Indiana Adjuster Insurance Exam Guide 2026

What This License Is — and the One Indiana Does Not Issue

The Indiana Independent Adjuster license authorizes you to investigate, negotiate, and settle claims on a contract basis. It is issued by the Indiana Department of Insurance (IDOI) under IC 27-1-28, a 24-section chapter added by P.L.11-2011.

IC 27-1-28-6(a) defines an independent adjuster with a two-part test. You must *"(1) contract for compensation with insurers or self-insurers to investigate, negotiate, or settle property, casualty, or worker's compensation claims"* and *"(2) for tax purposes [be] treated by the insurers or self-insurers in a manner consistent with treatment of an independent contractor rather than an employee under Title 26, Subtitle C of the Internal Revenue Code."*

That tax-treatment prong is the hinge. It is what separates an Indiana independent adjuster from a staff adjuster — and it is why Indiana has no staff adjuster license at all.

IC 27-1-28-10 states the only gate: *"A person shall not: (1) act as an independent adjuster in Indiana; or (2) hold the person's self out as an independent adjuster in Indiana; unless the person is licensed or exempt from licensure under this chapter."* Licensure or exemption. Appointment is not mentioned anywhere in the chapter — Indiana adjusters need none, unlike Indiana producers, who under IC 27-1-15.6-14 must be appointed when acting as an insurer's agent.

Public adjusters — who represent the policyholder rather than the insurer — are licensed under an entirely different chapter, IC 27-1-27, and hold a "certificate of authority" rather than a license. Different fee, different term, different bond, different exam, and no continuing education. See the public adjuster section below.

Worker's compensation is a LINE OF AUTHORITY — you are not handed it

**IC 27-1-28-14(a)** reads: *"An independent adjuster may qualify for an independent adjuster license under this chapter in **one (1) or more** of the following lines of authority: (1) Property and casualty insurance. (2) Worker's compensation insurance."* Read **"one (1) or more"** carefully. These are **two separate lines you qualify for individually**. Holding an Indiana independent adjuster license does not automatically authorize you in both. Material that describes the license as one credential "covering property, casualty and workers compensation" is blurring a distinction the statute draws deliberately. The flip side is worth knowing too: there is **no separate Indiana worker's compensation adjuster license, endorsement, or examination.** Worker's compensation is folded into this one chapter as a line. Pearson VUE's content outline tests Indiana worker's compensation (IC 22-3-2, IC 22-3-3) **inside** the single Independent Adjuster exam. And **IC 27-1-28-14(b)** confirms you need nothing else: an independent adjuster *"is not required to hold another independent adjuster, insurance producer, or insurance administrator license in Indiana."*

Who Does Not Need This License

IC 27-1-28-6(b) lists fourteen categories the term *"independent adjuster"* does not include. Three of them are so broad that a very large share of Indiana claims are lawfully adjusted by people with no license at all.

Carrier staff — (b)(7). *"An officer, director, manager, or employee of an authorized insurer, a managing general agent, a surplus lines insurer, a risk retention group, or an attorney in fact of a reciprocal insurer."* This is the provision that means Indiana has no company adjuster license.

Self-insured employers' own people — (b)(10). *"Under a self-insured arrangement, an individual who adjusts claims on behalf of the individual's employer."*

TPA worker's compensation adjusters — (b)(12). *"A person that is authorized to adjust worker's compensation or disability claims under the authority of a third party administrator."* Given how much Indiana worker's compensation is administered through TPAs, this exclusion does a lot of work.

The rest: an attorney *"admitted to practice in Indiana"* acting in a professional capacity; persons employed solely to obtain facts or furnish technical assistance; certain supervised employees doing data entry or claim communication; individuals investigating suspected fraudulent claims who do not adjust losses; persons performing only *"executive, administrative, managerial, or clerical duties"*; persons settling only reinsurance or subrogation claims; managers of US branches of alien insurers; persons handling life, accident and health, annuity, or disability claims; licensed producers, attorneys in fact and MGAs to whom claim authority has been granted; persons handling crop claims; and individuals applying specialized skills to determine claim elements without adjusting losses.

