Hawaii Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers Hawaii-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the Hawaii exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the Hawaii exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every Hawaii insurance exam reserves a block of questions for Hawaii-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 96 facts from the TESTivity Hawaii regulations curriculum, organized the way we teach them. Open a branch, explore, and let the structure do some of the remembering for you.
Every fact below carries its source citation and the date we last verified it (most recently July 2026) — and is re-checked on a schedule. Facts marked tested are ones you should expect to see on the exam.
Life 11 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period tested2 years from the date of issue
- Grace period for individual life tested30 days
- Window to reinstate a lapsed policy testedWithin 3 years of premium default, on evidence of insurability and payment of overdue premiums
- Max interest chargeable on reinstatement, if capped testedOverdue premiums bear interest not exceeding 6% per year, compounded annually
- Free look for individual life tested10 days for individual life (and individual accident and health) — the owner may return the policy within 10 days for a full refund
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days for long-term care (HRS § 431:10H-111); 30 days for Medicare supplement (HAR § 16-12-8)
- Required nonforfeiture options testedCash surrender value, reduced paid-up insurance, extended term insurance
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedThe Life line plus FINRA securities registration; Variable Life and Variable Annuity is a separate Hawaii line of authority
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? testedYes — the Hawaii Life Settlements law
- Viator's rescission window tested15 days after the settlement contract is executed
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYES — adopted the NAIC best interest standard, effective January 1, 2023 (Act 58, 2022). A producer recommending an annuity must act in the consumer's best interest.
Health 14 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? testedYES — Hawaii expanded Medicaid under the ACA, effective January 1, 2014
- Effective date of expansion, if expanded testedJanuary 1, 2014
- Agency administering Medicaid testedMed-QUEST — Hawaii's Medicaid program, delivered through managed care as QUEST Integration
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedA FEDERALLY-FACILITATED marketplace — Hawaii uses HealthCare.gov. Hawaii's own exchange (the Hawaii Health Connector) FAILED and shut down, and the state moved to the federal platform.
- Name of the state CHIP program testedHawaii operates CHIP within QUEST Integration (there is no separate CHIP brand name)
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic tested15 days to pay or deny an electronic clean claim
- Clean-claim payment deadline, paper tested30 days to pay or deny a paper clean claim
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedYes — 15 days electronic, 30 days paper
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment tested15% per year interest on late clean claims (added automatically if $2 or more)
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? testedYES — under Hawaii's Patients' Bill of Rights (HRS ch. 432E), the Commissioner assigns an approved Independent Review Organization, and a decision reversing the denial binds the carrier
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies testedFederal COBRA applies at 20+ employees; Hawaii has no general private-sector state continuation statute (the Prepaid Health Care Act shapes coverage instead)
- Employer size range covered by state continuation testedHawaii has NO general private-sector mini-COBRA — federal COBRA governs. Under the Prepaid Health Care Act, an employer keeps paying its share of the premium for up to 3 months while an employee is disabled and unable to work.
- Duration of state continuation coverage testedUp to 3 months of employer-paid continuation during a disability under the Prepaid Health Care Act
- Max premium as % of group rate testedDuring the 3-month disability continuation, the employer continues to pay its share of the premium
Auto 11 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault testedNO-FAULT — Hawaii requires Personal Injury Protection (PIP), so an injured person's own insurer pays their medical and rehabilitation costs regardless of fault, with the right to sue only when a tort threshold is met.
- Minimum bodily injury liability per person tested$40,000
- Minimum bodily injury liability per occurrence tested$80,000
- Minimum property damage liability tested$20,000
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested40/80/20
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedMust be OFFERED; the named insured may reject UM and UIM in writing (not compulsory coverage)
- Underinsured motorist status testedOffered with UM, rejectable in writing by the named insured (HRS § 431:10C-301)
- Personal injury protection status testedMANDATORY PIP — a minimum of $10,000 per person for medical and rehabilitation costs, regardless of fault. You may sue in tort only if a threshold is met (death, significant permanent injury or disfigurement, or PIP benefits reaching $5,000).
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedModified comparative negligence — a 51% bar. A claimant is barred when their negligence is GREATER THAN the aggregate negligence of the parties they are suing (a claimant exactly 50% at fault still recovers); damages are reduced by the claimant's share.
- The bar percentage, if modified comparative tested51% bar — a claimant whose negligence is greater than the combined negligence of the defendants recovers nothing; at exactly 50% they still recover
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto testedThe Hawaii Joint Underwriting Plan, the assigned-risk market for drivers who cannot obtain coverage voluntarily
CE & Renewal 7 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedTwo years (a biennial cycle)
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedBiennial renewal
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 hours of Hawaii-approved CE every two years
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) testedStill 24 total — for a single class of license, 21 general plus 3 ethics; for both classes, 10 + 11 + 3
- Ethics hours required per period tested3 hours of ethics and/or Hawaii insurance law, within the 24
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedA license may not be renewed until CE is satisfied; a license not renewed lapses
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedNonresidents are treated as compliant if their home state's CE is met and the home state reciprocates
Property 8 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) testedPRIOR APPROVAL (a 'file-and-wait' 30-day deemer). Rates are filed before use and are deemed approved unless the Commissioner disapproves within the review period. Rates must not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory.
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedPROHIBITED in AUTO insurance — Hawaii forbids using a credit bureau rating in motor-vehicle underwriting or rating (HRS § 431:10C-207). A statutory prohibition for homeowners and other personal lines could not be verified.
