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: 112 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 August 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, of which 3 must be ethics. NO CARRYOVER — excess credits do not move to the next term. NO CLASSROOM QUOTA: IAC 191 ch. 11 and IID's CE summary both expressly permit self-study, so any claim that a portion must be earned in person is incorrect. Proof must be RECEIVED by the division by the end of the last business day of the CE 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 testedReinstatement within 12 months of expiration: $100 reinstatement PLUS the applicable $50 renewal fee ($150 total), with CE compliance proven. Beyond 12 months a resident producer must apply for a NEW licence — which under IAC 191—10.4 requires passing the exam again. Iowa publishes NO late-renewal fee and NO CE penalty fee; the $100-per-notification late fee in IAC 191—10.20(5) is for missed NOTIFICATIONS (address/name change, reporting administrative actions) and is frequently misreported as a late-renewal fee.
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedExempt from Iowa CE: nonresident producers whose home state has its own CE requirement; resident producers holding ONLY surety and/or credit lines; licensed attorneys submitting proof of continuing legal education; full-time active-duty military. Crop-only resident producers have a REDUCED requirement of 18 credits (3 ethics). NOTE: Iowa exempts attorneys but grants NO exemption for insurance designations — see licensing.designation_waivers.
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 36 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, which IS available for Iowa (confirmed on IID's producer page, in handbook #121600 and on Pearson VUE's Iowa-specific OnVUE page). Current handbook: #121600, Rev01/2026; content outlines #121601, rev. 01/2026. Per-exam OnVUE eligibility is not enumerated by the vendor and is confirmed at scheduling.
- 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 testedNOT PUBLISHED. No numeric cut score appears in Pearson VUE handbook #121600 (Rev01/2026), content outlines #121601, Iowa Code ch. 522B, IAC 191 ch. 10 or 11, IID's website, or NIPR's Iowa page. What IS confirmed is the METHOD: the handbook states “Examination scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly” — i.e. RAW scoring, not scaled. Passing candidates receive a report marked pass/fail with NO number; only failing candidates receive a numeric score plus diagnostics by portion. Do not publish a percentage for Iowa.
- 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 testedFingerprints and a state (Iowa DCI) and federal (FBI) criminal history check are REQUIRED — for an initial resident producer licence; for a nonresident seeking an initial licence or an ADDITIONAL line of authority if not already checked; on renewal, reinstatement or reissuance FOLLOWING a revocation or suspension; and for initial viatical, adjuster, appraiser and umpire licences. ORDER OF OPERATIONS (the fact most guides get wrong): exam → NIPR application → THEN fingerprints, because the IID Fieldprint code is generated by NIPR and delivered in the application confirmation. It is structurally impossible to be printed first.
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedFieldprint. Schedule with the IID Fieldprint code (from your NIPR confirmation) plus your National Producer Number; bring the appointment number and TWO forms of ID. Fee $34.35 at an Iowa location, $36.35 outside Iowa, borne by the applicant. NOTE A CONFLICT: IAC 191—10.26(8) states the criminal-history fee “is $50”, which IID's fingerprinting page does not mention — publish both and flag it. Results are confidential, are not public records, and are not subject to subpoena except in criminal proceedings.
- 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)
- Structure of an Iowa producer exam testedEvery producer exam is ONE sitting containing TWO PORTIONS — General Knowledge and Iowa-Specific — each with its own published question count, and a failing score report gives diagnostics for BOTH portions. Scored totals (derived by adding the two published portion counts; no combined total is printed): Life 77 (50+27) · Accident & Health 80 (50+30) · Property 81 (50+31) · Casualty 83 (50+33) · Commercial Lines 82 (50+32) · Personal Lines 112 (75+37). Each carries 10 pretest questions (5 per portion) and runs 2 hours. Quoting an Iowa exam as “50 questions” reads only the General Knowledge line.
- Exam fee tested$44 for EVERY Iowa insurance exam — no per-line variation. Set by the testing service under contract and approved by the division rather than fixed in rule, so it can change without a rule amendment.
- Prerequisite for the Commercial Lines exam testedGATED: the handbook exam table footnotes that candidates must have PASSED THE PERSONAL LINES EXAM before taking Commercial Lines (12-IA-44). This is the only exam-to-exam prerequisite in Iowa's catalogue and is omitted by almost all published guidance.
- Are combined exams offered? testedNO. Iowa offers no combined Life & Health exam and no combined Property & Casualty exam. Life, Accident & Health, Property and Casualty are four separate exams for four separate lines of authority, plus Personal Lines and Commercial Lines. A producer wanting both halves of either pair sits both papers — but pays only ONE $50 licence fee.
- Retake waiting period and attempt limit tested24 hours before a new reservation may be made, and reservations for re-examination “are not made at the test center.” NO attempt limit is published in the handbook, Iowa Code ch. 522B or IAC 191. Each attempt costs the full $44, and Iowa Code § 522B.4(4) requires a candidate who FAILS TO APPEAR — as well as one who fails — to reapply and remit all required fees and forms before rescheduling.
