Missouri Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers Missouri-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the Missouri exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the Missouri exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every Missouri insurance exam reserves a block of questions for Missouri-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 169 facts from the TESTivity Missouri 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 20 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period, individual life tested2 years, measured from the EARLIER of the policy date or the issue date, and only while the policy has been in force during the insured's lifetime. Nonpayment of premium is always contestable. Accidental death, waiver of premium and total disability benefits are carved out permissively - the rule says the policy is incontestable 'with the exception of' them, which lets the insurer leave those riders contestable but does not compel it. Note the rule does NOT list fraud as an exception, unlike the accident and health provision at RSMo 376.777.1(2).
- Grace period, individual life tested31 days, and EXPRESSLY WITHOUT INTEREST - 'a grace period of thirty-one (31) days without interest will be allowed for every premium after the first.' The first premium is excluded. If the insured dies during the grace period the policy pays and 'any premiums then due may be deducted from the proceeds.' Many states are silent on interest; Missouri forbids it in terms.
- Window to reinstate a lapsed life policy testedFIVE years after the date of default in premium payment - and Missouri does fix this by rule, contrary to the common assumption that it does not. Conditions: the policy must not have been 'surrendered for its cash value'; evidence of insurability satisfactory to the company; payment or reinstatement of any indebtedness as at default; all premiums in arrears; plus interest.
- Suicide exclusion period testedONE YEAR from issue — a life policy may exclude death by suicide (sane or insane) within one year of issue, and if it does, the insurer must PROMPTLY REFUND all premiums paid for the excluded coverage. A new one-year period runs only on an increase in death benefits.
- Free look for individual life and annuity testedAt least 10 days from delivery, with a full refund of all premium paid - and 30 days, unconditional, where the contract REPLACES an existing life policy or annuity. Note RSMo 376.706 does not itself command a free look: it makes a 10-day unconditional refund the safe harbour that relaxes buyer's-guide delivery timing. The mandate is in the regulation.
- Free look when a policy is being replaced tested30 days from delivery of the contract, an unconditional full refund - triple the ordinary 10 days. It is the REPLACING INSURER's duty to give notice of the right, not the producer's. Every numeric clock in Missouri's replacement rule belongs to an insurer.
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days for long-term care, from policy delivery
- Required nonforfeiture options testedMissouri's statute requires A paid-up nonforfeiture benefit 'on a plan stipulated in the policy' plus A cash surrender value 'in lieu of any paid-up nonforfeiture benefit' - it does not name the customary triad. 'Cash surrender value' appears; 'paid-up nonforfeiture benefit' appears but is undefined; and EXTENDED TERM INSURANCE is never used as the name of an option - the phrase occurs in RSMo 376.670 only inside the proper names of the Commissioners 1958, 1961 Industrial and 1980 Extended Term Insurance mortality tables in the actuarial subsections. Reduced paid-up and extended term are customary policy form in Missouri, not statutory nomenclature. On default a specified benefit becomes effective 'as specified in the policy unless the person entitled to make such election elects another available option not later than sixty days after the due date of the premium in default' - and the same sixty days governs the request for the paid-up benefit and the surrender for cash value.
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedVariable life and variable annuities require the Life line plus Missouri's Variable line and active FINRA registration (a Series 6 or 7 through a broker-dealer) — they are securities
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? testedNot in the insurance code, on the sources read. Missouri regulates viatical settlement INVESTMENTS as securities: RSMo 409.1-102(28)(E) includes 'an investment in a viatical settlement or similar agreement' in the definition of a security, administered by the Commissioner of Securities appointed by the Secretary of State. A DCI provider or broker licence, an insurance-code settlement act and a statutory seller's rescission window were not located in the full catchline listings for RSMo 376.300 to 376.2000, the revisor keyword searches, the Title 20 CSR division listing or the DCI licensing page. Missouri supplies no defined term for the seller - do not teach 'viator' as a Missouri statutory term.
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYes - Missouri adopted the NAIC 2020 best-interest model. A producer 'shall act in the best interest of the consumer under the circumstances known at the time the recommendation is made, without placing the producer's or the insurer's financial interest ahead of the consumer's interest.' All four obligations are present: care, disclosure, conflict of interest, documentation. The original suitability rule took effect 30 March 2017; the best-interest amendment was filed 16 January 2024 and took effect 30 August 2024.
- Interest cap on reinstatement testedCapped by rule rather than left to the policy: interest 'in an amount not to exceed the applicable policy loan interest rate(s) during the period of lapse, assessed per annum and compounded annually', on the indebtedness and on each unpaid premium from its due date. The cap is only as determinate as 20 CSR 400-1.090, which sets the policy loan rate and whose contents were not retrieved.
- Misstatement of age on a life policy testedMissouri adjusts BENEFITS, not premium - and it covers SEX as well as age, which is unusual: 'if, at the time of application, the age or sex of the insured is misstated, the amount of coverage provided shall be such as the premium paid would have purchased at the correct age and sex according to the company's published rate at the date of issue of the policy.' The accident and health analogue at RSMo 376.777.2(2) covers age only.
- Entire contract provision tested'The policy, including the endorsements and attached application, if any, constitutes the entire contract of insurance.' Note the condition - the application is part of the contract only if ATTACHED. No change is valid until approved by an executive officer with the approval attached, and 'no insurance producer has authority to change this policy or to waive any of its provisions.' Reinforced for accident and health by RSMo 376.783.
- The 'contributed to the loss' statute testedA Missouri wildcard with no time limit and no exception, more protective than the incontestable clause: 'no misrepresentation made in obtaining or securing a policy of insurance on the life or lives of any person or persons, citizens of this state, shall be deemed material, or render the policy void, unless the matter misrepresented shall have actually contributed to the contingency or event on which the policy is to become due and payable.' Note the scope is narrower than it looks - it runs to policies on the lives of 'citizens of this state'.
- How much may be lent on a life policy tested'A life insurer may lend to a policyholder on the security of the cash surrender value of the policyholder's policy a sum not to exceed the legal reserve that the insurer is required to maintain on the policy.' This section sets a LENDING CEILING and contains no interest rate at all - do not cite it for a rate. Variable life must allow at least 75% of cash surrender value to be borrowed.