The attorney exemption is narrower than it looks — and the fraud exemption has a tripwire

Indiana's attorney exemption covers an attorney *"**admitted to practice in Indiana**"* who *"acts in a professional capacity as an attorney."* **An out-of-state attorney is not exempt**, and neither is an Indiana attorney doing something other than practicing law. The fraud-investigator exemption at **(b)(4)** covers individuals investigating suspected fraudulent claims *"who do not adjust losses or determine claim payments."* The moment an SIU investigator starts **determining what gets paid**, the exemption stops applying. The line is not "do you work in fraud" — it is "do you decide the claim." Same structure at **(b)(14)**: a specialist may apply expertise to determine a claim **element** without becoming an adjuster, but not adjust the loss.

Eligibility — and the Background Check Indiana Does Not Require

IC 27-1-28-12(a) — apply with the Uniform Application for Individual Adjusters, a declaration *"under penalty of suspension, revocation, or refusal of licensure"* that your statements are true and complete, and an application fee of forty dollars ($40).

IC 27-1-28-12(b) — the commissioner *"shall approve"* on finding all of: you are at least eighteen (18); you are eligible to designate Indiana as your home state; you are *"trustworthy, reliable, and of good reputation"*; you have committed no act that is grounds for discipline under section 18; you have completed a prelicensing course of study for the line applied for; and you have passed the written examination for that line.

IC 27-1-28-12(c) is the only investigative power granted: the commissioner *"may require any documents reasonably necessary to verify the information contained in the application."*

Business entities — IC 27-1-28-13. Same $40 fee as an individual. The entity must designate *"an individual independent adjuster licensed under this chapter to be responsible for the business entity's compliance with Indiana insurance law,"* and must disclose *"the name, address, and criminal and administrative history"* of each owner with at least a 10% interest or voting interest, each partner, each executive officer, and each director. Note that this is self-disclosure, not a fingerprint-based check.

Home state — IC 27-1-28-5 means the state where you *"maintain the independent adjuster's principal place of residence or business"* and are licensed as a resident independent adjuster — or, where that state *"does not license independent adjusters for the line of authority"* you want, a state you designate and in which you are *"licensed and in good standing."* That second branch is the Designated Home State mechanism.

No fingerprints. No criminal background check. Not for adjusters, and not for producers either.

**IC 27-1-28-12(b) is the exhaustive approval checklist** — six findings, quoted in full above — and it contains **no fingerprint requirement and no criminal history check**. Neither does the business entity provision at IC 27-1-28-13, which asks only for **self-reported** criminal and administrative history. A sweep of all 24 sections of IC 27-1-28 turns up no such provision anywhere. And the contrast some guides draw between adjusters and producers here **does not exist**: **IC 27-1-15.6-6(b)**, the producer checklist, mirrors the adjuster one — age 18, no disqualifying act, prelicensing if required, fee, exam. **Indiana requires fingerprints of neither.** The proof that this is deliberate rather than an oversight: **the Navigator license does require one.** IDOI states that *"an individual applying to be an Indiana Navigator will need to complete a criminal background check,"* citing IC 27-19-4. IDOI knows how to impose a background check when the legislature directs it. For adjusters, the legislature has not. **Practical effect: budget zero for this line item.** In states like Florida or New York it is a real cost. In Indiana it is not a step.

The 40-Hour Course and Its Six-Month Fuse

Step one is the course. IDOI: *"For resident Independent Adjusters, forty (40) hours of pre-licensing education are required to provide an entry level knowledge about the products, services, duties and responsibilities of an Independent Adjuster when working with the public. In addition, candidates must understand and comply with the Indiana statutes and rules affecting insurance and adjusting of claims."*

Pearson VUE's handbook carries the same figure in its exam-qualifications table: Independent Adjuster — Adjuster – 40-hours. Search approved courses through Sircon.

The certificate then starts a six-month clock. Pearson VUE handbook #121500, in the Independent Adjuster row of the required-documentation table: *"Testing must be completed within six (6) months of the Course Completion Date on the certificate."* Miss it and you buy the course twice.

Requiring prelicensing education of adjusters at all puts Indiana in a small minority — most states require none. Requiring 40 hours puts it at the top of that minority.

