If you’re getting near your South Dakota insurance license renewal date, keep your license active by taking your South Dakota 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 SD insurance license renewal and insurance CE requirements on time.
 | South Dakota Insurance License Renewal and CE Requirements |
|---|---|
| Expiration Time | Every 2 years |
| Required Continuing Education (CE) | 10 credit hours |
| Renewal Cost | $20 per license + CE course cost |
| Recommended CE Course | Kaplan Education Company |
South Dakota Insurance Continuing Education
In order to keep your South Dakota insurance license in good standing with the state, you will need to renew your license by completing your South Dakota Insurance CE requirements before your expiration date.
In South Dakota, insurance licenses expire every two years. The expiration will be on the last day of your birth month, biennially. Depending on when you first obtain your license, however, your first licensing period may range from 24 to 35 months.
South Dakota 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.
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.
Recommended Course
For South Dakota insurance CE courses and credits, StateRequirement recommends:
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.
South Dakota Insurance Continuing Education Requirements
The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation – Division of Insurance requires that all insurance producers and agents complete their continuing education requirements before their expiration date. In South Dakota, these requirements include:
- Ten (10) hours (per license) while twenty (20) hours (both license qualification) of South Dakota insurance continuing education every renewal period, which is two (2) years
Note
If you have a producer license in more than one line of authority (ex. Property & Casualty and Life & Health), you need to take double hours. Your total amount of CE credit hours due is twenty (20).
Once you completed the insurance CE course, your CE course provider will send a certificate of completion to the South Dakota 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.
South Dakota Insurance License Renewal
After you have completed your continuing education requirements, you may renew your South Dakota insurance license to keep it active.
Follow the steps below to complete your South Dakota insurance license renewal requirements ahead of your expiration date.
Step 1: Complete South Dakota Insurance License Continuing Education
Follow the steps above to complete your required 10 hours of CE.
Step 2: Apply for South Dakota Insurance License Renewal
According to the South Dakota Division of Insurance, you may renew your South Dakota insurance license by logging into Sircon or NIPR. Choose the account where you signed up for during your South Dakota insurance license application.
NIPR charges $5.60 for processing while Sircon charges $10 for processing. The South Dakota Division of Insurance recommends renewing your license more than 30 days before your license expiration date.
Step 3: Pay the South Dakota Insurance License Renewal Fee
The renewal fee is $50 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 $40 per line of authority.
Pay the renewal fees via Sircon or 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 South Dakota.
Congratulations!
You’ve taken the steps you need to take and now your insurance license is good for another two years!
What Happens If My Insurance License Expires In South Dakota?
In South Dakota, the South Dakota Division 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 $40 late renewal fee.
There is no continuing education “grace period”. Not meeting your CE requirements prevents you from renewing your insurance license.
You can request an extension to complete CE hours in South Dakota if you show good cause, such as:
- Disability
- Long-term illness
- Other “extenuating circumstances which makes it impossible to attend a CE course or do independent study”
To request an extension of time to complete CE hours, send a written request to the South Dakota Division of Insurance addressing the Director of the Division not less than 21 days before your license expiration or the expiration of your previous extension period. No extension shall be granted for greater than one year.
If you fail to renew your license or do not complete CE requirements, you must apply for reinstatement within one year of your license expiration date. To reinstate your license, you must complete CE requirements and pay the $40 reinstatement fee via Sircon or NIPR.
South Dakota Insurance License Lookup
You can look up the status of your South Dakota insurance CE credits and South Dakota insurance license renewal by using these resources:
- View your current accrued CE credits using Sircon’s Continuing Education Transcript Inquiry tool. Select South Dakota as your state, enter your License Number and Last Name, then hit Submit.
- Check your renewal status via NIPR or Sircon.
- If you don’t know your insurance license number (National Producer Number or NPN), you can find it via Sircon’s License Number/National Producer Number Inquiry tool.
- If you need proof that you have renewed your license in South Dakota, you can ask for a letter of certification via Sircon. You will need to pay $10, plus any additional fees.
South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation – Division of Insurance Contact Information
Mailing Address:
South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation – Division of Insurance
124 South Euclid Avenue, 2nd Floor
Pierre, SD 57501
Phone: (605) 773-3563
Fax: (605) 773-5369
Email: sdinsurance@state.sd.us
Website: https://dlr.sd.gov/
South Dakota Insurance License Renewal FAQ
How often do I need to renew my South Dakota insurance license?
In South Dakota, 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 South Dakota insurance license?
South Dakota charges a $20 renewal fee + CE provider cost. Check on South Dakota’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. If you renew your license through Sircon, it comes with a $10 processing fee.
What are the continuing education requirements for South Dakota in renewing my insurance license?
You should check with the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation – 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 South Dakota 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.