- Policy loan interest rateA date-scoping trap. RSMo 376.672, which used to carry the rate, was REPEALED by 2007 S.B. 66 - it was in force 13 August 1982 to 28 August 2007. There is no policy loan interest rate in the RSMo today; anyone quoting a statutory 8% for Missouri is quoting a repealed section. The current rule is 20 CSR 400-1.090 'Policy Loan Interest Rate Provisions', which is listed as current but whose contents were not retrieved - do not publish a Missouri policy loan rate figure until it is read directly.
- Which annuity nonforfeiture section is in force testedRSMo 376.669 is current; RSMo 376.671 is legacy and says so - 'the provisions of this section shall not apply to any new contract entered into after July 1, 2006.' A company could elect RSMo 376.669 form-by-form before that date. Neither section contains a free look, grace, incontestability, entire contract or misstatement-of-age provision; they are nonforfeiture statutes only.
- The producer's numeric deadlines on a replacement testedThere are none. Every numeric clock in 20 CSR 400-5.400 belongs to an INSURER - the five-business-day notifications, the 30-day extended free look, the ten-day post-issue notice, the five-year retention duties. The producer's duties are event-anchored: present and read the replacement notice 'not later than at the time of taking the application', and leave the sales material 'at the time an application ... is completed'. If the applicant answers no to existing coverage, 'the producer's duties with respect to replacement are complete'.
- Annuity producer training requirement testedA one-time FOUR-credit course approved by the director, on the LIFE line of authority - a new producer 'may not engage in the sale of annuities until the annuity training course required under this subsection has been completed'. Producers who completed the older suitability course must bridge within six months by taking either a new 4-credit course or 'an additional one-time one (1) credit training course'. The training counts toward CE: it 'shall be sufficient to qualify for at least four (4) CE credits'. Note DCI's CE landing and CE requirements pages do not mention it at all - the requirement lives only in the rule.
Health 20 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? testedYES — Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion (Amendment 2, August 2020); coverage for adults up to 138% of the federal poverty level began July 1, 2021
- Effective date of expansion, if expanded testedJuly 1, 2021 (approved by Amendment 2 in August 2020)
- Agency administering Medicaid testedMO HealthNet, within the Missouri Department of Social Services
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedA FEDERALLY-FACILITATED marketplace (HealthCare.gov) — Missouri does not run a state exchange
- Name of the state CHIP program testedMO HealthNet for Kids (Missouri's CHIP program, with managed care branded Show-Me Healthy Kids)
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic testedEvery DAY-count in the payment cascade - 30, 10, 5 and 45 - is a PROCESSING day, defined as days the carrier has the claim in its possession, excluding days awaiting a claimant response, so the clock stops while the ball is in the claimant's court. Two clocks in the section are NOT: the 48-hour electronic acknowledgment at RSMo 376.383.2, and the 'five calendar days' acknowledgment of requested additional information at RSMo 376.383.10. Electronic acknowledgment of receipt within 48 hours; initial status notice within 30 processing days telling the claimant either that the claim is a clean claim or that additional information is required; pay or deny within 10 processing days after additional information arrives; within 5 processing days after the final information request.
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedYes, and completely. A claim submitted by a health care provider after 1 January 2003 'in a nonelectronic format shall not be subject to the provisions of section 376.383' - paper claims get no prompt-pay protection at all. The distinction is imposed from outside RSMo 376.383, by RSMo 376.384.
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment testedTwo separate charges, not one. A clean claim unpaid after 45 PROCESSING days carries 'one percent interest per month AND a penalty in an amount equal to one percent of the claim per day', computed on the unpaid balance as at the forty-fifth processing day. Claims over $35,000: the same, but the daily penalty runs 'for a maximum of one hundred days' and thereafter the carrier pays two percent interest per month. Compliance for enforcement purposes is a PORTFOLIO standard - 'properly processing and paying ninety-five percent of all claims received in a given calendar year'.
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? testedYES — the independent review organization's decision BINDS both the insurer AND the enrollee, subject only to narrow judicial review within 30 days
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies testedFederal COBRA applies at 20+ employees; Missouri continuation extends COBRA-equivalent rights to those not covered by federal COBRA
- Employer size range covered by state continuation testedThere is NO employee-count threshold in the section. Missouri does not define its gap-filler by employer size the way most mini-COBRA states do. RSMo 376.428.4 applies the section 'only ... to those persons who are not subject to the continuation and conversion provisions set forth in Title I, Subtitle B, Part 6 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or Title XXII of the Public Health Service Act, as said acts were in effect on January 1, 1987.'
- Duration of state continuation coverage testedContinuation runs 'in the same manner as continuation of coverage is required under the continuation of coverage provisions set forth in the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), as amended' - Missouri borrows the federal standard rather than writing its own durations, and applies it to the population federal COBRA does not reach.
- Election period for state continuation testedMissouri also gives a group-to-individual CONVERSION right — apply and pay within 31 days of termination (RSMo 376.397); the continuation election tracks federal COBRA's 60 days
- Max premium as % of group rate testedRSMo 376.428 borrows COBRA's standard rather than stating its own percentage. Missouri DOES state percentages in its separate SPOUSAL continuation right: 102% of the group rate during the COBRA period, rising to 125% after COBRA expires, with the first premium due within forty-five days of the election.
- Grace period, individual accident and health testedThree different periods by premium mode: 7 days for weekly premium policies, 10 days for monthly, and 31 days for all others - a structure Missouri writes into the required-provisions statute rather than leaving to the form.
- How long a provider has to file a claim testedSix months from the date of service for PARTICIPATING providers; one year for NONPARTICIPATING providers. A carrier's own refund or offset request is capped at twelve months after payment, except in cases of fraud.
- Spousal continuation after COBRA testedA genuinely Missouri-specific right that BEGINS WHERE COBRA ENDS. A surviving, divorced or legally separated spouse may continue coverage 'if the surviving spouse is fifty-five years of age or older at the time of the expiration of coverage provided by' COBRA. The clocks: 60 days to notify on separation or dissolution, 30 days for the group policyholder to notify on death, 14 days for the plan administrator to send election instructions, 60 days for the spouse to elect - and failure to elect 'shall terminate the right'. Coverage ends at the earliest of nonpayment, group termination, other group coverage, REMARRIAGE PLUS other group coverage (a two-part condition, not remarriage alone), or the spouse's 65th birthday.