The 40 hours is real, mandatory — and has no statute or rule behind it

This matters because it tells you **which source to trust when something changes**. **IC 27-1-28-12(b)(5)** — the only statutory hook — says merely that *"the individual has completed a **prelicensing course of study** for the line of authority in which the individual has applied."* **No hours.** And **IC 27-1-28-2** grants the commissioner power to *"adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to implement this chapter"* — a power **never exercised for adjusters**. **760 IAC 1-40 does not reach you.** It is captioned **"Agent Prelicensing Study Program"**; its stated purpose is a *"registered insurance agent program of study"*; its "Affected" line is **IC 27-1-15.5**, the agent chapter, not IC 27-1-28; and its hours table at 760 IAC 1-40-6 has exactly four rows — **Life 24, Health 24, Life and Health 40, Property and Casualty 40** — with **no adjuster row at all**. A sweep of all 91 rules in 760 IAC Article 1 finds not one rule title containing the word "adjuster." IDOI itself administers adjuster courses under the **agent** rule by practice, pointing providers to *"Indiana Regulations for Pre-Licensing Education Courses (760 IAC 1-40)"* without any rule amendment extending it to adjusters. **So: comply with the 40 hours — IDOI and Pearson VUE both enforce it. But cite it to IDOI, never to a statute or an IAC section.** A guide that cites "760 IAC 1-40" for the adjuster 40 hours is citing a rule that does not apply to adjusters. **One more six-month trap.** The only *"six (6) months"* on IDOI's adjuster licensing page is something else entirely — the **public adjuster surety bond** freshness rule (*"Proof of $10,000 surety bond for the state of Indiana not more than six (6) months old"*). Two different six-month rules, two different licenses. Keep them apart.

The Pearson VUE Exam

IC 27-1-28-15(a) requires a written examination testing knowledge of the lines applied for, adjuster duties and responsibilities, and Indiana insurance law. Subsection (b) lets the commissioner contract administration out — which is how Pearson VUE runs it.

The current handbook is #121500, September 2024, revised 11/2025. Question counts live in the companion Examination Content Outlines #121501, effective November 26, 2025.

Independent Adjuster (effective 3/1/21): 100 scored questions plus 5 pretest, 105 minutes, $69. You actually answer 105 items in 105 minutes — a minute apiece, with the five pretest questions unscored and unmarked. The widely quoted "100 questions" is the scored count.

Public Adjuster: 60 scored questions, 60 minutes, $50 — a different exam for a different credential.

Indiana offers online proctored delivery through OnVUE as well as test centers. This is a real advantage over states that are test-center-only.

Retakes: wait 48 hours. And note IC 27-1-28-15(d) — failing or missing an exam requires reapplication with all fees and forms before you can reschedule. Bring one government-issued photo ID with a valid signature, not expired, in English.

The passing score is 70 — and the handbook cannot decide what that means

This is a genuine, unresolved conflict **inside a single document**, and you should know about it rather than trust either version. On page 10, the table lead-in reads: *"The following table shows the **scaled score** needed to pass each exam,"* followed by **Independent Adjuster … 70**. On page 11, under **Score Explanation**, the handbook says: *"**Candidates need to achieve 70% to pass** the IDOI exams."* Those are different claims. A **scaled** 70 is a converted score that need not correspond to 70 correct answers; **70%** means 70 of 100. The handbook **never explains any conversion** — the words *"raw score," "equating," "converted,"* and *"percentage of questions you answered correctly"* appear **nowhere in it**. That is a meaningful difference from states whose handbooks affirmatively explain scaling and warn that the reported score is neither the number nor the percentage correct. Indiana's simply uses both formulations and moves on. **What to do with this:** treat **70** as the number and **do not build a strategy on either interpretation**. Do not comfort yourself with "it's scaled, so a few misses might not cost me," and do not compute a precise 70-of-100 target either. Aim for a consistent **80%+** on practice exams. If the two readings diverge, that margin covers you; if they don't, you pass comfortably. Only failing candidates typically receive a numeric score at all.

Five Ways to Skip the Course and the Exam

Indiana is unusually generous here, and the routes are scattered across two sections, which is why most summaries catch only one or two.

1. An approved claims-association certification — IC 27-1-28-15(e). A current certification from a national or state claims association whose program includes *"(1) a precertification course for new adjusters that is approved by the department; (2) an examination for new adjusters that is approved by the department; and (3) a continuing education program that is approved by the department"* waives both the prelicensing course and the exam. IDOI names it concretely: holders of an active Uniform Claims Certification (UCC) *"are exempt from Indiana pre-licensing education and exam requirements."* The same certification separately exempts you from CE under IC 27-1-28-19(b)(3).

