If you’re getting near your New York insurance license renewal date, keep your license active by taking your New York 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 NY insurance license renewal and insurance CE requirements on time.
 | New York Insurance License Renewal and CE Requirements |
|---|---|
| Expiration Time | Every 2 years |
| Required Continuing Education (CE) | 15 credit hours |
| Renewal Cost | $80 per license + CE course cost |
| Recommended CE Course | Kaplan Education Company |
New York Insurance Continuing Education
In order to keep your New York insurance license in good standing with the state, you will need to renew your license by completing your New York Insurance CE requirements before your expiration date.
In New York, insurance licenses expire every two years. The license is issued with an expiration date determined by date of birth. If you were born in an even numbered year, your license expires on your birthday in an even-numbered year. If you were born in an odd-numbered year, your license expires on your birthday in an odd numbered year. Your license will expire on your birthday regardless of the length of the licensing period.
New York 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 New York 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.
New York Insurance Continuing Education Requirements
The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) requires that all insurance producers and agents complete their continuing education requirements before their expiration date. In New York, these requirements include:
- Fifteen (15) total hours of New York insurance continuing education every renewal period, which is two (2) years
- At least one (1) hour of Insurance Law instruction
- At least one (1) hour of ethics and professionalism instruction
- At least one (1) hour of diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias instruction
- At least one (1) hour of flood insurance instruction if the licensee is licensed to sell one or more lines of property/casualty insurance
- At least three (3) hours of enhanced flood insurance instruction if the licensee sells flood insurance through the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program)
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 fifteen (15).
Once you completed the insurance CE course, your CE course provider will send a certificate of completion to the New York DFS. 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.
New York Insurance License Renewal
After you have completed your continuing education requirements, you may renew your New York insurance license to keep it active.
Follow the steps below to complete your New York insurance license renewal requirements ahead of your expiration date.
Step 1: Complete New York Insurance License Continuing Education
Follow the steps above to complete your required 15 hours of CE.
Step 2: Apply for New York Insurance License Renewal
According to the New York DFS, you may renew your insurance license by logging into the ALiS MyPortal. Choose the account where you signed up for during your New York insurance license application.
Transaction fees may apply when using the ALiS MyPortal.
Step 3: Pay the New York Insurance License Renewal Fee
The renewal fee is $80 per line of authority. There are no late renewal fees because New York doesn’t allow renewals after the expiration date. See below on what to do if your insurance license expires in New York.
Pay the renewal fees via ALiS MyPortal by credit card.
Once you complete the steps above before your expiration date, you can renew your license in New York.
Congratulations!
You’ve taken the steps you need to take and now your license is good for another two years!
What Happens If My Insurance License Expires In New York?
In New York, the New York DFS will send you via email a renewal notice within 90 days before your license expires. If you don’t renew your license on time, all appointments are automatically terminated or canceled. An appointment is a registration with a state insurance department that you are acting on behalf of an insurer or insurance company.
There is also no continuing education “grace period”. CE credits must be completed within the licensing period immediately before the expiration date. Not meeting your CE requirements prevents you from renewing your insurance license.
New York imposes these rules regarding CE requirements and license renewals:
- If you have an expired license, you can apply for reinstatement by submitting a re-licensing application.
- If your license has expired for less than two years, you must meet all CE requirements to re-license.
- If your license has expired for more than two years, you must apply for a new license.
Use ALiS MyPortal to reinstate your insurance license and pay any applicable fees and fines.
New York Insurance License Lookup
You can look up the status of your New York insurance CE credits and New York insurance license renewal by using these resources:
- View your current accrued CE credits using the New York DFS ALiS MyPortal tool.
- Check your renewal status via ALiS MyPortal or NIPR.
- If you don’t know your insurance license number (National Producer Number or NPN), you can find your name via New York DFS Insurance License Search.
New York Department of Financial Services Contact Information
Mailing Address:
New York Department of Financial Services
One State Street
New York, NY 10004-1511
Phone: (800) 342-3736
Local calls can be made to: (212) 480-6400 or (518) 474-6600
Email: licensing@dfs.ny.gov
Website: http://www.dfs.ny.gov/
New York Insurance License Renewal FAQ
How often do I need to renew my New York insurance license?
In New York, the expiration date or renewal date is most often based on the requirement to complete continuing education (CE) hours every two 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 New York insurance license?
New York charges a $80 renewal fee + CE provider cost. Check on New York’s requirements to learn more about the costs you can expect to renew your insurance license. Renewing your insurance license through the New York DFS ALiS MyPortal comes with applicable transaction fees.
What are the continuing education requirements for New York in renewing my insurance license?
You should check with the New York Department of Financial Services 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 New York 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.