- Conversion right after group health terminates testedA converted policy must be issued 'without evidence of insurability'. The clock belongs to the INDIVIDUAL: 'written application and the first premium payment for the converted policy shall be made to the insurer not later than thirty-one days after such termination.' The insurer's duty is notice, discharged through the certificate - 'notification of the conversion privilege shall be included in each certificate of coverage.'
- Small employer, defined testedTwo to fifty eligible employees, averaged on business days over the preceding calendar year. Missouri stayed at 50 and did not move to the 1-to-100 definition some states adopted, and THE FLOOR IS TWO - a sole-proprietor-only group falls outside. An 'eligible employee' works a normal week of thirty or more hours and expressly includes a sole proprietor, a partner and an independent contractor; a person, spouse and minor children employed by the same employer count as ONE eligible employee.
- Free look, long-term care testedThirty days: 'long-term care insurance applicants shall have the right to return the policy or certificate within thirty days of its delivery and to have the premium refunded.'
Auto 18 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault testedTORT (at-fault) — Missouri is NOT a no-fault state; there is no mandatory PIP. The at-fault driver's liability coverage pays the other party's damages, and uninsured-motorist coverage is required.
- 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 (raised from $10,000 by SB 708, effective for policies issued on or after July 1, 2019)
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested25/50/25 - but note WHICH section carries the numbers. RSMo 303.020(10) defines proof of financial responsibility in those terms and RSMo 303.190.2(2) sets what a certified motor vehicle liability policy must carry. RSMo 303.025, the section that IMPOSES the duty, sets no coverage limits at all - its only dollar figures are the criminal fines at 303.025.3. And note RSMo 303.030.5 DOES carry the full 25/50/25: the reason Missouri has no uninsured-motorist property-damage mandate is not that 303.030 lacks a PD figure, but that RSMo 379.203.1 borrows only 'the limits for bodily injury or death set forth in section 303.030' and leaves the PD figure behind.
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedPROVIDED, not merely offered - and there is no right to reject it on a personal auto policy. No auto liability policy may be 'delivered or issued for delivery' in Missouri 'unless coverage is provided therein or supplemental thereto' at the RSMo 303.030 bodily-injury limits, and none of the five subsections of RSMo 379.203 provides for waiver, written rejection or opt-out. BUT FINISH THE SENTENCE: it continues 'or in the case of any commercial motor vehicle, as defined in section 301.010, any employer having a fleet of five or more passenger vehicles, such coverage is OFFERED therein or supplemental thereto.' For those two categories Missouri requires only that UM be offered. The limits are $25,000/$50,000 BODILY INJURY ONLY - not because RSMo 303.030.5 lacks a property-damage figure (it carries the full 25/50/25) but because RSMo 379.203.1 borrows only 'the limits for bodily injury or death' from it. Missouri does not mandate uninsured motorist property damage.
- Underinsured motorist status testedNOT mandated, and it lives in a different section from UM. RSMo 379.204's catchline is 'Underinsured motor vehicle coverage, construction of policy' - it is a construction statute, not a mandate. Its whole operative text reads UIM 'with limits of liability less than two times the limits for bodily injury or death pursuant to section 303.020' as providing coverage IN EXCESS of the tortfeasor's liability coverage. Two times 25/50 is 50/100, so UIM below 50/100 is construed as excess rather than difference-in-limits. Note the cross-reference split: UM points at RSMo 303.030, UIM points at RSMo 303.020.
- Personal injury protection status testedNo PIP mandate and no no-fault system, on the documents read: RSMo 303.025, 303.190, 303.020(10), 379.203, 379.112 and 20 CSR 500-2.100(2). Medical payments is optional in terms - RSMo 379.112 reaches med pay and UM provisions 'if any'. If med pay IS written, it falls inside the cancellation and nonrenewal protections (RSMo 379.110(3), 379.121(3)), and 20 CSR 500-2.100(2)(C) regulates its coordination-of-benefits language without requiring it to be sold.
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedPURE COMPARATIVE FAULT - a claimant's recovery is reduced by their share and never barred. But be careful what you cite: RSMo 537.765 applies BY ITS OWN TERMS ONLY TO PRODUCTS LIABILITY CLAIMS - 'the doctrine of pure comparative fault shall apply to products liability claims as provided in this section.' For ordinary negligence including auto, the rule rests on Missouri Supreme Court decision (Gustafson v. Benda, 1983) implemented through the MAI 37.00 comparative-fault instruction series, not on that statute.
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto testedThe 'Missouri Automobile Insurance Plan', named in the statute itself, for applicants 'unable to procure such policies through ordinary methods'. All insurance companies must subscribe and participate. Administration may be by a third-party administrator, a nationally recognised residual-market management organisation, or an authorised insurer - the statute describes the administrator by CATEGORY and names no organisation. Note RSMo 303.200.4 requires DIRECTOR APPROVAL BEFORE USE of every form, endorsement, rider, manual, rule and rate - a prior-approval island inside an otherwise file-after-use state.
- Any alternative to buying liability insurance (e.g. VA's UMV fee) testedFour methods of giving proof: a certificate of insurance (owner's under RSMo 303.170 or operator's under 303.180), a bond (303.230), a deposit of money or securities (303.240), or a self-insurance certificate (303.220). Missouri's self-insurance route has a genuinely distinctive branch: a religious denomination with MORE THAN TWENTY-FIVE MEMBERS WITH MOTOR VEHICLES which 'discourages its members from purchasing insurance, of any form, as being contrary to its religious tenets' may qualify as a self-insurer - alongside the ordinary route for a person in whose name MORE THAN twenty-five motor vehicles are registered. Both figures are 'more than', not 'or more'.
- The eight accidents that may not raise a premium testedA rating plan is 'unfairly discriminatory' if it surcharges for an accident in eight enumerated circumstances: the car was lawfully parked; the insured was reimbursed by or on behalf of a responsible person; the car was STRUCK IN THE REAR and the insured operator was not convicted of a moving violation; the other driver was convicted and the insured was not; a HIT-AND-RUN reported within 24 hours; contact with animals or fowl; flying gravel, missiles or falling objects; and an emergency response 'to a call of duty'. Three carry conditions rather than being automatic - the rear-end, hit-and-run and emergency items.
