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: 104 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 August 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. Med-QUEST's 2026 MAGI income standards carry a distinct adult (expansion) group at 133% of the federal poverty level, or 138% with the 5% income disregard.
- 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. Its own state-based exchange, the Hawaii Health Connector, FAILED and shut down; the Prepaid Health Care Act had already produced near-universal employer coverage, which left the individual exchange without the volume to sustain itself.
- 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 and Responsibilities Act the INSURANCE COMMISSIONER administers external review: 'all requests for external review of a health carrier's adverse action shall be made in writing to the commissioner,' who assigns an approved Independent Review Organization whose decision binds the carrier. Internal appeals must normally be exhausted first, unless the carrier waives, an expedited request runs simultaneously, or the carrier substantially failed to comply with its own internal process.
- 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 12 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 — INCREASED from $20,000 effective January 1, 2026
- Minimum bodily injury liability per occurrence tested$80,000 — INCREASED from $40,000 effective January 1, 2026
- Minimum property damage liability tested$20,000 — INCREASED from $10,000 effective January 1, 2026
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested40/80/20 — effective January 1, 2026, replacing the long-standing 20/40/10. The Division: 'As of January 1, 2026, Hawaii law increased the minimum liability insurance coverage limits that all drivers and motor vehicle owners must carry,' applying to all new and renewal policies effective on or after that date. Most third-party pages still print 20/40/10.
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedMust be OFFERED, not mandatory — the named insured may reject uninsured motorist coverage in writing, and once rejected no further offer need accompany a renewal or replacement policy
- Underinsured motorist status testedOffered alongside UM and rejectable in writing — the underinsured motorist rejection requires the insured to sign in a location adjacent to or directly below the offer
- Personal injury protection status testedMANDATORY PIP — $10,000 per person for medical and rehabilitation costs regardless of fault, UNCHANGED by the 2026 limit increase. Suit in tort is available only past a threshold: death, significant permanent loss of use of a body part or function, permanent and serious disfigurement, or PIP benefits incurred 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
- Which rating factors does the state prohibit? testedHawaii bans an unusually long list in motor-vehicle insurance: no standard or rating plan may be based, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, upon race, creed, ethnic extraction, AGE, SEX, LENGTH OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE, CREDIT BUREAU RATING, MARITAL STATUS or physical handicap. Case law extends the ban to underwriting standards, not just rating plans. National guides that say 'credit scores are permitted with restrictions' are wrong for Hawaii.
CE & Renewal 9 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedTwo years. The initial term is set at not less than one year and not more than three so that it lands on the birth-month anchor, and the fee schedule charges a 'two-year service fee' thereafter.
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedBIRTH MONTH. 'The day for renewal or extension of a license issued to a natural person ... shall be the last day of the licensee's birth month.' The rule lives in the administrative rules, not the statute — HRS § 431:9A-107 deliberately sets no date and delegates to the fee and education requirements. Renewal opens 90 days before expiration. (Business entities differ: the last day of April for nonresidents, the last day of July for residents.)
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 credit hours every two years. Holding one class of lines: 21 hours in that class plus 3 hours of ethics or Hawaii insurance laws and rules.
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) testedStill 24 total, but the split changes with the classes held: Life and/or Accident & Health only = 21 + 3 ethics; Property and/or Casualty only = 21 + 3 ethics; BOTH classes = 10 hours life/health + 11 hours property/casualty/surety + 3 ethics.
- Ethics hours required per period tested3 hours every cycle in every configuration, in ethics or Hawaii insurance laws and rules. The statutory ethics scope is specific: fiduciary responsibility, commingling of funds, payment and acceptance of commissions, unfair claims practices, policy replacement considerations, and conflicts of interest.
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedThe license cannot be renewed until CE is satisfied, and non-compliance places it automatically on inactive status with no grace period (the statute says 'inactive'; the Division's pages say 'expired'). Reinstatement is available within twelve months on payment of the overdue fee plus a penalty equal to DOUBLE the unpaid renewal — $100 + $200 = the published $300 — and without retaking the exam.
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedNonresidents are treated as compliant if they meet their home state's CE and the home state reciprocates; active-duty military receive an extension equal to the days served; and the Commissioner may waive for written good cause.
- Can excess CE hours be carried over? testedNO — carryover is expressly prohibited. 'No credit hours earned during a single renewal cycle may be carried over and counted towards satisfaction of the credit hour requirements for a following renewal cycle for the same license.' Adding a line of authority mid-cycle also does NOT extend the cycle: the full requirement, including hours for the new line, is due by the existing renewal date.
- When must CE actually be finished? tested15 DAYS BEFORE the renewal date, not on it. Commissioner's Memorandum 2022-3LIC: producers 'shall complete CE requirements no later than 15 days before the renewal due date,' because an approved course provider has 15 days to transmit the certificate of completion electronically. Missing that mark risks being unable to renew, and therefore inactivation plus penalty fees.
Property 9 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) testedFILE-AND-WAIT with a DEEMER, not true prior approval: each filing sits on file for a 30-day waiting period before becoming effective, and 'a filing shall be deemed to meet the requirements of this article unless disapproved by the commissioner' within that period. The Commissioner may extend the wait by up to 15 more days, or allow earlier effectiveness on written application. Rates must not be excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory.