2. A current out-of-state license — IC 27-1-28-16(a)(1). You hold an independent adjuster license for the same line in a state that requires a prelicensing examination.

3. A recently expired one — IC 27-1-28-16(a)(2). The same license, expired less than ninety (90) days before the commissioner receives your application. Under subsection (b), routes 2 and 3 both need certification from the other state that the license is or was at expiration in good standing.

4. Five years of experience — IC 27-1-28-16(a)(3). *"Provides proof from contracting insurers that the individual has participated in claims adjudication in the same line of authority during the five (5) years immediately preceding the date of application."*

5. New Indiana resident — IC 27-1-28-16(c)(1). Licensed in another exam-requiring state, you establish legal residency in Indiana and apply less than ninety (90) days after doing so.

Route 4 needs no license anywhere — and three states get no waiver at all

**The five-year experience route is the one people miss.** IC 27-1-28-16(a)(3) does not require you to hold — or ever to have held — an adjuster license in any state. It requires **letters from the insurers you contracted with**, evidencing participation in claims adjudication **in the line you are applying for** across the five years immediately preceding your application. For a career staff or TPA adjuster in a state that never licensed them, this is the door: it converts unlicensed experience directly into an Indiana license, skipping both a 40-hour course and a 105-minute exam. Note the discipline in the wording, though: *"in the same line of authority."* Five years of property and casualty experience does not waive the **worker's compensation** exam, and vice versa. **The exception that costs money:** IDOI states that **California, Hawaii and New York residents** *"must complete an approved Indiana Independent Adjuster pre-licensing education course and the Indiana Independent Adjuster exam."* Those three states are **not reciprocal** with Indiana, so a licensed adjuster there starts from zero — course, certificate, six-month clock, exam, the whole path.

Temporary Emergency Adjusters — Indiana Runs This Backwards

IC 27-1-28-11 creates a genuine temporary emergency independent adjuster license, and almost every mechanical detail differs from the states around it.

The insurer applies, not you. *"If a catastrophe is declared, an insurer may contract with an individual who: (1) is not licensed under this chapter; but (2) is otherwise qualified to adjust claims; to act as a temporary emergency independent adjuster on behalf of the insurer if the insurer obtains for the individual a temporary emergency independent adjuster license under this section."*

The clock starts when you begin working. Subsection (b): the insurer must, *"not more than five (5) days after the individual begins to adjust claims arising from the declared catastrophe,"* submit the application. Not five days after deployment, or after the contract, or after the declaration — five days after adjusting starts.

What the application must contain — subsection (c): your name; the insurer's name; the effective date of the contract; the catastrophe or loss number; the catastrophe event name; and anything else the commissioner requires.

Ninety days, and it travels. Subsection (e): the license *"is effective for not more than ninety (90) days, unless extended by the commissioner,"* and — the clever part — *"In the event of multiple catastrophes, an individual who holds a temporary emergency independent adjuster license issued under this section with respect to one (1) declared catastrophe may adjust claims arising from any other catastrophe that occurs within the ninety (90) day period during which the license is effective... without the insurer applying for an additional temporary emergency independent adjuster license."*

The fee is $20, per IDOI's temporary emergency adjuster licensing notice.

Only the Insurance Commissioner can declare the catastrophe

This is the single most testable fact in the emergency-adjuster area, and it is narrower than nearly every other state. **IC 27-1-28-4** defines *"catastrophe"* as *"**an event that is the subject of a declaration by the commissioner**"* that does one of five things: *"results in a large number of deaths or injuries"*; *"causes extensive damage or destruction of facilities used to provide and sustain human needs"*; *"produces an overwhelming demand on state and local response resources and mechanisms"*; *"causes a severe long term effect on general economic activity"*; or *"severely affects state, local, and private sector capabilities to begin and sustain response activities."* **The declaring authority is the Insurance Commissioner alone.** Not the Governor. Not the President. Many states let any of the three trigger emergency adjuster licensing — Indiana does not. A presidential disaster declaration for an Indiana tornado outbreak, standing by itself, **does not open this route**. Without a Commissioner's declaration there is no "catastrophe" within the meaning of the chapter, and therefore no temporary license to obtain. **One caution on sourcing.** The IDOI notice carrying the **$20** fee dates from 2011 and its contact details and transition guidance are stale. The fee and the procedure are the usable content; confirm the current filing channel with IDOI before a deployment.