- Coverages that may not be surcharged on driving record tested'Any rating plan ... which modifies ... premium charged for uninsured motorist coverage, comprehensive coverage or fire, theft ... based upon any insured's driving record ... shall be considered unfairly discriminatory.' Driving-record surcharges are confined to the coverages the record actually predicts.
- The 'solely because' underwriting ban testedNo insurer may cancel, refuse to write or refuse to renew auto insurance for a person WITH AT LEAST TWO YEARS' DRIVING EXPERIENCE solely because of age, residence, race, sex, colour, creed, national origin, ancestry or lawful occupation including military service - or solely because another insurer refused, cancelled or refused to renew. Nor may an insurer REQUIRE an applicant to divulge whether any insurer has done so. A proviso preserves class-of-business and geographical-territory appetite. The property analogue at RSMo 375.007 carries no two-year condition but has its own exception where the hazard is increased by exposure attributable solely to residence or lawful occupation.
- Rating on a coverage gap caused by military service testedNo refusal to write and no adverse underwriting decision - EXPRESSLY INCLUDING charging an increased premium - solely because the applicant never purchased motor vehicle insurance, where the gap is due to armed services service and the applicant has not violated a financial-responsibility or compulsory-insurance requirement in the past 12 months. This is NOT a general ban on rating for prior lapse; the protection is conditioned on military service causing it. Discounts and action on a substandard driving record are preserved.
- Assigning fault because a party was on a motorcycle testedProhibited outright: no insurer, agent, producer or claims adjuster may 'assign a percentage of fault to a party based upon the sole fact that the party was operating a motorcycle in an otherwise legal manner'. Violation is an unfair trade practice under RSMo 375.930 to 375.948. Note this is a CLAIMS-HANDLING rule, not a rating rule, and is frequently mis-filed under rating.
- 'Reduction in coverage', defined testedA renewal change to a POLICY FORM, effective to ALL insureds with that form, which removes coverage, diminishes scope or adds an exclusion. It excludes changes the insured requested, typographical corrections and legislatively mandated changes. And critically: 'a reduction in coverage mandated by the insurer which does not apply to all insureds with the same policy form shall be treated as a nonrenewal.' Fifteen days' notice is required.
- How an auto cancellation notice must travel testedThe delivery method is PRESCRIBED, not left to the insurer: 'United States Postal Service certificate of mailing, first class mail using Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb), or another mail tracking method used, approved, or accepted by the United States Postal Service.' Plain untracked first-class mail does not satisfy it. Issuance 'constitutes a present and unequivocal act of cancellation of the policy', and billing or reinstatement-offer communications afterwards do not invalidate it.
CE & Renewal 10 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedTwo years. RSMo 375.018 issues 'an insurance producer license for a term of two years', renewing on the producer's birth date.
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedBirthday-based — the license renews biennially on the producer's birth date
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested16 CE hours every 2 years, including at least 3 hours of ethics (Title producers need 8)
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) tested16 total each period — holding multiple lines does not multiply the requirement (the hours need not be divided equally among lines)
- Ethics hours required per period testedThree of the sixteen - but NOT three hours of ethics. 20 CSR 700-3.200(2) requires producers in the RSMo 375.018.1(1) to (6) lines to 'complete three (3) hours of instruction covering ethics, Missouri law, and producer duties and obligations to the department during any two-(2-)year licensure period'. It is one combined three-hour block. RSMo 375.020.1 mandates business-ethics CONTENT ('business ethics, including sales suitability') without an hours figure, so cite the rule rather than the statute - and note the rule sits in 20 CSR 700-3, not 700-1.
- Limits on who may provide CE credits testedApproval authority rests with the DIRECTOR, assisted by the nine-producer insurance advisory board under RSMo 375.019 - but three outside parties are involved operationally: providers register through SBS (State Based Systems), Pearson VUE runs provider support, and DCI links an approved-course catalog hosted by Sircon. A course approval lasts one year and may be renewed 90 days before its renewal date; completions must be reported electronically within 30 days.
- Initial long-term care training requirement tested8 hours of initial basic training 'specific to Partnership policies before selling such policies', plus 'at least four (4) hours of continuing education regarding such policies during each two-year renewal period thereafter'. Note the scope is QUALIFIED LONG-TERM CARE PARTNERSHIP policies, which is narrower than all LTC. Whether these hours count toward the 16-hour CE total is not stated on the DCI page.
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedRSMo 375.020 is SILENT on any penalty - it addresses waivers and extensions only - and the DCI CE page states no sanction either. The operative mechanism is a gate rather than a fine: RSMo 375.018 conditions reinstatement on 'providing proof of continuing education', alongside the $25-per-month penalty and the renewal fees owed. What happens after the 12-month reinstatement window closes is not stated in RSMo 375.018 or on the DCI renewal page - do not assert that the exam must be retaken.
- Late renewal / reinstatement tiers testedA penalty of $25 PER MONTH that the licence was expired, and a right to 'reinstate the same license' within TWELVE MONTHS from the due date of the renewal fee, on proof of CE plus the accrued penalty plus the fees owed. Business entities follow the same window and structure. What happens after the twelve months is NOT published - neither RSMo 375.018 nor the DCI renewal page addresses whether the applicant must reapply as new or re-sit the exam.
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedThree statutory exemptions: holders of licence types not requiring examination; limited lines and restricted licensees as the director exempts; and life producers limited to policies or annuities of $20,000 OR LESS for funeral expenses. Separately the director may WAIVE on a showing compliance is not feasible, 'including, but not limited to: (1) Serious physical injury or illness; (2) Active duty in the armed services for an extended period of time; (3) Residence outside the United States; or (4) The licensee is at least seventy years of age' - and may grant an extension 'not to exceed the period of one calendar year'. Nonresident CE is verified through the PDB.