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedPROHIBITED in motor-vehicle insurance — Hawaii forbids using a credit bureau rating in auto rating or underwriting (HRS § 431:10C-207), one of the strictest such bans in the country. A comparable 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 in response to property-market instability. It now writes hurricane-only excess commercial coverage for condominium and townhouse Associations of Apartment Owners: a fixed 2% per-building deductible, a maximum limit of $140 million, eligibility requiring total insured value above $10 million plus denial by at least two Hawaii-licensed insurers, an underlying hurricane master policy of at least $10 million, a one-year term with NO automatic renewal — and, directly relevant to producers, HHRF policies can only be purchased through a Hawaii-licensed insurance producer.
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedHurricane above all, plus VOLCANIC eruption and lava flow (a genuine Hawaii peril, with County of Hawaii lava-zone rules and a statutory lava-zone waiting period after an emergency proclamation), flood and tsunami. Structurally important: in Hawaii hurricane coverage is typically a SEPARATE POLICY rather than a wind deductible endorsed onto the homeowners policy.
- 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
- Is the hurricane fund backed by the guaranty association? testedNO — HRS § 431P-15 exempts the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund from the property and liability insurance guaranty association, so HHRF policyholders have no guaranty-fund backstop
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 7 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 tested66 2/3% of the average weekly wage, capped at the state maximum set annually. For 2026 the maximum weekly benefit is $1,240.00 against a maximum weekly wage base of $1,859.91. Hawaii also separately mandates Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) for non-occupational disability — 58% of the average weekly wage up to $871.00 in 2026 — a benefit most states do not require at all.
- 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
- Who insures employers the voluntary market will not? testedHEMIC — the Hawaii Employers' Mutual Insurance Company, established by statute to 'provide workers' compensation coverage to Hawaii employers otherwise entitled to coverage but not able to or not electing to purchase coverage in the voluntary insurance market, and not authorized to self-insure.' It is Hawaii's residual-market workers' compensation carrier.
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 20 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 the eight lines of authority in HRS § 431:9A-107: Life · Accident and health or sickness · Property · Casualty · Variable life and variable annuity products · Personal lines · Credit · any other line permitted by law. Exams exist for Life, Accident & Health, Property, Casualty and Personal Lines. Surplus Lines broker, adjuster and consultant credentials are separate.
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPearson VUE — at a test center or online through OnVUE proctoring, which the Division authorized effective May 18, 2021. Walk-in testing is not available. Test centers: Honolulu and Haleiwa (Oahu), Kahului (Maui), Hilo (Hawaii Island); no Kauai or Kona site appears in the current handbook.
- License application fee tested$150 initial resident producer license; $100 biennial renewal; $300 to reapply within one year of nonrenewal (the $100 renewal plus a penalty of double that). Nonresidents pay $225 initial and $150 renewal. The $75 exam fee is paid separately to Pearson VUE and is nonrefundable.
- Passing score tested70 — and it is a SCALED score, not a raw percentage. Numeric scores are reported only to FAILING candidates; a passing candidate is told pass, with no number. Each exam is delivered in two separately-timed sections, general knowledge and Hawaii-specific.
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedNO — Hawaii requires zero pre-licensing education for producers. The current candidate handbook states it affirmatively: the Insurance Division 'does not require a specific program of pre-licensing education, or otherwise pre-screen examination candidates.'
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) testedNone for any producer line. Candidates study the Pearson VUE content outlines and sit the exam directly — which makes Hawaii one of the fastest states to enter, and puts the whole burden on the exam itself.
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedFINGERPRINTS ARE REQUIRED — a fingerprint-based state and federal criminal history check, in force since September 1, 2018. This is in addition to the application's background questions.
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedFieldprint Hawaii, scheduled online at fieldprinthawaii.com under service code HI-DCCA-INS. Fieldprint collects both the state and federal submission fees directly — they are not part of the Division's fee schedule. The NIPR application must then be filed WITHIN 60 DAYS of the fingerprinting date. Printing once covers simultaneous applications; a later separate application requires new prints.
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedNIPR (nipr.com); manage and renew through NIPR or the DCCA My PVL portal
- How long does a passing exam score stay valid? testedTwo years — and note the precise framing: HRS § 431:9A-106 requires the applicant to have passed 'within the two years immediately preceding the ISSUANCE of the license,' so the clock runs backward from issuance rather than forward from the exam or the application.
- Waiting period before retaking a failed exam? testedIt depends where you test, and the asymmetry is large: 24 HOURS before rebooking at a test center, but 2 WEEKS before a first OnVUE retest and 4 WEEKS before each subsequent one. A neighbor-island candidate who tests online to avoid a flight faces a two-week lockout on a fail.
- Do professional designations waive the exam? testedNO. Hawaii's only statutory exam exemption is prior licensure for the same lines in another state — currently licensed there, or applying within 90 days of that license's cancellation in good standing. HRS § 431:9A-109 names no professional designation, so CLU, ChFC, CPCU, CIC, LUTCF and FLMI waive nothing here. Since Hawaii also requires no pre-licensing education, a designation-based education waiver would have nothing to waive.