Fees, Renewal, and Reissuance

Two years — IC 27-1-28-14(c). The license *"is effective for two (2) years after the date of issuance unless probated, suspended, revoked, or refused,"* renewable on meeting all requirements including *"a renewal fee of forty dollars ($40)"* on or before the renewal date.

On the birth-month convention. IDOI states that the license is *"effective for a minimum of two (2) years after the date of issuance"* with renewal falling *"on the last day of the individual's birth month."* IDOI's word "minimum" is what reconciles this with the statute's flat two years — the term is stretched forward to your birth month rather than cut short. Unlike some states where this convention is a vendor's operational statement, here it comes from the regulator itself.

Expired? Twelve months to reissue — IC 27-1-28-14(d). Within twelve (12) months after expiration, on a request in the form the commissioner prescribes plus *"a reissuance fee of eighty dollars ($80)."* Past twelve months, that route closes.

Waivers for life events — IC 27-1-28-14(e). An adjuster unable to comply *"due to: (1) military service; (2) long term medical disability; or (3) another extenuating circumstance determined by the commissioner"* may request a waiver of the renewal requirements or the applicable sanction. Worth knowing before you let a license lapse over a hospitalization.

Nonresident and Designated Home State — IC 27-1-28-17. Application $90 (a)(2)(B), renewal $90 (e)(1)(B), and the route for someone not licensed anywhere is $90 too (b). IDOI adds that this is charged *"unless a retaliatory fee applies"* — so your actual charge can differ based on what your home state charges Indiana residents. DHS reissuance within 12 months is $180.

Change of name or address: 30 days. IC 27-1-28-14(h) requires written notice to the commissioner *"not more than thirty (30) days after"* a change of legal name or home state address.

Lose your home state license and the Indiana one dies the same day

**IC 27-1-28-17** draws a distinction that decides whether you keep working, and the two branches look similar until you read them side by side. **Subsection (f) — the harsh branch.** If a nonresident's home state license *"terminates for any reason **other than** issuance of a new resident independent adjuster license in a new home state,"* then the Indiana nonresident license *"**also terminates immediately**"* and the person *"shall **immediately surrender**"* it. No grace period, no notice period, no wind-down. Your home state suspends you on a Tuesday and your Indiana authority is gone on Tuesday. **Subsection (g) — the survivable branch.** If it terminated **because** you moved and obtained a **new resident license** in a new home state, the Indiana license **survives**. You then have **thirty (30) days** to notify Indiana **and the commissioner of every other state that has issued you a nonresident license**, specifying your previous and new home state addresses. Subsection (h) imposes the mirror duty when an Indiana **resident** license terminates. **And reciprocity never stops being tested.** IC 27-1-28-17 states the condition **three separate times** — at issuance (a)(3), to *maintain* the license (d)(2), and to *renew* it (e)(2): your home state must award nonresident licenses to Indiana residents *"on the same basis."* If your home state changes its reciprocity posture, your Indiana license is exposed even though you did nothing.

Continuing Education — 24 Hours, Zero Ethics

Important CE details: IC 27-1-28-19(a): 24 hours every two years, reported to the commissioner. There is NO ethics-hours subrequirement — the statute specifies none, 760 IAC 1-47 is repealed, 760 IAC 1-50 expired on January 1, 2002, and IDOI's own CE-by-license-type table lists the Independent Adjuster row as simply '24' with no ethics carve-out. Indiana's 3-hour ethics rule is a PRODUCER requirement under IC 27-1-15.7-2, and even then only for life, accident and health, and variable lines. Three statutory exemptions: an individual licensed less than 12 months before the end of the biennium; a nonresident who has met the CE requirements of their designated home state; and a holder of an approved claims-association certification. Two IDOI administrative rules apply on top: you may not take the same course more than once in a renewal period, and there is no carryover — IDOI's CE audit standards expressly bar 'hours used to satisfy previous license renewal periods.' PUBLIC ADJUSTERS HAVE NO CE REQUIREMENT AT ALL.

IC 27-1-28-19(a): *"Except as provided in subsection (b), an individual who holds a license under this chapter shall, every two (2) years, satisfactorily complete a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours of continuing education courses and report the completion of the courses to the commissioner."* Note the reporting duty sits on you, not only on the provider.