Property 20 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) testedCOMPETITIVE, and specifically FILE-AFTER-USE: manuals, rating plans, policies and forms must be filed 'within ten days after' they are effective (RSMo 379.321). Commercial property and casualty go further - filed 'for informational purposes only within ten days of use' and 'not to be reviewed or approved by the department', with commercial underwriting rules exempt from filing altogether. FIVE carve-backs restore full regulation: workers' compensation, medical malpractice liability, FARM PROPERTY AND LIABILITY, assigned-risk or residual-market coverage, and any policy required by the division of workers' compensation. The rate standard is conjunctive - no rate is 'excessive' unless unreasonably high AND reasonable competition does not exist.
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedPERMITTED but RESTRICTED — an insurer may not take adverse action based on credit alone (a non-credit factor must be considered), must give an adverse-action notice, and may not take credit-based adverse action at renewal until the third policy anniversary
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedYes, and it is STATUTORY rather than a voluntary industry arrangement: the Missouri Basic Property Insurance Inspection and Placement Program, RSMo 379.810 to 379.880. 'Basic property insurance' covers direct loss to real and tangible personal property at a fixed location and includes the standard fire policy, extended coverage, builders' risk and vandalism and malicious mischief, excluding automobile risks "or such types of manufacturing risks as the governing committee may exclude with the approval of the director".
- Name of the FAIR Plan, if any testedThe Missouri Property Insurance Placement Facility — the Missouri FAIR Plan
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedTornadoes, large hail, and severe convective storms, plus a signature tail risk — earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone of southeast Missouri (excluded from standard homeowners policies, so a separate endorsement is needed)
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedA property and casualty producer licence - and Property alone or Casualty alone will not do. The director issues a surplus lines licence only to 'a qualified holder of a current resident or nonresident property and casualty insurance producer license', and the DCI states 'residents must hold or be applying for a property and casualty insurance producer license.' A separate examination applies (code 82, 50 items, one hour, $25), with a grandfather for permits held before 1 July 1987 and non-resident reciprocity. Fee $100 initial and $100 biennial, on a birth-date cycle; non-payment terminates the licence.
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes, but the test is QUALITATIVE - no numeric declination count appears in the sections read. RSMo 384.017(2) asks whether 'the full amount or kind of insurance is not obtainable from admitted insurers who are actually transacting in this state the class of insurance required by the insured', and deems insurance obtainable 'if there is available a market with admitted insurers that can supply the insured's requirements both as to type of coverage and as to quality of security and service.' It defines its own terms: 'type of coverage' means hazards covered and limits of coverage; 'quality of security and service' means the rating by a recognised financial service. No declination number appears in RSMo 384.017, 384.021, 384.043, 384.051, 384.057 or 384.059, nor on the DCI surplus lines pages - and the regulations agree. Missouri's surplus lines rules are 20 CSR 200-6 (not Division 700), and the rule that would have carried the test, 20 CSR 200-6.500 'Standards for Determining the Availability of Coverage', was RESCINDED on 30 July 2019.
- Valued policy law - and what triggers it testedREWRITTEN BY 2021 H.B. 604 and no longer fire-only. 'When real property incurs a total loss caused by a peril covered under an insurance policy and such total loss is a covered loss under the insurance policy, then the liability of the insurance company writing the policy shall be the amount of money for which the real property was insured, less any deductible.' Any covered peril that totals real property triggers the face amount. Guides still saying 'total loss by fire' are quoting repealed text.
- The ten valued-policy exclusions testedReal property only, with ten exclusions in subsection 2 - including any PARTIAL loss, unscheduled personal property, detached or appurtenant structures, builder's risk, blanket limits over two or more buildings, and any loss covered by two or more policies. Two carry conditions rather than being flat carve-outs: exclusion (8) needs BOTH a risk increase within sixty days of the loss without the insurer's consent AND causation, and exclusion (9) expressly preserves the insured's right to recover replacement cost under the policy's own terms.
- Standard fire policy testedPrescribed by REGULATION, not statute: the standard fire policy for Missouri 'is declared to be the 1943 Standard Fire Insurance Policy of the State of New York', and a policy using it must be 'clearly designated the Standard Fire Insurance Policy for Missouri'. The rule then overrides four parts of that form - most notably the form's five-day cancellation notice at line 62 is 'given no effect', replaced by 30 days generally and 10 days for nonpayment or evidence of incendiarism.
- The Missouri appraisal clause testedEach party names a competent and disinterested appraiser and notifies the other within 20 DAYS of demand; the appraisers select an umpire and, failing for 15 DAYS to agree, a judge appoints one; the umpire awards within 30 DAYS; an itemised award of ANY TWO determines the loss. Each party pays its own appraiser and the parties split the umpire and appraisal expenses equally.
- FAIR Plan maximum limits tested'On any habitational property at one location, two hundred thousand dollars; and on any commercial property at one location, one million dollars' - with 'location' meaning property in a single building or contiguous buildings under one ownership. Above those figures the facility 'will endeavor to assist in placement' rather than write it. The plan may also issue SINKHOLE LOSS POLICIES under RSMo 379.827, a provision reflecting Missouri's karst geology.
- The five limits on credit-based insurance scoring testedCredit is permitted in personal auto and personal property (mortgage and commercial policies are excluded from the definition of 'contract'), but never as the sole basis. Five prohibitions: no adverse action without 'consideration of another noncredit-related underwriting factor' (375.918.2); none on an inability to compute a score (375.918.3); none on DISPUTED information until the FCRA dispute is finally determined (375.918.5); none at renewal 'until or after the third anniversary date of the initial contract' (375.918.9); and 'insurance inquiries shall not directly or indirectly be used as a negative factor' (375.918.10).
- The four credit-scoring disclosure duties testedAt original application, disclose that the insurer 'may gather credit information' (375.918.4). On adverse action, give notice that credit affected the decision, the consumer reporting agency's contact details, notice of the right to a free credit report within 60 days, and notice of the right to dispute (375.918.6). On request within 30 days, supply reasons 'sufficiently clear ... [that] a person of average intelligence can identify the basis' (375.918.7). And allow reunderwriting on request within 30 days after the report is corrected (375.918.8).
- Partial loss adjustment options testedFire policies only, and partial loss BY FIRE only, for policies issued or renewed on or after 28 August 2021. The insurer's option: settle at actual cash value, or repair, rebuild or replace with property of like kind and quality 'within a reasonable time, on giving notice of its intention within thirty days or after the receipt of the proof of loss'. The section expressly does NOT create a general contractor relationship between insurer and insured.
