Kentucky Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers Kentucky-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the Kentucky exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the Kentucky exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every Kentucky insurance exam reserves a block of questions for Kentucky-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 98 facts from the TESTivity Kentucky 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 11 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period testedNot more than 2 years from the date of issue, during the insured's lifetime
- Grace period for individual life tested30 days
- Window to reinstate a lapsed policy testedWithin 3 years of premium default (2 years for industrial life), on evidence of insurability and payment of overdue premiums with interest
- Free look for annuities tested15 days for an annuity, where the Buyer's Guide and disclosure were not delivered with or before the application (806 KAR 12:150)
- Free look when a policy is being replaced tested30 days on a replaced life policy or annuity, with an unconditional full refund (806 KAR 12:080)
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days for long-term care and 30 days for Medicare supplement (806 KAR 17); the LTC figure is per the DOI guide (NAIC standard)
- 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 Kentucky line (no separate exam)
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? testedYes — the Kentucky Life Settlements law
- Viator's rescission window testedThe EARLIER of 30 days after the contract is executed OR 15 days after the viator receives the proceeds
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYES — adopted the NAIC best interest standard, effective January 1, 2022 (806 KAR 12:120). 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 — Kentucky expanded Medicaid under the ACA, effective January 1, 2014 (up to 138% of the poverty level)
- Effective date of expansion, if expanded testedJanuary 1, 2014
- Agency administering Medicaid testedKentucky Medicaid, administered by the Department for Medicaid Services (accessed through kynect)
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedA STATE-BASED exchange — kynect. Kentucky runs its own marketplace, which it relaunched for plan year 2022 after several years on HealthCare.gov.
- Name of the state CHIP program testedKCHIP — the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic tested30 calendar days to pay or deny a clean claim (Kentucky applies the same 30-day standard to electronic and paper; 60 days for organ transplants)
- Clean-claim payment deadline, paper tested30 calendar days — the same deadline as electronic claims
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedNo split — a single 30-day clean-claim deadline for both paper and electronic claims
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment testedTiered interest on a late clean claim: 12% per year if 1-30 days late, 18% if 31-60 days late, and 21% if more than 60 days late
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? testedYES — Kentucky runs a binding external review: 'The decision of the independent review entity shall be binding on the insurer'
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies testedFederal COBRA applies at 20+ employees; Kentucky's continuation covers group coverage without a stated employer-size threshold
- Employer size range covered by state continuation testedKentucky continuation applies to group coverage; the insured must have been continuously covered for the prior 3 months, and no employer-size threshold is stated
- Duration of state continuation coverage testedUp to 18 months
- Max premium as % of group rate testedThe group rate (about 100%) — Kentucky's statute does not add a surcharge percentage
Auto 10 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault testedCHOICE NO-FAULT — under the Motor Vehicle Reparations Act, personal injury protection (basic reparation benefits) pays regardless of fault, but a Kentucky driver may REJECT the tort limitation in writing and keep full tort rights.
- Minimum bodily injury liability per person tested$25,000
- Minimum bodily injury liability per occurrence tested$50,000
- Minimum property damage liability tested$25,000
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested25/50/25 (a $60,000 single combined limit is an alternative), plus mandatory PIP
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedUninsured motorist coverage must be PROVIDED, but any named insured may reject it in writing (K.R.S. 304.20-020)
- Underinsured motorist status testedUnderinsured motorist coverage must be made AVAILABLE upon request (KRS 304.39-320); unlike UM, the statute has no signed written-rejection mechanism
- Personal injury protection status testedMANDATORY PIP (basic reparation benefits) — up to $10,000 per person for medical, work loss, replacement services, and survivor benefits, regardless of fault.
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedPURE comparative fault — a claimant's damages are reduced by their percentage of fault, with NO bar. A claimant recovers even if 99% at fault, reduced to their 1% share (Hilen v. Hays; KRS 411.182).
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto testedThe Kentucky Automobile Insurance Plan (assigned risk), for drivers who cannot obtain coverage voluntarily
CE & Renewal 9 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedTwo years — the CE biennium ends the last day of the licensee's birth month (in odd or even years by birth year)
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedBiennial, anchored to the birth month and to odd/even years by birth year
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 hours of Kentucky-approved CE every two years
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) testedStill 24 total — a person holding multiple CE-required licenses completes the hours once, credited to all
- Ethics hours required per period testedAt least 3 hours of ethics, within the 24
- Limits on who may provide CE credits testedUp to 12 carryover hours may be applied to the next compliance period as general hours
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedIf a license or line lapses for failing CE, the licensee has up to one year from termination to complete the delinquent hours and reinstate without re-examination
- Late renewal / reinstatement tiers testedUp to 12 months from termination to complete delinquent CE and reinstate without re-examination
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedThe Credit, Crop, and Travel limited lines are exempt from CE (KRS 304.9-230). Nonresidents meeting their home state's CE are treated as compliant.
