Finding a line of work you actually enjoy is not as easy as you would’ve thought at a younger age. When you are at college, the reality of the employment world still eludes you, but once you graduate, you get to see how difficult it can be to find an interesting job that happens to pay you well, too. One of the more interesting fields you could try, even if you don’t have the necessary academic knowledge, is the insurance business. If you live in Georgia, for instance, you can get your license after completing some coursework and possibly training. It is important, though, that you know how to renew your insurance agent license as well.
Here’s how you can do that in Georgia in 5 easy steps.
1. Education
Just because you finished your initial licensing requirements and studies to become an insurance agent doesn’t mean you’re quite done yet. The insurance world is ever-growing, and there are always new developments. According to staterequirement.com, this is the reason why renewing your insurance agent license in Georgia requires completing 24 credit hours of continuing education every two years. You cannot exactly skip those, or else you will not be able to renew your license. You could choose to complete those credit hours before your license expires; the important thing is you get them done. They will include several credit hours completely dedicated to ethics training, as well as other important points that you will need to cover before you renew your license. You should know, though, that if you were licensed agents for 20 consecutive years, you are only required to complete 20 hours of continuing education.
In addition to this, insurance agents licensed in multiple lines are only required to meet the requirements necessary for insurance agents with a single line of licensing. For instance, an insurance agent that provides services in the real estate industry and the health sector need to complete the requirements in only one of the types of services they offer. This is because the requirements for insurance agents in Georgia are non-license type specific. Thus, agents can take courses in any subject matter as long as these are approved by the Georgia Department of Insurance, and at least three credit hours are approved for ethics training.
2. Preparing the fees
This renewal is obviously not for free, and you will need to pay a fee to have your license renewed in Georgia. The renewal fees are usually $100 that you will pay per application, and then your license will be renewed with a new expiration date two years after that date.
3. Get your paperwork done
This might be the trickiest part of this entire process because you will need to make sure you have all your paperwork in order so you could get this done as soon as possible without any complications. It helps when renewing to check online resources that could guide you to the kind of paperwork you need to have because you will need some varying documents like criminal records, proof of education, and several others. So, be sure to check online guides that could provide you with the exact details of what you need to have on you so you don’t end up spending days trying to figure out what that final document you need is.
4. Special requirements
Because the insurance world is vast and includes several dedicated disciplines, there are some special training that you might have to complete if you want to renew your license in Georgia. For property and casualty agents who specialize in flood insurance, they will need to complete a 3-hour course as part of your continuing education by the National Flood Insurance Program, but it is, fortunately, a one-time thing.
For life and health insurance agents, you will need to complete a 4-hour Annuity Suitability course before you can sell or negotiate the selling of any annuity products, and it’s also a one-time thing. The same goes for agents who sell long-term care partnership policies, but they will have to complete an 8-hour long-term care course. They should also finish a 4-hour ongoing training of long term care courses for every compliance period.
5. Additional points
It is important that you apply for license renewal in Georgia 90 days before the expiration date, and fortunately, you have several options to do it online, paper, or via Vertafore applications. You will choose the most convenient option for you and finish your application. You should also carefully check the state requirements before going through with the application because there might be some exemptions or steps that could save you some time and effort. For instance, credit insurance agents are required to complete only 10 hours of continuing education, with no ethical requirements. This is the kind of details that you should check as it would save you a lot of time.
Online platforms allow licensees to upload additional supporting documents as necessary for their renewal. Some examples of the documents eligible for upload are citizen affidavit, identification documents, and educational certificates to name a few. Renewal applications can be filed electronically within 60 days prior to its expiration date, wherein all renewals are due prior to the expiration of the license. Keep in mind that paper renewal notices are not sent via postal mail unless you specifically request for it. Nevertheless, you always have the option of a paper renewal either for an individual agent license or an agency license. There are also available numbers for you to call should you have further clarifications regarding your license renewal application, regardless of whether you filed it through an online platform or through a paper trail.
The insurance business is one of the best to get into, and it is full of potential. You should know what you are getting into, though. So, be sure to read up on all the different specialties within the insurance business before coming to a final decision, and also remember to carefully go through the requirements for applying and renewals as well.