- Missouri's anti-redlining rule tested'The establishment or use of any eligibility requirement or the mandatory application of any underwriting rule, which contains a provision applicable only to particular geographic areas or communities within this state in connection with policies of insurance providing fire and extended coverage insurance on owner-occupied habitational property not exceeding two (2) families is prohibited.' Separately, 20 CSR 500-9.100 requires insurers to FILE underwriting guidelines using place of residence, gender, marital status, race, colour, national origin, ancestry, creed, age, occupation, impairment or credit history - that one is a filing requirement, not a ban, and it does not reach automobile.
- Surplus lines premium tax tested5% either way, and - despite how the two sections are drafted - on the SAME base. RSMo 384.059 says "net premiums" and RSMo 384.051 says gross, but RSMo 384.061.1 provides that 'notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter ... the five percent tax on net premiums imposed by sections 384.051 and 384.059 shall be levied upon and only upon the entire gross premium for nonadmitted or surplus lines insurance policies for which the home state of the insured is Missouri'. What differs is WHO: BROKER-placed, the broker remits to the director and 'may collect from the insured an amount equal to the tax'; INSURED-placed with no broker, the insured files the report and remits to the DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE. Both are due before April 16. For airlines, railroads and motor carriers only the Missouri portion is taxable, apportioned by revenue miles in the state.
- Surplus lines filing deadlines testedQuarterly sworn statement within 45 DAYS after each calendar quarter ends; annual sworn statement before MARCH 2; the insured's report on non-broker placements before MARCH 2; tax payment before APRIL 16 for broker and insured alike. Filing goes through the DCI Surplus Lines Online Filings portal, and the obligation attaches to any producer holding an active surplus lines licence 'during any part of the tax year' - one month of licensure still means a filing.
- The eligible-insurer list, and what it is not testedMissouri publishes a list of eligible surplus lines companies that DCI calls the 'White List', 'updated nightly; NAIC updates are received quarterly'. The licensee must verify the nonadmitted insurer either holds capital and surplus equal to the greater of the state minimum or $15 million (with exceptions floored at $4.5 million), or appears on the director's list or the NAIC International Insurers Department quarterly listing of alien insurers. THIS IS A LIST OF APPROVED INSURERS, NOT OF EXPORTABLE COVERAGES - no export list of pre-approved classes was located in Chapter 384 or on DCI's surplus lines pages, and the only statutory bypass of the diligent search is the exempt commercial purchaser route.
- The exempt commercial purchaser bypass testedThe diligent-search obligation switches off entirely for an exempt commercial purchaser, on two conditions IN ORDER: the licensee must DISCLOSE that 'such insurance may or may not be available from the admitted market', and the purchaser must have 'SUBSEQUENTLY requested in writing' the nonadmitted placement. The writing must come after the disclosure.
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedThe Missouri Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association (MOLHIGA)
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000 in life insurance death benefits with respect to any one life, regardless of the number of policies or contracts - for insolvencies on or after 28 August 2013. The scheme opens with 'the lesser of' the contractual obligations the insurer would have owed OR the enumerated caps, so a $50,000 policy does not become a $300,000 claim.
- Life cash surrender / withdrawal value limit tested$100,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values - and note it sits in the SAME subparagraph as the $300,000 death benefit, joined by the words 'but not more than'. It is a sub-cap carved out of the $300,000, not a parallel limit.
- Annuity benefit limit tested$250,000 in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash surrender and withdrawal values, for insolvencies on or after 28 August 2013 - raised from $100,000 by the 2013 amendment. Structured settlement annuities carry $250,000 measured PER PAYEE, in the aggregate, not per contract.
- Health benefit limit testedTHREE different numbers turning on which kind of health coverage it is: $100,000 for coverages other than disability income, health benefit plans or long-term care (including net cash surrender and withdrawal values); $300,000 for DISABILITY INCOME; $300,000 for LONG-TERM CARE; and $500,000 for HEALTH BENEFIT PLANS. The $100,000 'other health' bucket is the one most often dropped - the association's own HTML summary page leaves it out, though its Coverage Summary of 20 CSR 400-5.600 carries the full list.
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$300,000 in the aggregate with respect to any one life, rising to $500,000 where health benefit plans are involved, plus a separate ceiling of $5,000,000 in benefits with respect to one owner of multiple nongroup life insurance policies. Do not confuse that $5,000,000 with the OTHER five-million figure in the act: RSMo 376.718(15) excludes 'premiums in excess of five million dollars' from the definition of premiums, which is an assessment-base exclusion, not a benefit cap.
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedBroadly yes for insolvencies on or after 28 August 2013, but the trigger is the date the member insurer was FIRST PLACED UNDER AN ORDER OF REHABILITATION (or of liquidation if no rehabilitation order was entered) - NOT the date the policy was issued. For earlier insolvencies the legacy regime at RSMo 376.717.4 applies: a single flat $100,000 health figure with no disability/LTC/major-medical split, and $100,000 rather than $250,000 for annuities.
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedThe Missouri Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association (MOPCIGA)
- Per-claim cap tested$300,000 per claim for all other covered claims; WORKERS' COMPENSATION benefits are paid in FULL with no cap; and return of unearned premium is capped at $25,000 per policy. The obligation cannot exceed the policy's own face amounts or limits, and ceases at $10,000,000 across all similar state associations for any one insolvent insurer. Note there are TWO $300,000 figures doing different jobs: RSMo 375.775.1(3) is the per-claim payment cap, while RSMo 375.772.2(7)(j) removes from 'covered claim' status altogether any claim under a policy with a deductible or self-insured retention of three hundred thousand dollars or more.
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? testedYes, and it cuts both ways. 'It is an unfair trade practice for any insurer or producer to make use in any manner of the protection given policyholders by sections 375.771 to 375.779 as a reason for buying insurance from such insurer or producer.' The same subsection imposes an affirmative duty: where a policy exceeds guaranty limits the insurer 'shall prominently inscribe on an endorsement to the insurance contract the limitations of coverage provided by the guaranty association.' Because the violation is labelled an unfair trade practice it routes into RSMo 375.930 to 375.948.