- Identification and exam-day rules testedTWO (2) forms of current signature identification, and “the name on the identification must exactly match the name on the registration.” Primary: government-issued, photo AND signature, unexpired. Secondary: signature, unexpired (e.g. Social Security card, credit card). Arrive 30 minutes early. Change or cancel 48 hours ahead or forfeit the fee. Prohibited items include phones, watches, wallets, purses, hats, coats, notes — and your own pens or pencils.
- Is the licence fee per line? testedNO — the fee is $50 for the LICENCE for three years, regardless of how many lines of authority it carries (IAC 191—10.26(3): “the fee for issuance or renewal of a producer license is $50 for three years”). A candidate who passes Life, A&H, Property and Casualty pays four $44 exam fees but ONE $50 licence fee. This is a common error point.
- Do professional designations waive anything? testedNO. Iowa grants NO exam or education waiver for CLU, ChFC, CPCU, CIC, FLMI, AAI or any other designation. Iowa Code § 522B.8 is the only statute creating exam exemptions and both of its exemptions rest on PRIOR LICENSURE IN ANOTHER STATE. Confirmed negative against § 522B.8, § 522B.4, IAC 191 ch. 10, IAC 191 ch. 11 and handbook #121600. Note that Iowa DOES exempt licensed attorneys from CE — so the division knows how to write a credential-based exemption and chose not to for insurance designations.
- Exam exemptions based on prior licensure testedTwo, both in Iowa Code § 522B.8 and both keyed to 90 DAYS. (1) Previously licensed for the same lines in another state: no examination, if currently licensed there OR applying within 90 days of cancellation with certification of good standing. (2) Relocation to Iowa: “shall make application within ninety days of establishing legal residence,” and no examination is required for any line previously held. Miss the 90 days and the exemption is lost.
- Temporary producer licence testedAvailable. “The commissioner may issue a temporary insurance producer license for a period not to exceed one hundred eighty days without requiring an examination.” Six qualifying circumstances: death or disability of a licensed producer; a member/employee of a business entity on the death or disability of its designated licensee; the designee of a producer entering active military service; any circumstance the commissioner finds in the public interest; and a resident OR nonresident applicant who meets all requirements but has not received the licence within TEN BUSINESS DAYS of submitting fingerprints and identifying information. IAC 191—10.11 issues them for 90 days with extensions to no more than 180, on written justification. NO temporary-licence fee is published.
- Basis for the no-pre-licensing finding testedConfirmed negative. IAC 191—10.4 lists SIX resident requirements — be at least 18; have not committed any act that is grounds for denial; submit a completed uniform application; pass an examination in the line of authority sought; pay the producer licence fee; submit to a criminal history check — and education is not among them. Iowa Code § 522B.4 sets out the entire pre-exam obligation with no coursework requirement, and handbook #121600's Iowa Licensing Requirements section lists no education prerequisite. Any Iowa pre-licensing hour count is wrong.
- Can CE be satisfied by re-passing the exam? testedYES — unusual and commercially relevant. IAC 191—11.3(7): a producer “may elect to comply with the CE requirements by taking and passing the appropriate licensing examination for each qualification held.” Retesting is permitted in the 90 days before the licence expiration date. For a multi-line licensee this means one exam PER qualification held.
- Annuity and indexed-product training testedA ONE-TIME four-credit IID-approved annuity training course (IAC 191—15.76), plus a four-credit INDEXED PRODUCTS training course required “prior to providing any advice or making any sales presentation” on indexed products (IAC 191—15.80 to 191—15.87). Both sit OUTSIDE the 36 CE credits as gates on selling. Iowa adopted the NAIC best-interest standard by rule and was among the first states to do so.
- Long-term care training testedA one-time course of at least EIGHT CE credits in subjects related to long-term care insurance, Iowa Medicaid and partnership, required BEFORE selling any long-term care insurance; then FOUR CE credits in the same subjects for each CE term. Because Iowa's CE term is three years, the ongoing cadence is 4 credits per THREE years — slower than the per-two-years rhythm used in most states, and an easy error.
- Flood training requirement testedNO Iowa flood-hours requirement is imposed on producers. IAC 191—11.4(2) places the compliance-demonstration duty on INSURERS, requiring them to show their producers “have complied with all continuing education guidelines as established by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).” It is a federal-programme obligation routed through the carrier, not a block of Iowa hours a producer must buy.
- Is there a Title line of authority? testedNO. Iowa has no Title producer exam and no Title line of authority. Iowa Code § 515.48(10) excludes “title insurance or insurance against loss or damage by reason of defective title, encumbrances or otherwise” from the kinds of insurance a company may be authorised to write; title risk runs through the Iowa Title Guaranty programme instead. WATCH ITEM: Iowa legislative activity on title insurance makes this the Iowa fact most likely to change — re-check § 515.48 each build cycle.