Getting your Life & Health insurance license in Iowa
In most states, "Life & Health" is a single combined exam. Iowa is different: it licenses by individual line, so Life and Accident & Health are two distinct exams with their own content and their own pass marks. Passing both gives you the full Life & Health authority that lets you sell life insurance, annuities, disability income, medical expense, Medicare supplement, and long-term care products.
The good news is that Iowa asks for no pre-licensing course hours, and each exam is a flat $44. The trade-off is two separate sittings - though you can schedule them back-to-back - and a state section on each that leans heavily on Iowa statute.
Two exams, not one
The Life exam (12-IA-01) carries 50 scored national questions plus 27 Iowa-specific questions - 77 scored in all - with a 2-hour limit. The Accident & Health exam (12-IA-02) carries 50 scored national plus 30 Iowa-specific questions - 80 scored - also in 2 hours.
Each exam adds 5 unscored pretest questions per section. You can take the two exams on the same day; the candidate handbook lists each at $44.
What the Life and Health exams cover
Life (12-IA-01) national section: types of policies (whole life, universal/variable/indexed, term, annuities, combination plans); riders, provisions, options and exclusions; completing the application, underwriting, and policy delivery; and retirement and other insurance concepts including group life, qualified plans, and tax treatment.
Accident & Health (12-IA-02) national section: types of policies (disability income, medical expense, HMO/PPO/POS, HSAs/HRAs, Medicare supplement, LTC); policy provisions, clauses and riders; social insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security); other concepts; and field underwriting procedures.
Both Iowa state sections share a common block on the Commissioner's powers, licensing, unfair and deceptive practices, the Iowa Insurance Fraud Act, and the guaranty association. The A&H state section adds Iowa-heavy material: mandated coverages (diabetes, mammography, newborns, adopted children, complications of pregnancy), Medicare supplement rules, the Iowa LTC partnership program, HAWK-I, HIPIOWA, the Affordable Care Act, and the No Surprises Act.
How the exams are scored
Every Iowa producer exam has two scored parts: a national (general knowledge) section on insurance products and concepts, and an Iowa state section on laws, rules, and regulations.
You must score 70% on each section separately. The two scores are not averaged, so a strong national score will not rescue a weak state score. Each exam also contains 5 unscored pretest questions per section that are mixed in and do not affect your result.
You leave the test center (or finish your OnVUE session) with a pass/fail score report in hand. A fail report shows your numeric national and state scores plus diagnostic feedback so you know where to focus.
Iowa requirements at a glance
To be licensed as a resident producer in Iowa you must be a resident of the state, be at least 18 years old before sitting for the exam, pass the appropriate exam(s), submit a completed uniform application through NIPR, pay the license fee, and have committed no act that is grounds for denial under Iowa Code 522B.
Iowa is unusual in that it requires no pre-licensing education. You are free to prepare however you like - but the exams test detailed product knowledge and Iowa statute, so most candidates use a structured course.
First-time resident applicants must also clear a state and federal criminal background check with fingerprinting (see below).
Fingerprinting & background check (new in 2025)
Effective June 2, 2025 (Iowa Code 522B.5A), first-time resident applicants must complete state and federal criminal history checks with fingerprinting through Fieldprint before a license is issued.
The order matters: you submit your application through NIPR first, then the Iowa Insurance Division emails you a Fieldprint code and scheduling instructions. The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation runs the state check using those prints. Applications that require fingerprints take about 22 business days after prints are collected; others take about 15.
Your path to the Iowa Life & Health license
1. Prepare. No course is required, but plan to study both the national products material and the Iowa state laws for each exam.
2. Schedule with Pearson VUE at pearsonvue.com (or 877-540-5825), at least 24 hours ahead. Choose a test center or OnVUE online proctoring. Pay $44 per exam.
3. Pass Life (12-IA-01) and Accident & Health (12-IA-02) - 70% on each section of each exam.
4. Your results transfer to NIPR in about 3 business days.
5. Apply for the license on nipr.com within 90 days of passing and pay the $50 license fee.
6. Complete fingerprinting through Fieldprint using the code the Iowa Insurance Division emails you after you apply.
7. Once the background check clears, the IID issues your license. Get appointed by a carrier to start writing business.
Keeping your Iowa license active
Iowa runs a 3-year renewal cycle - longer than the 2-year cycle most states use - with renewal due by the last day of your birth month. You can renew any time within 90 days of expiration through NIPR.
You owe 36 CE hours per cycle, including 3 hours of ethics. A genuine Iowa quirk: 18 of those 36 hours must be completed in a classroom or in-person setting, not online.
Before you can actually place business, at least one insurance company must appoint you. Carriers file appointments through NIPR / the Producer Database.
Prep built for the Iowa Life & Health exams
Because Iowa requires no pre-licensing, your score rides entirely on how well you prepare. TESTivity's Life & Health package pairs plain-English video courses with mind maps, audio textbooks, and full-length Iowa-style exam simulators so the national and state sections both feel familiar on test day.
Practice in Test mode until you're clearing 80%+ consistently across both sections, then walk in confident.
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Don't study generic. Study Iowa.
You've got the roadmap. Now get the Iowa-specific Life & Health question bank, mock exams, and video course built by instructors with 20+ years teaching this material.