Workers Comp 12 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? testedYes — mandatory for employers with 5 or more employees (1 or more in the construction industry)
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedFive or more employees generally; ONE or more for construction employers - and the construction test is a verb list, not an industry label: employers 'who erect, demolish, alter or repair improvements'. Family members within the third degree count toward the employee total.
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedThe Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation, within the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate tested66 2/3% of the injured employee's average weekly earnings, capped at 105% of the state average weekly wage for injuries on or after 28 August 1991 - both figures in RSMo 287.170.1(4), with a $40 weekly minimum at 287.170.1(5). Compare permanent partial disability: also 66 2/3%, but capped at 55% of the state average weekly wage. A guide printing one cap for both is wrong. The current dollar cap is a derived figure published annually by the Division.
- Maximum TTD duration testedNot exceeding 400 weeks, at the weekly rate in effect on the DATE OF INJURY - both in the unnumbered opening of RSMo 287.170.1, separate from the rate and cap subdivisions. Employees receiving unemployment compensation are ineligible; termination for post-injury misconduct disqualifies; and voluntary separation where compliant work existed disqualifies both temporary total and temporary partial benefits.
- Deadline to file a claim testedTwo years from the date of injury, death OR LAST PAYMENT - so a paid claim has a rolling deadline. Three years if the employer failed to file the report of injury under RSMo 287.380. A Second Injury Fund claim runs two years from the injury OR one year after filing against the employer, WHICHEVER IS LATER, so it can exceed two years. Filing other forms does not toll the period, and a late injury report does not revive it. It is a statute of extinction, not of repose.
- Ways an employer may comply (insure / self-insure / group) testedInsure the ENTIRE liability with an authorised carrier, or self-insure the whole or any part 'upon satisfying the division of their ability to do so' - the qualification test is qualitative, with no dollar net-worth threshold in RSMo 287.280, plus whatever security the Division demands. Two forms of self-insurance exist: individual and group trusts. Missouri is a competitive market with no state fund; a residual market has operated since 1 January 1994 under RSMo 287.896, with all authorised writers required to participate.
- The waiting period, and when it is paid back testedThree days, retroactive on a condition: 'if the disability lasts longer than fourteen days, payment for the first three days shall be made retroactively to the claimant.' Note it is LONGER THAN fourteen days, not fourteen or more - a disability of exactly 14 days does not trigger retroactive payment. The Division's page glosses the three days as 'three business days'; RSMo 287.160.1 as retrieved does not qualify them. Compensation is paid at least once every two weeks, and late payments carry ten percent simple interest per annum after thirty days.
- What the Second Injury Fund pays now testedPERMANENT TOTAL DISABILITY ONLY, for injuries after 1 January 2014: 'no claims for permanent partial disability occurring after January 1, 2014, shall be filed against the second injury fund.' A permanent total claim additionally requires 'a medically documented preexisting disability equaling a minimum of fifty weeks of permanent partial disability compensation' in one of four categories - active military duty, a compensable injury, a non-compensable injury that 'directly and significantly aggravates or accelerates' the work injury, or a prior loss of an extremity, eye or ear with a subsequent injury to the OPPOSITE one. A guide describing partial-disability claims against the Fund is describing pre-2014 law.
- How the Second Injury Fund is funded testedBy an annual surcharge on AUTHORISED SELF-INSURERS AND POLICYHOLDERS - not a tax on insurers' premium income - including state entities and political subdivisions. The base cap is three percent of 'net deposits, net premiums, or net assessments', 'rounded up to the nearest one-half of a percentage point', payable quarterly. A SUPPLEMENTAL surcharge of up to one percent - rounded up to the nearest one-QUARTER point - runs for calendar years 2014 to 2026, and the statute provides that 'the provisions of this subsection shall expire on December 31, 2026', so the maximum combined figure is 4% through calendar 2026 and 3% thereafter absent legislative action. Surcharge collections are the sole funding source.
- Employments outside the workers' compensation law testedFarm labour; domestic servants and occasional household labour; qualified real estate agents and direct sellers; inmates and patients in state facilities working exclusively for government entities; unpaid volunteers of 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) organisations; and sports officials and adjudicators in amateur youth programmes. Exempt employers may ELECT coverage by purchasing insurance; family farm corporations may cover family members and salaried officers by board resolution; and a corporation with no more than two owner-employees may withdraw by filing notice.
- Occupational disease - the clock and the liable employer testedThe limitation PERIOD is the same two or three years from RSMo 287.430; RSMo 287.063.3 changes only when it starts: 'the limitation period shall not begin to run in cases of occupational disease until it becomes reasonably discoverable and apparent that an injury has been sustained related to such exposure.' A guide printing a separate number of years for occupational disease is wrong. The liable employer is the one 'in whose employment the employee was last exposed to the hazard ... prior to evidence of disability', regardless of how long the exposure lasted.
Regulator 13 facts
Who regulates insurance here and what powers the office holds.
- Name of the state insurance regulator testedThe Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI)
- Title of the person who heads it testedDirector of the Department of Commerce and Insurance
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body testedAPPOINTED by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, serving at the Governor's pleasure — not elected
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedThe insurance chapters of the Revised Statutes of Missouri (RSMo Title XXIV, chapters 374-385), with producer licensing in Chapter 375 and rules in Title 20 CSR
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedYes — DCI is an umbrella department housing Insurance, Finance, Credit Unions, and Professional Registration, and the Public Service Commission and Office of Public Counsel are attached to it. It was reorganized and renamed from DIFP in 2019.
- When a claims mistake becomes a violation testedNot on a single file. An act becomes an improper claims practice only if 'it is committed in conscious disregard of sections 375.1000 to 375.1018 or any rules promulgated under' them, OR 'it has been committed with such frequency to indicate a general business practice to engage in that type of conduct.' The act also excludes workers' compensation, fidelity, suretyship and boiler and machinery claims, and creates no private cause of action.
- Missouri's claims-handling clocks - and their units testedMissouri MIXES working and calendar days deliberately, and neither RSMo 375.1002 nor 20 CSR 100-1.010 defines 'days'. Acknowledge a claim within 10 WORKING days of receipt; reply to communications that reasonably suggest a response within 10 WORKING days; advise acceptance or denial within 15 WORKING days 'after the submission of all forms necessary to establish the nature and extent of any claim' - not from notice of loss; complete the investigation within 30 days of notification unless it cannot reasonably be completed; status letters at 45 days and every 45 thereafter - and note the rule writes those two as plain 'days' rather than 'working days', which is how the calendar reading is reached. RSMo 375.1007(13) separately requires claim forms within 'fifteen calendar days' on request.