Three statutory exemptions — IC 27-1-28-19(b). First, an individual *"licensed for less than twelve (12) months before the end of the applicable continuing education biennium."* Second, *"a licensed nonresident independent adjuster who has met the continuing education requirements of the licensed nonresident independent adjuster's designated home state."* Third, a holder of a current claims certification meeting six conditions — a department-approved program, study hours at least equal to the 24, content that includes the prelicensing course of study, availability for department review and audit through an electronic portal, the association approved as an Indiana CE provider, and the association reporting your completion and providing transcript access electronically.

Two IDOI administrative rules sit on top of the statute. You may not repeat a course: IDOI states on the adjuster renewal page itself, *"You may not take the same course more than once in a license renewal period."* And there is no carryover — IDOI's CE audit standards bar using *"hours used to satisfy previous license renewal periods,"* certificates from unapproved providers, and another state's certificates.

Reinstatement still costs you the hours. IDOI's reinstatement path within 12 months of expiration requires the 24 hours of CE plus the $80 fee — lapsing does not wipe the obligation. The DHS equivalent is 24 hours plus $180.

There is no ethics requirement — and public adjusters have no CE at all

If you have taken an Indiana **producer** license, you will remember a 3-hour ethics rule. **It does not follow you to the adjuster license.** **The statute specifies no ethics allocation.** IC 27-1-28-19(a) says twenty-four hours and stops. **No rule fills the gap.** The two Administrative Code CE rules are dead letters: **760 IAC 1-47 is repealed**, and **760 IAC 1-50 expired** — its own authority section is marked *"Expired under IC 4-22-2.5, effective January 1, 2002."* And 760 IAC 1-50 was a **producer** rule in any event, defining "Producer" by reference to IC 27-1-15.6-2(7). **IDOI's own CE-by-license-type table settles it.** The **Independent Adjuster** row reads simply **"24"** — no ethics carve-out. The **Producer** row reads *"24 (3 of which must be an Ethics course if Accident & Health and/or Life licensed...)."* And the table's list of **"License Types With No CE Requirements"** includes **Public Adjuster**, alongside Consultant, Portable Electronics, Travel Insurance and Surplus Lines. So: **Indiana's ethics-CE requirement is a producer requirement**, imposed by IC 27-1-15.7-2 and limited to *"ethical practices in the marketing and sale of life, health, or annuity insurance products"* — and even then only for those lines. **It does not reach adjusters.** Twenty-four hours, your choice of approved subject matter, no repeats, no carryover.

Duties, Records, Reporting, and Discipline

Six duties — IC 27-1-28-21. An independent adjuster shall: *"(1) Be honest and fair in all communications with an insured, an insurer, a self-insurer, and the public. (2) Give policyholders and claimants prompt and knowledgeable service and courteous, fair, and objective treatment. (3) Refrain from: (A) giving legal advice; or (B) dealing directly with a policyholder or claimant who is represented by legal counsel unless the legal counsel consents to the direct contact. (4) Comply with all local, state, and federal privacy and information security laws. (5) Identify: (A) the independent adjuster's self as an independent adjuster; and (B) if applicable, the independent adjuster's employer; when dealing with a policyholder or claimant. (6) Refrain from: (A) having any financial interest in an adjustment; or (B) acquiring, for the independent adjuster or any person, an interest or a title in salvage without first receiving written authority from the principal."*

Records — IC 27-1-28-20 is only two clauses long: *"An independent adjuster shall: (1) maintain a copy of each contract between the independent adjuster and an insurer or a self-insurer; and (2) comply with the record retention policy agreed to in the contract."*

Reporting — IC 27-1-28-22. Report any administrative action taken against you in another jurisdiction or by another Indiana government agency *"not more than thirty (30) days after the final disposition of the matter,"* with a copy of the order or consent order. Report any criminal action on the same 30-day clock from *"final disposition of the criminal matter,"* with the initial complaint, the final order, and other relevant documentation.

Discipline — IC 27-1-28-18 gives the commissioner thirteen grounds to suspend, revoke, refuse to issue or renew, or place on probation. Alongside the expected ones — application misstatements, fraud, felony conviction, *"improperly withholding, misappropriating, or converting money or property,"* *"using fraudulent, coercive, or dishonest practices, or demonstrating incompetence, untrustworthiness, or financial irresponsibility,"* action against a license in another jurisdiction, forgery — sit three that surprise people: cheating on a licensing examination, failing to comply with a child support order, and failing to pay state income tax or comply with a tax payment order.

