed S.C. law allows licensed producers with 25+ years of licensure and who are aged 65 and older to be exempt from CE requirements. An online application must be completed to request the CE exemption. Please refer to the Bulletin for any questions you may have about this new law or the application process. Please go here to complete the online application.
An amendment to Regulation 69-29 was recently passed revising the producer training requirements for Suitability in Annuity. Please access our FAQ's for the amended training requirements for producers and provider questions on submitting new courses for approval.
All resident producers, who are not CE exempt, must complete the 24 hours of CE before the renewal becomes available on NIPR. Resident producers should complete their CE hours at least one week in advance of their expiration date.
- Resident producers subject to a continuing education (CE) requirement may comply by earning 24 credit hours in each two-year period ending with the producer's month and year of birth. Producers born in an even numbered year must comply by the end of the birth month in even numbered years. Producers born in an odd numbered year must comply by the end of the birth month in odd numbered years.
- Resident producers who hold multiple lines of authority must complete a minimum of 8 hours in each line of authority in addition to the required 3 hours of Ethics to be compliant.
- Non-resident agents may comply by meeting the requirements of their home state.
- All South Carolina licensed resident insurance producers should first check the approved continuing education course list before taking a CE course. Courses taken from an unapproved sponsor or instructor will be declined.
- If you successfully complete an approved course, you may not repeat the course and receive certification within two years of its original completion date.
Read our Continuing Education Reminder Notice
Application Information
Effective July 8 2019, applications for courses, instructors and providers will be submitted electronically through SBS. The Department will only accept paper applications if there are extenuating circumstances.
The CE Advisory Board meets the second Thursday of each month. In order for courses to be reviewed during the board meeting, course material should be submitted 30 days prior to the meeting.
Course Approval
Classroom: SBS online application, course material, a detailed time outline, and filing fee of $80 per application. The South Carolina Department of Insurance only approves courses for the following lines of authority: Life/Health, Property/Casualty, and Ethics.
Correspondence/Online: SBS online application, course material, outline, sample exam questions, and filing fee of $80 per application.
If not approved in home state:
- Classroom: Detailed time outline and filing fee of $80 per application (3 credit hours or more, must provide course material).
- Correspondence/Online: SBS online application, outline, course description, sample exam questions, and filing fee of $80 per application (3 credit hours or more, must provide course material).
Instructor Approval
Instructor filing fee is $25 per application.
Renewals
Renewals for courses are due 3 years from the course approval date. In order to renew the course, the above listed requirements for approval should be submitted 30 days prior to the course expiration date. Due to the transition to SBS, instructors will no longer complete a renewal application. The sponsor will complete a new application within 90 days of the instructor’s expiration date.
Proctor / Disinterested Third-Party
In accordance with the changes to Regulation 69-50 regarding proctor approval, we are no longer approving proctors. Producers are no longer required to use a state approved proctor to proctor their continuing education courses. They may now use any disinterested third party. That third party may not be their employer, employee, supervisor, relative, spouse, or minor.
Address / Email / Phone Number / Name Changes
All of the above changes can now be made on SBS by the provider. Name changes will still need to be submitted to the Department.