Getting your Wisconsin insurance license is the first step to becoming an insurance agent in Wisconsin. Whether you’re interested in selling property and casualty insurance, life insurance, health insurance, or any combination of those lines of authority, this article has the information you need to get started.

The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance has a 6-step process on how to become an insurance agent in Wisconsin. We’ll walk you through step-by-step; from the license application to insurance test prep, to the Wisconsin insurance exam, and beyond.

This guide has everything you need to know to get your WI insurance license quickly and easily.

How to Get Your Wisconsin Insurance License

Getting your insurance license in Wisconsin is easy! Just follow our step-by-step guide. Be sure to bookmark this page so that you can visit it again throughout this process.

Step 1. Which Insurance Licenses Do You Need?

The first step to getting your insurance license is choosing which licenses you need. The most common licenses new insurance agents get are the property & casualty license (P&C), life and health insurance license (L&H).

The types of insurance products and policies you’ll be selling will determine which licenses you need. Here are some examples of the types of policies you can market with each license:

• Property and Casualty Insurance License – Auto Insurance, Home Insurance, Business Insurance, etc…
• Life and Health Insurance License – Life Insurance, Annuities, Medicare, Health Insurance, etc…

Most insurance agents and producers choose to get both P&C and L&H licenses, but if you plan on specializing in only one category then you don’t need every license.

Insurance adjusters require a separate license. You can find more information on becoming an insurance adjuster here: Wisconsin Insurance Adjuster License.

Step 2. Wisconsin Insurance Pre-License Education

After you’ve determined which licenses you need, you must now take your Wisconsin insurance pre-license education courses.

Most folks choose to take their insurance pre-license course online. These courses are created specifically to give you the skills you need to pass the test. The types of licenses you choose (also known as “lines of authority”) will determine which courses you take.

Each line of authority in Wisconsin requires twenty (20) hours of pre-license education. This means that if you wish to get a Property and Casualty license, you must take forty (40) hours of pre-licensing, and for Life, Accident, and Health you must also take forty (40) hours.

You will receive a certificate upon completion of the course. Keep this certificate, as you will need it when taking your exam.

Wisconsin requires that eight (8) of those pre-license education hours must be in principles of insurance, general Wisconsin insurance laws and ethics. The remaining 12 hours consist of policies, terms and concepts, and line-specific insurance law.

Step 3. Fingerprinting and Background Check

Wisconsin requires that all insurance license applicants provide fingerprints prior to licensing. Giving your fingerprints will initiate a background check. If you have any prior misdemeanors or felonies, this may affect the outcome of your licensing efforts. For more information on this topic, call the Department of Insurance at (614) 644-2665 or email the License Department.

The fee for having fingerprints taken is $36.

You must complete your fingerprints with Fieldprint Wisconsin.

Give the code FPWIOCIInsurance when scheduling your appointment. Fieldprint will automatically send your fingerprints to the state.

Step 4. Wisconsin Insurance License Exam

The next step after completing all of your pre-license coursework is to take the insurance exam. You will take one exam for each line of insurance you wish to carry.

This is a proctored test, which means that you will be in a controlled environment with a person watching you. For people who haven’t tested in a situation like this should be aware of this fact, and work on taming their nerves prior to sitting for the exam.

The fee for each attempt of the exams is $75. When you show up you must have a photo ID and the original pre-license education certificate.

Each of the exams consists of one hundred (100) questions. You have two hours (2:00) to complete the test. The minimum passing score is 70% correct answers.

PSI provides content outlines for each test. Be sure to study them before attempting the exam:

• Life General and State Outline 22-01
• Accident and Health General and State Outline 22-03
• Property General and State Outline 22-05
• Casualty General and State Outline 22-07

To explain about score reporting, we will quote the PSI Wyoming Insurance Licensing Candidate Information Bulletin:

Check out our Insurance Exam Guide. It’s extremely in-depth, and will hopefully help you pass the first time.

Insurance license tests are intentionally difficult, but not impossible by any means. You should study to the point of comfortability with the information before you attempt the test. Failing the exam isn’t the end of the world, but keep in mind that you will need to pay the fee each time you attempt the test.

You may register to take your exams on the PSI Wisconsin Insurance page. For much more information on the exams, reference the PSI Wisconsin Insurance Licensing Information Handbook.

Step 5. Wisconsin Insurance License Application

Once you have completed your exams and fingerprinting, you are now ready to apply for your license. If you have more than one line of authority that you have passed the exam for, be sure to apply for all of those lines.

You must wait seventy-two (72) hours after passing the exams before you submit your application.

The fee for an online application is $75 per line, a $10 application fee, plus a $5.60 NIPR fee, for a total cost of $90.60.

Fill out your online application on the NIPR Wisconsin page.

Step 6. Application Review

Once you have submitted your application and have filled all the other requirements, your license application will be reviewed by the state. Your background check will also be reviewed.

If everything is to acceptable standards your license should be issued quickly. There are cases when the fingerprints returning will hold up the review time. If there are any items from your background check that need to be reviewed, it may slow down the process of issuance. If this is the case, the state may contact you to provide context to the issues that they have run into.

Applications can be processed within 24 to 48 hours; however, if your application has been deferred to the state for further review, the processing time could be delayed. When your license is issued you will receive an email from the licensing department with verification.

Congratulations!

You’ve done the work, put in the time and effort, and now hold the key to your own success!  We’re proud of you. Take five (5) minutes and celebrate.

After Getting Your Wisconsin Insurance License

Once you’ve passed your exams and completed the licensing application, you are now a licensed insurance agent in Wisconsin. A common question we hear is, “I have my insurance license, now what?” Here are a few things you can do or need to know:

• Get a job in the insurance field. Check out StateRequirement’s Insurance Jobs board
• If you’re going to sell advanced life insurance products, you’ll need to have the proper securities licenses. Series 6, Series 7, and Series 63 are the most common among insurance agents, but you’ll need to begin with the SIE (Securities Industry Essentials) exam. Find out which licenses you need with our Securities Licensing Guide
• Every two years, you’ll need to renew your insurance license. Check out our guides on Wisconsin Insurance License Renewal and Wisconsin Insurance Continuing Education for more details
• Learn how to market yourself as an insurance agent: Have a look at our Insurance Agent Marketing article
• Interested in learning how successful life insurance agents operate? Check out our How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money article

Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance Contact Information

Mailing Address:
125 South Webster Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53703-3474

Phone: (608) 266-8699

Fax: (608) 267-9451

Email: ociagentlicensing@wisconsin.gov

Website: https://oci.wi.gov/

License Search: Wisconsin Insurance License Search and Lookup