The penalty range is $50 to $10,000, *"in addition to any other penalty"* — so it stacks on top of suspension or revocation rather than replacing it.

Indiana sets no records retention period — and hooks you personally to the unfair practices statute

**Two things here are genuinely unusual.** **First: there is no year count.** IC 27-1-28-20 delegates the retention period **entirely to your contract** with the insurer or self-insurer. Indiana states no number — not in IC 27-1-28-21 (Duties), not in IC 27-1-28-23 (which requires you to keep proof of automated-system certification but sets no period), not anywhere in 760 IAC, which contains **no adjuster rule at all**. Compare states that impose a flat five years on every adjuster. **If you carry a "records: X years" figure in your head from another state, it is wrong here — and the obligation you actually have is to read your contract.** The only non-negotiable duty is keeping a copy of the contract itself. **Second: IC 27-1-28-14(g) is one sentence and it is a live wire.** *"An independent adjuster is subject to IC 27-4-1-4.5."* That is the **sixteen unfair claim settlement practices**, attached to **you personally as a licensee** — not merely to the carrier whose claims you handle. Combine it with the **$50–$10,000** penalty range in section 18 and the two are the enforcement backbone of Indiana adjuster regulation. **And note duty (6)(A):** *"Refrain from having **any** financial interest in an adjustment."* Not a material interest, not an undisclosed interest — **any**. Salvage is handled separately and requires **written authority from the principal** before you acquire an interest or title.

Public Adjusters — A Separate Chapter, Rewritten in 2023

Indiana's public adjuster regime lives in IC 27-1-27 and looks nothing like the independent adjuster chapter. The credential is a "certificate of authority," not a license.

The mechanics — IC 27-1-27-4. An annual fee of fifty dollars ($50). A surety bond "in a sum equal to ten thousand dollars ($10,000)" payable to the State of Indiana, renewed annually — and IDOI wants proof *"not more than six (6) months old."* The certificate *"shall expire on December 31 of the calendar year in which the same shall have been issued"* — so a certificate issued in November lasts about seven weeks. No prelicensing education is required, and per IDOI's CE table, no continuing education either.

The exam — IC 27-1-27-6 is 60 scored questions in 60 minutes for $50, covering Indiana insurance law, inventory and appraisal procedures, building construction, the standard fire policy, property claim contracts, and coverage questions including business interruption, improvements and betterments, replacement cost, concurrent and noncurrent apportionment, coinsurance and contribution.

Sections 12 through 20 were added by P.L.226-2023 and most published material predates them. They require: a written contract on a form approved by the commissioner, executed in duplicate, before any services other than emergency services, with an exact copy to the insurer; a pre-contract disclosure document defining company, independent and public adjusters; disclosure of any direct or indirect financial interest with other parties to the claim; and eleven mandatory contract contents including *"the title 'Public Adjuster Contract' printed prominently at the top of the first page"* and the date and time each party signed.

There is no percentage fee cap in Indiana. The statute regulates disclosure and timing of compensation, not its size. IDOI Bulletin 272 requires the contract to state *"the exact percentage of the total amount paid by the insurer"* where compensation is contingent — but no ceiling exists.

Prohibited contract terms — IC 27-1-27-15 include collecting a fee before the insurer has paid anything, taking the entire compensation from the first of several payments, requiring checks payable to the adjuster alone, precluding civil remedies, disclaiming the adjuster's own negligence, and taking power of attorney over the insured.

An Indiana public adjuster may not file the claim — and there is no reinstatement

