Iowa Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers Iowa-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the Iowa exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the Iowa exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every Iowa insurance exam reserves a block of questions for Iowa-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 96 facts from the TESTivity Iowa 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 10 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period tested2 years from the date of issue, during the insured's lifetime (except for nonpayment of premium)
- Free look for individual life tested10 days for individual life (and annuities) — the owner may return the policy within 10 days for a refund
- Free look for annuities tested10 days (the same 10-day right applies to annuities)
- Free look when a policy is being replaced tested30 days on a replaced life policy or annuity
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days for long-term care (IAC 191-39); 30 days for Medicare supplement (federal SSA § 1882)
- Required nonforfeiture options testedCash surrender value, reduced paid-up insurance, extended term insurance
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedThe Life line plus an Iowa securities license or FINRA registration (Series 6 or 7 and Series 63 or 66) is required to sell variable contracts
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? testedYes — Iowa's Life Settlements (viatical) law
- Viator's rescission window testedThe EARLIER of 30 days after the contract is executed OR 15 days after the proceeds are sent to the viator
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYES — Iowa adopted the NAIC best interest standard by rule (IAC 191-15.75), among the first states to do so (effective in 2020). A producer recommending an annuity must act in the consumer's best interest.
Health 12 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? testedYES — Iowa expanded Medicaid through the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan (a Section 1115 waiver), effective January 1, 2014
- Effective date of expansion, if expanded testedJanuary 1, 2014 (via the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan waiver)
- Agency administering Medicaid testedIowa Medicaid, delivered through managed care as IA Health Link and administered by Iowa Health and Human Services
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedA FEDERALLY-FACILITATED marketplace — Iowa uses HealthCare.gov (no state-based exchange)
- Name of the state CHIP program testedHawki (Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa) — the state's CHIP
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedNo split — Iowa treats paper and electronic clean claims the same
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment tested10% per year interest on a clean claim not paid on time
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? testedYES — Iowa runs a binding external review: the Commissioner assigns an approved Independent Review Organization, and its decision is binding on the health carrier
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies testedFederal COBRA applies at 20+ employees; Iowa's continuation covers group coverage below that threshold
- Employer size range covered by state continuation testedIowa's continuation applies to group coverage; eligibility is keyed to at least 3 months of prior continuous coverage rather than a stated employer-size threshold
- Duration of state continuation coverage testedUp to 9 months
- Max premium as % of group rate testedNot more than the group rate otherwise due (about 100%) — Iowa does not add the 2% administrative load that federal COBRA allows
Auto 11 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault testedFault-based (tort). Iowa has no no-fault system and no mandatory PIP; fault is allocated under the Comparative Fault Act.
- Minimum bodily injury liability per person tested$20,000
- Minimum bodily injury liability per occurrence tested$40,000
- Minimum property damage liability tested$15,000
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested20/40/15
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedMust be INCLUDED at limits equal to the liability limits unless the named insured rejects uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in writing
- Underinsured motorist status testedIncluded with UM and rejectable in writing (Iowa Code § 516A.1)
- Personal injury protection status testedNo PIP — Iowa is a tort state. Medical payments coverage is available but optional.
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedModified comparative fault — a 51% bar. A claimant whose fault is GREATER THAN the combined fault of the defendants recovers nothing; otherwise the award is reduced by the claimant's share.
- The bar percentage, if modified comparative tested51% bar — a claimant more than 50% at fault recovers nothing; at exactly 50% they still recover
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto testedThe Iowa Automobile Insurance Plan (assigned risk), for drivers who cannot obtain coverage voluntarily
CE & Renewal 8 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedThree years — Iowa uses a TRIENNIAL license term, ending after the last day of the licensee's birth month
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedTriennial (a three-year cycle), anchored to the licensee's birth month
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested36 credits of Iowa-approved CE per three-year term
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) testedStill 36 total per three-year term — holding multiple lines does not multiply the hours
- Ethics hours required per period tested3 hours of ethics, within the 36
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedA resident producer must be CE-compliant before renewing; a lapsed license may be reinstated within 12 months (with CE satisfied) without re-examination
- Late renewal / reinstatement tiers testedA lapsed license may be reinstated within 12 months of the renewal due date (with CE met and reinstatement plus renewal fees paid); after 12 months, retake the exam and apply anew
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedNonresidents are exempt from Iowa CE if their home state has a producer CE requirement
Property 7 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) testedCOMPETITIVE / FILE-AND-USE — in a competitive market, rates take effect when filed (and must be filed within 15 days of use); a market the Commissioner finds noncompetitive requires prior filing/approval. Rates must not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory.
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedPermitted but restricted: an insurer may not base an action SOLELY on credit; may not use income, gender, ZIP code, race, religion, or marital status; and must give an adverse-action notice.