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedYES — the Hawaii Property Insurance Association (HPIA), the residual basic-property market for owners who cannot obtain coverage in the standard market
- Name of the FAIR Plan, if any testedHawaii Property Insurance Association (HPIA)
- Coastal windstorm pool, if any (e.g. TWIA) testedThe Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund (HHRF), created in 1993 and REACTIVATED in 2024, provides limited hurricane coverage in the stressed market
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedHurricane above all, plus VOLCANIC eruption and lava (a genuine Hawaii peril — the County of Hawaii has lava-zone rules), flood, and tsunami. Hawaii statute even provides a lava-zone waiting period after an emergency proclamation.
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedAn active Hawaii property and casualty producer license, plus a separate Surplus Lines broker license
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes — a diligent effort to place the risk in the admitted market first
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedHawaii Life and Disability Insurance Guaranty Association
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000
- Life cash surrender / withdrawal value limit tested$100,000 net cash surrender / withdrawal value
- Annuity benefit limit tested$250,000 present value of annuity benefits
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for basic hospital, medical, and surgical or major medical; $300,000 for disability income and long-term care; $100,000 for other health
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$300,000 aggregate per life — except up to $500,000 where basic hospital, medical/surgical, or major medical coverage is involved
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedYes — standard NAIC model limits, with tiered health
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedHawaii Insurance Guaranty Association (HIGA)
- Per-claim cap testedCovered claims up to $300,000 per claim (never more than the policy limit). Workers' compensation claims are paid in full; unearned premium refunds are capped at $10,000 per policy. There is no dollar deductible, though first-party claims of insureds with a net worth over $25 million are excluded.
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? testedYes — using the existence of the guaranty association to sell or solicit insurance is prohibited
Workers Comp 6 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? testedYes — mandatory for essentially every employer with one or more employees
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedOne or more employees (full-time or part-time) — Hawaii requires coverage from the first employee
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedThe Disability Compensation Division (DCD), within the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR)
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate tested66⅔% of the average weekly wage, capped at the state average weekly wage (set annually); the first 3 days are unpaid unless disability extends beyond a set period
- Deadline to file a claim testedGive the employer written notice as soon as practicable; file a claim within 2 years of the date the injury manifests (and within 5 years of the accident)
- Ways an employer may comply (insure / self-insure / group) testedInsure with a licensed carrier, or qualify as an approved self-insurer
Regulator 5 facts
Who regulates insurance here and what powers the office holds.
- Name of the state insurance regulator testedThe Hawaii Insurance Division, within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA)
- Title of the person who heads it testedInsurance Commissioner
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body testedAppointed by the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs with the Governor's approval — not elected
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedChapter 431 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes (the Insurance Code), with regulations in Title 16 of the Hawaii Administrative Rules
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedNo — a conventional Insurance Division within DCCA, headed by an appointed Commissioner
Cancellation 7 facts
When and how policies can be canceled or nonrenewed — heavily tested.
- Initial window during which an insurer may cancel more freely tested60 days — during the first 60 days of a new auto policy the insurer may cancel more freely; after that, cancellation is limited to statutory grounds
- Notice days to cancel a homeowners policy inside the initial window testedAt least 10 days' notice to cancel property coverage (base statute HRS § 431:10-226.5; residential rules were amended effective January 1, 2026 — confirm the new day-counts for the exam period)
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window testedAt least 30 days' notice to cancel auto; 20 days for nonpayment
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment tested20 days for nonpayment of premium (auto)
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes tested30 days for permitted causes (auto)
- Notice days required for nonrenewal testedAt least 30 days' advance notice of nonrenewal (auto and property)
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedHawaii does not require the insurer to state a reason for nonrenewal, though the permitted GROUNDS for canceling auto mid-term are separately restricted (HRS § 431:10C-111)
Licensing 17 facts
How you get and keep the license — exams, fees, applications, background checks.
- Is there a standalone life license/exam? testedYes — a Life line with its own exam
- Is there a standalone health license/exam? testedYes — an Accident and Health or Sickness line with its own exam
- Is there a combined life+health license/exam? testedNo single combined Life & Health exam — Hawaii's exams are per line. A candidate pursuing both sits the Life exam and the Accident & Health exam separately.
- Is there a personal lines license/exam? testedYes — a Personal Lines line with its own exam
- Is P&C one combined license, or split into Property and Casualty? testedSeparate lines — Hawaii offers Property and Casualty as SEPARATE exams and lines of authority, plus a Personal Lines line. There is no single combined P&C exam.
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — annuities are sold under the Life line (Variable Life and Variable Annuity is a separate line of authority)
- Does the P&C license already include personal lines authority? testedNo — Personal Lines is its own line, but holding Property and Casualty covers personal-lines risks
- Full list of exam-based agent license types testedOne Hawaii producer license listing any of: Life · Accident and Health or Sickness · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines · Variable Life and Variable Annuity · Credit — plus a separate Surplus Lines broker credential
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPearson VUE — by OnVUE online proctoring or at a test center (walk-ins are not available)
- License application fee tested$150 initial resident producer license; $100 to renew (biennial)
- Passing score tested70%
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedNO — Hawaii does NOT require pre-licensing education for producers. Only the Pearson VUE exam is required.
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) testedNone — no pre-licensing course is required. Candidates study the Pearson VUE content outlines and sit the exam directly.
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedA background review is conducted through the license application (screening questions and supporting documents for any disclosed history)
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedHawaii DCCA Insurance Division, via the NIPR application
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedNIPR (nipr.com); manage and renew through NIPR or the DCCA My PVL portal