**IC 27-1-27-1.5** is short and startling. A public adjuster shall not: *"(1) **file an insurance claim** with: (A) an insurer; or (B) an agent, employee, or representative of an insurer; **on behalf of an insured person**; (2) act in any manner in relation to claims for **personal injury or automobile liability**; (3) **bind the insured** in the settlement of claims; or (4) perform: (A) the role of a **roofing contractor**; (B) the role of an **appraiser**; or (C) **any other role**; with respect to the subject of a claim at the same time that the public adjuster is providing advice or assistance to an insured in the adjustment of the claim."* Ground (1) is the one nobody expects: **the insured must file their own claim.** The public adjuster advises and assists; the filing is not theirs to do. Ground (4) is Indiana's answer to the contractor-adjuster, and its *"any other role"* catch-all is what makes it impossible to serve as **independent** adjuster for the insurer on a claim where you are the insured's **public** adjuster. **Two three-business-day windows, and they are not the same window.** Under **IC 27-1-27-19** the contract is **voidable** within three business days of the day **the insurer is provided a copy**. Under **IC 27-1-27-20** it is **rescindable** within three business days of the day **the insured submits the claim to the insurer**. Both require written notice by registered or certified mail, personal service, or email to the address on the contract, and both require the adjuster to return anything of value within **fifteen (15) business days**. **And the quick-pay rule — IC 27-1-27-18.** If the insurer pays or commits in writing to pay the **policy limit within five business days** of the loss report, the public adjuster *"shall not receive a commission consisting of or based on a percentage of the total amount paid"* — only reasonable compensation based on **time spent and expenses incurred** — and must tell the insured the recovery might not increase. **Finally: there is no reinstatement path.** IDOI states that if a public adjuster certificate expires, the licensee *"must complete **all initial resident licensing requirements**."* Independent adjusters get twelve months and an $80 fee. Public adjusters get nothing — miss December 31 and you start over.

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Quick Reference

Licensing AuthorityIndiana Department of Insurance (IDOI)

Governing lawIC 27-1-28 (independent adjusters) · IC 27-1-27 (public adjusters)

License typesIndependent adjuster · Public adjuster · Temporary emergency adjuster. NO company/staff adjuster license

Lines of AuthorityProperty and casualty · Worker's compensation — qualified for individually

Exam ProviderPearson VUE — handbook #121500, Sept 2024 (rev. 11/2025)

QuestionsIndependent Adjuster 100 scored + 5 pretest; Public Adjuster 60 scored

Time Limit105 minutes (60 minutes for Public Adjuster)

Passing Score70 — the handbook calls it a scaled score in one place and 70% in another, and explains no conversion

Exam Fee$69 Independent Adjuster · $50 Public Adjuster; OnVUE online proctoring available

Retake48-hour wait; reapply with all fees and forms first (IC 27-1-28-15(d))

Pre-LicensingRequired — 40 hours, per IDOI. No statute or IAC rule sets the figure

Course Cert Valid6 months from the course completion date

Course/Exam WaiversApproved claims certification (UCC) · current out-of-state license · one expired <90 days · 5 years' insurer-verified experience · new resident within 90 days

Background CheckNone. No fingerprints, no criminal history check — for adjusters or producers

AppointmentNot required

Application$40 resident individual or business entity · $90 nonresident/DHS · via Sircon, NIPR, or NAIC paper

License Term2 years; IDOI renews on the last day of your birth month

Renewal / Reissuance$40 renewal · $80 reissuance within 12 months · DHS $90 / $180

CE24 hrs / 2 yrs. NO ethics hours. No repeats, no carryover. Public adjusters: none

RecordsNo statutory period — whatever your contract with the insurer says

Reporting30 days for administrative or criminal actions; 30 days for name or home-state address change

Emergency adjuster$20, up to 90 days; the INSURER applies within 5 days of the adjuster starting work

Who declares a catastropheThe Insurance Commissioner only — not the Governor, not the President

Public adjuster$50/yr, expires Dec 31, $10,000 bond, no CE, no reinstatement, no fee cap

Discipline13 grounds; civil penalty $50–$10,000, in addition to any other penalty

Official Links

IDOI — Resident Adjuster Licensing Requirements→IDOI — Resident Adjuster License Renewal Requirements→IDOI — Designating Indiana as Home State→IDOI — Non-Resident Adjuster Licensing→IDOI — CE Requirements By License Type / Line of Authority→IDOI — Insurance Laws, Rules & Bulletins→IC 27-1-28 — Independent Adjuster Licensing→IC 27-1-27 — Public Adjusters→IC 27-4-1-4.5 — Unfair Claim Settlement Practices→Pearson VUE — Indiana Insurance Exams→Pearson VUE — Indiana Candidate Handbook (#121500)→Pearson VUE — Indiana Content Outlines (#121501)→Sircon — Course Search & License Application→NIPR — License Application→

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Indiana Adjuster Insurance Exam 2026