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedYES — Iowa has a FAIR Plan (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements), which makes basic property coverage available to owners who cannot obtain it in the standard market
- Name of the FAIR Plan, if any testedIowa FAIR Plan
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedTornado, derecho and severe thunderstorm (with hail and straight-line wind), plus river and flash flooding, are Iowa's dominant perils. Iowa's 2020 derecho was one of the costliest thunderstorm events in U.S. history.
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedAn active Iowa property and casualty producer license, plus a separate Excess & Surplus Lines authority
- 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 testedIowa Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000
- Life cash surrender / withdrawal value limit tested$100,000 net cash surrender value
- Annuity benefit limit tested$250,000 present value of annuity benefits (including cash surrender/withdrawal)
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for a health benefit plan; $300,000 for disability income and long-term care; $100,000 for other health
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$350,000 aggregate per life — except up to $500,000 where a health benefit plan is involved
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedYes — NAIC model limits, but with a $350,000 aggregate (higher than the usual $300,000)
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedIowa Insurance Guaranty Association
- Per-claim cap testedCovered claims up to the lesser of the policy limits or $500,000 per claim. Workers' compensation claims are paid in full. The insured's deductible or self-insured retention is not covered; unearned premium refunds are capped at $10,000 (over a $100 threshold).
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? testedYes — using the existence of the guaranty association for a sale, solicitation, or inducement is prohibited
Workers Comp 6 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? testedYes — essentially all covered employers must insure their workers' compensation liability
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedOne or more employees — Iowa requires coverage for essentially all employers with employees. Exemptions include casual and domestic workers below dollar thresholds, certain agricultural employers below a payroll threshold, and up to four electing corporate officers.
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedThe Iowa Division of Workers' Compensation, within Iowa Workforce Development, headed by the workers' compensation commissioner
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate tested80% of the employee's weekly SPENDABLE earnings — an unusual after-tax basis — capped at 200% of the statewide average weekly wage
- Deadline to file a claim testedGive the employer notice within 90 days of the injury; file a claim within 2 years of the injury (or within 3 years of the last weekly-benefit payment)
- 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 Iowa Insurance Division, part of the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS)
- Title of the person who heads it testedInsurance Commissioner (who also serves as Director of the Department of Insurance and Financial Services)
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body testedAppointed by the Governor, subject to Senate confirmation, for a four-year term — not elected
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedTitle XIII of the Iowa Code (chapters 505-523), with regulations in Title 191 of the Iowa Administrative Code
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedA conventional Insurance Division — but as of 2023 it sits within the new Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS), which also oversees banking and credit unions, and the Commissioner is DIFS director
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 — the cancellation restrictions do not apply to an auto policy in effect fewer than 60 days (unless it is a renewal)
- Notice days to cancel a homeowners policy inside the initial window tested30 days' notice to cancel homeowners (10 days for nonpayment); a 60-day initial underwriting window applies
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window tested30 days' advance notice to cancel auto; 10 days for nonpayment
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment tested10 days for nonpayment of premium (auto and homeowners)
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes tested30 days for permitted causes (auto)
- Notice days required for nonrenewal tested60 days' advance notice of nonrenewal for personal-lines auto and homeowners (a specific reason must be stated); 30 days applies to some other auto nonrenewals, and 45 days to commercial lines
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedFor personal-lines homeowners and auto nonrenewal, a specific written reason must be stated; for auto cancellation, the reason is furnished on written request
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 line or exam — Life and Accident & Health are separate lines of authority in Iowa. A candidate pursuing both qualifies each line 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 — Iowa licenses Property and Casualty as separate lines of authority, plus a Personal Lines line. Each is qualified with its own exam.
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — annuities are sold under the Life line (Variable Life and Variable Annuity is a separate line that also requires a securities license or FINRA registration)
- 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 Iowa producer license listing any of: Life · Accident and Health or Sickness · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines · Variable Life and Variable Annuity · Credit · Excess & Surplus Lines
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPearson VUE — at a test center or via OnVUE online proctoring
- License application fee tested$50 for the resident producer license — good for THREE years ($50 to renew each triennium)
- Fee per insurer appointment tested$5 per appointment to a domestic insurer
- Passing score tested70%
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedNO — Iowa 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 testedFingerprinting and a state and federal criminal-history check are required for CERTAIN applicants (as determined by the Commissioner), through Fieldprint — not for every applicant
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedFieldprint (for those applicants required to be fingerprinted), reported to the Iowa Insurance Division
- Deadline to apply after passing the exam testedPassing exam scores are valid 90 days; apply through NIPR within that window
- How long a passed exam remains valid tested90 days
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedNIPR (nipr.com)