If you’re getting near your Massachusetts insurance license renewal date, keep your license active by taking your Massachusetts insurance continuing education (CE) courses in advance of your expiration date.
This guide will provide you all the information you need to ensure you fulfill your MA insurance license renewal and insurance CE requirements on time.
 | Massachusetts Insurance License Renewal and CE Requirements |
|---|---|
| Expiration Time | Every 3 years |
| Required Continuing Education (CE) | 48 credit hours |
| Renewal Cost | $225 per license + CE course cost |
| Recommended CE Course | Kaplan Education Company |
Massachusetts Insurance Continuing Education
In order to keep your Massachusetts insurance license in good standing with the state, you will need to renew your license by completing your Massachusetts Insurance CE requirements before your expiration date.
In Massachusetts, insurance licenses expire every three years. The expiration will be on your birth date, triennially. This means that your initial insurance term will be shorter than three years following the date that your license was initially issued.
Massachusetts Insurance Continuing Education Courses
Insurance CE comes in many forms. Most folks nowadays choose to take a self-paced course online, but you can also complete your credit hours by attending an in-person class or even a scheduled online webinar.
Recommended Course
For Massachusetts insurance CE courses and credits, StateRequirement recommends:
Self-paced Course
The most common method of continuing education today. These CE courses allow you to log in to an online platform any time of day to complete your credit hours. Most of these courses are a mixture of video and text combined with a knowledge exam at the end. Some platforms even allow you to take the course from your phone, which could be useful if you’re short on computer time.
In-person Class
This is how continuing education courses all began. Join your fellow insurance license holders for a live class taught by an industry professional. You may be able to find a “school” that provides all of your state’s required credits in a few full-day classes, or you might also take some shorter sessions to fill part of your requirements.
Scheduled Online Webinar
This is essentially the same as an in-person class, except you don’t have to travel away from your home or office. You will be taught by an instructor who will deliver the lesson at a specified time. Many webinars even allow you to interact with the instructor if you have specific questions.
Tip
Most courses certify completion by taking either a knowledge exam at the end or by counting attendance to all of the scheduled classes. If you want to save time, it’s best to go with a self-paced course. If you want no exam, try an in-person class or an online webinar.
Massachusetts Insurance Continuing Education Requirements
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance requires that all insurance producers and agents complete their continuing education requirements before their expiration date. In Massachusetts, these requirements include:
- Forty-five (45) total hours of Massachusetts insurance continuing education every renewal period, which is three (3) years
- Three (3) of those hours must be in the subject of ethics
Note
If you have a producer license in more than one line of authority (ex. Property & Casualty and Life & Health), you do not need to take double hours. Your total amount of CE credit hours due is still forty-eight (48).
Once you completed the insurance CE course, your CE course provider will send a certificate of completion to the Massachusetts Division of Insurance. Make sure to keep a printed copy of your certificate for your records.
Tip
It is recommended to complete all continuing education credits 30 days prior to the expiration date of the license. This will give the CE provider time to report the successful completion to the department of insurance. Your CE courses can be taken at any time within your license term.
Massachusetts Insurance License Renewal
After you have completed your continuing education requirements, you may renew your Massachusetts insurance license to keep it active.
Follow the steps below to complete your Massachusetts insurance license renewal requirements ahead of your expiration date.
Step 1: Complete Massachusetts Insurance License Continuing Education
Follow the steps above to complete your required 48 hours of CE.
Step 2: Apply for Massachusetts Insurance License Renewal
According to the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, you may renew your Massachusetts insurance license by logging into NIPR. Choose the account where you signed up for during your Massachusetts insurance license application.
NIPR charges $5.60 for processing. The Massachusetts Division of Insurance also charges an additional $75 lead paint surcharge fee.
Step 3: Pay the Massachusetts Insurance License Renewal Fee
The renewal fee is $225 per line of authority. To avoid paying late renewal fees, you must complete CE hours and apply for renewal at least 30 days before your license expires. The late fee is $450 per line of authority.
Pay the renewal fees via NIPR by credit card, electronic check, or your chosen online payment system.
Once you complete the steps above before your expiration date, you can renew your license in Massachusetts.
Congratulations!
You’ve taken the steps you need to take and now your license is good for another three years!
What Happens If My Insurance License Expires In Massachusetts?
In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Department of Insurance will send you via email a renewal notice within 90 days before your license expires. If you don’t renew your license on time, there will be a $450 late renewal fee, plus the $75 lead paint surcharge fee.
There is no continuing education “grace period”. Not meeting your CE requirements prevents you from renewing your insurance license.
If you allow your license to lapse within 12 months from your license expiration date, you must late renew your license via NIPR Renewal Process and pay the $450 late renewal fee. Otherwise, if you fail to meet your license renewal requirements after one year from your expiration date, you won’t be able to conduct business and need to apply for a new license through NIPR Resident Licensing.
Massachusetts Insurance License Lookup
You can look up the status of your Massachusetts insurance CE credits and Massachusetts insurance license renewal by using these resources:
- View your current accrued CE credits using the Massachusetts State-Based Systems – NAIC tool.
- Check your renewal status via NIPR.
- If you don’t know your insurance license number (National Producer Number or NPN), you can find your name State-Based Systems Lookup Search. Select Massachusetts as your jurisdiction and Licensee Search Type. Enter your information and click Search.
- If you need proof that you have renewed your license in Massachusetts, you can ask for a letter of certification by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Massachusetts Division of Insurance (see contact information below). Send your request along with a $20 check made payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Insurance Contact Information
Mailing Address:
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Division of Insurance
1000 Washington St, Suite 810
Boston, MA 02118-6200
Phone: (617) 521-7794
Fax: (617) 753-6883
Email: producerupdate.mailbox@state.ma.us
Website: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-insurance
Massachusetts Insurance License Renewal FAQ
How often do I need to renew my Massachusetts insurance license?
In Massachusetts, the expiration date or renewal date is most often based on the requirement to complete continuing education (CE) hours every three years. You must renew by this date and meet your CE hours. You can find out when you need to renew your insurance license on the front of the license itself. The expiration date will be printed directly on the license. Make sure that you renew your insurance before this date.
How much does it cost to renew my Massachusetts insurance license?
Massachusetts charges a $225 renewal fee + $75 lead paint surcharge fee + CE provider cost. Check on Massachusetts’s requirements to learn more about the costs you can expect to renew your insurance license. Renewing your insurance license through the NIPR (National Insurance Producer Registry) comes with a $5.60 processing fee.
What are the continuing education requirements for Massachusetts in renewing my insurance license?
You should check with the Massachusetts Division of Insurance to determine how many hours you need and if there are restrictions on what kind of CE will be accepted. Continuing education topics include insurance policies, ethics, insurance law, and more. Some topics apply to all insurance agents, such as claims and tax updates. Other classes will be geared toward specific lines, such as property and casualty or life and health. See above to find out more about Massachusetts Insurance CE courses and requirements.
How do I document the completion of my continuing education courses?
Sending in course completion paperwork to the state is typically the responsibility of the course provider. As the individual taking the course, you will not need to send in documentation. If you want to check your continuing education progress and make sure that all completed courses are in your state file, you can use your state’s online system to look up license information, including continuing education completion.
What is NPN for an insurance agent?
You will need your National Producer Number, or NPN, to renew your insurance license. This number is assigned to each individual working in insurance when they are first licensed. If you are unsure of your NPN, you can look it up on the National Insurance Producer Registry using your license number or social security number.