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 are filed no later than 15 days after first use; in a market the Commissioner finds noncompetitive, rates need prior approval (filed at least 30 days before use). Residual-market rates and increases over 25% also need prior approval.
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedPermitted but restricted: an insurer may not decline, cancel, or nonrenew a personal auto policy SOLELY because of the applicant's credit history or lack of credit history (KRS 304.20-040).
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedYES — the Kentucky FAIR Plan Reinsurance Association, which makes basic property coverage available to owners who cannot obtain it in the standard market
- Name of the FAIR Plan, if any testedKentucky FAIR Plan Reinsurance Association
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedTornado, severe thunderstorm, and hail are Kentucky's dominant perils, along with river flooding — and, distinctively, EARTHQUAKE: western Kentucky sits over the New Madrid seismic zone, so earthquake exposure is a real Kentucky consideration.
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedAn active Kentucky 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
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedKentucky 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
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for a health benefit plan (major medical); $300,000 for disability income and long-term care; $100,000 for other/basic health
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$300,000 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 — standard NAIC model limits, with tiered health
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedKentucky Insurance Guaranty Association
- Per-claim cap testedCovered claims up to $300,000 per claimant (a cyber claim is up to $500,000). Workers' compensation claims are paid in full. Unearned premium refunds are capped at $10,000; the aggregate per insolvent insurer is $10,000,000. There is no per-claim claimant deductible.
- 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 every employer with one or more employees must secure workers' compensation coverage (agricultural employment is excepted)
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedOne or more employees — Kentucky requires coverage from the first employee (agricultural employment is exempt, along with certain domestic, short-term, and charitable workers)
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedThe Kentucky Department of Workers' Claims, within the Education and Labor Cabinet
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate tested66⅔% of the average weekly wage, capped at 110% of the state average weekly wage (floor 20% of the state AWW)
- Deadline to file a claim testedGive the employer notice as soon as practicable; file a claim within 2 years of the accident (or, if income benefits were paid, within 2 years of the last payment or the accident, whichever is later)
- 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 Kentucky Department of Insurance (DOI), within the Public Protection Cabinet
- Title of the person who heads it testedCommissioner of Insurance
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body testedAppointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate, for a term not to exceed four years — not elected
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedChapter 304 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes (the Kentucky Insurance Code), with regulations in Title 806 of the Kentucky Administrative Regulations
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedNo — a conventional Department of Insurance within the Public Protection Cabinet, 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 — the cancellation-reason restrictions do not apply to an auto policy in force fewer than 60 days (but 14 days' notice is still required)
- Notice days to cancel a homeowners policy inside the initial window tested75 days' notice to cancel homeowners in force more than 60 days; 14 days for nonpayment or within the first 60 days; a specific reason is required
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window testedAt least 20 days' notice to cancel auto; 14 days for nonpayment (with the reason)
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment tested14 days for nonpayment of premium (auto and homeowners)
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes tested20 days for permitted causes (auto)
- Notice days required for nonrenewal tested75 days' advance notice of nonrenewal for both auto and homeowners, and the reason must accompany the notice
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedYes — a specific reason must accompany a cancellation or nonrenewal notice (auto and homeowners)
Licensing 19 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 — a Health line with its own exam
- Is there a combined life+health license/exam? testedNo combined Life & Health exam — Kentucky's exams are separate single-line exams. A candidate pursuing both sits the Life exam and the 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 — Kentucky 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 that requires FINRA registration; there is no separate variable exam)
- 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 Kentucky producer license listing any of: Life · Health · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines · Variable Life and Variable Annuity — plus limited lines (Credit, Crop, Travel)
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPSI Services LLC — at a physical test center (Kentucky does not offer remote testing)
- Exam fee tested$50 per examination (a retake also costs $50, with an Exam Retake Form)
- License application fee tested$40 for the resident individual license, plus $40 per line of authority
- Fee per insurer appointment tested$40 per appointment (per insurer)
- Passing score tested70%
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedYES — Kentucky requires a 20-hour pre-licensing course (classroom or self-study) for each line of authority
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) tested20 hours per line of authority (classroom or self-study), completed before the exam
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedA background review is conducted through the license application; Kentucky does not require fingerprinting for a resident producer license
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedKentucky DOI, via the NIPR application
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedNIPR (nipr.com); Kentucky also uses its DOI eServices portal