- When the claims clock starts testedAt the producer, not at the home office: 'notification to any agent of the insurer, including a producer representing the insurer, constitutes notification to the insurer.' Note also that 20 CSR 100-1.040, the old prompt-investigation rule, was RESCINDED on 30 July 2008 - the 30-day investigation duty survives at 20 CSR 100-1.050(4).
- Vexatious refusal to pay testedTwo sections doing two jobs. RSMo 375.420 supplies the damages: 'not to exceed twenty percent of the first fifteen hundred dollars of the loss, and ten percent of the amount of the loss in excess of fifteen hundred dollars' plus a reasonable attorney's fee, IN ADDITION to the loss and interest - maxima, and discretionary. RSMo 375.296 supplies the gateway: the insurer must have failed to pay 'for a period of thirty days after due demand therefor PRIOR TO the institution of the action', on a contract issued or delivered in Missouri to a Missouri resident or to a corporation incorporated in or authorised to do business here, and failure to appear and defend 'shall be deemed prima facie evidence' of vexatious refusal. RSMo 375.420's list of covered lines closes 'except automobile liability insurance'.
- Appointment, and the two 30-day clocks testedA producer may not act for an insurer unless 'listed on the company register of appointed insurance producers authorized to sell, solicit or negotiate contracts of insurance on behalf of the insurer' - a COMPANY REGISTER, not a filing-by-filing appointment with the department. The insurer enters the producer within 30 days of authorising them. On termination both clocks are 30 days but THE RECIPIENT DIFFERS: a for-cause termination on a RSMo 375.141 ground requires notice to the DIRECTOR within 30 days of the EFFECTIVE DATE; any other reason requires only that company records be updated.
- The 90-day independent producer contract right testedA Missouri provision with no counterpart in the appointment statutes. A contract between an insurer and an INDEPENDENT producer 'shall not be terminated or cancelled by the insurer except by mutual agreement or unless ninety days' written notice in advance has been given to the independent insurance producer AND the director'. The quid pro quo: 'during the ninety days' notice period the independent insurance producer shall not write or bind any new business on behalf of the insurer without specific written approval.' TWO SCOPE CONDITIONS - 'insurer' here means any PROPERTY AND CASUALTY insurance company, and exclusive or captive producers are expressly excluded from the definition of 'independent'.
- Premium trust handling testedThe fiduciary duty runs BOTH WAYS - to the company for money collected on its behalf, and to the applicant or insured for money collected on theirs. But Missouri departs from the national baseline on mechanics: subsection 3 does NOT require separate bank accounts per payor, provided the funds are 'reasonably ascertainable from the books of account and records of the insurance producer'. The duty is records-traceability, not segregation.
- Fees from the insured, and commission sharing testedA producer may charge the insured a fee, but only 'upon a written agreement between the insurance producer and the insured specifying or clearly defining the amount or extent of the compensation' - and that rule expressly reaches 'adjustment of claims'. Without the writing, charging 'any greater sum than the rate of premium fixed and shown on the policy' is unlawful. Commission sharing is permitted TO A DULY LICENSED PRODUCER, and Missouri does not regulate the AMOUNT: RSMo 375.116.2 preserves 'freedom of contract ... with reference to the amount of commissions or fees'.
Cancellation 10 facts
When and how policies can be canceled or nonrenewed — heavily tested.
- Initial window during which an insurer may cancel more freely tested60 days on both sides, but the two windows do DIFFERENT things. On AUTO it is built into the definition - 'policy' means an automobile policy 'which has been in effect for more than sixty days or has been renewed', so for the first 60 days RSMo 379.110 to 379.120 do not apply AT ALL. On PROPERTY it attaches only to the GROUNDS section: RSMo 375.002.2 switches off the four-ground limit for a policy in effect less than 60 days 'unless it is a renewal policy', leaving the 30-day notice arguably still in force. Either way the window is lost the moment the policy is a renewal, however early.
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window testedAt least 30 days' written notice to cancel or nonrenew a personal auto policy, stating the specific reason
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment tested10 days, on both auto and habitational property - and the notice must carry, 'in bold conspicuous type', the legend beginning 'THIS POLICY IS CANCELLED EFFECTIVE AT THE DATE AND TIME INDICATED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS IS THE FINAL NOTICE OF CANCELLATION WE WILL SEND...'. The bold-type legend is a substantive condition on the 10-day clock, not decoration.
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes tested30 days on both auto and habitational property. But note how short the auto GROUNDS list is - after the 60-day window an insurer may cancel only for (1) nonpayment of premium or (2) the named insured's driver's licence having been suspended or revoked during the policy period. And ground (2) carries a proviso: where more than one person is named and only one is suspended, the policy 'may not be cancelled' - the insurer may issue a named-driver exclusion instead. Property has four grounds, including conviction of the named insured OR ANY OCCUPANT of a crime increasing the hazard, and physical changes in the property.
- Notice days required for nonrenewal tested30 days for personal auto and for habitational property. Separately on auto, 15 days' notice is required that a policy IS renewing, and 15 days for a reduction in coverage. Commercial casualty runs on a longer clock entirely - 60 days for both cancellation and nonrenewal, with a further 90 days' notice to the DIRECTOR before withdrawing an entire line or class.
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedPROACTIVELY, in every case, and with an anti-boilerplate clause: the notice must state 'the insurer's actual reason ... sufficiently clear and specific so that a person of average intelligence can identify the basis for the insurer's decision without further inquiry. Generalized terms such as personal habits, living conditions, poor morals, or violation or accident record shall not suffice.' Note the lists DIFFER - RSMo 375.004.1 (property nonrenewal) omits 'violation or accident record', and RSMo 379.883.3 (commercial casualty) supplies no banned-generalities list at all and uses 'so that the recipient can identify the basis' instead. The notice must also carry the residual-market referral.
- Restrictions on nonrenewing because of claims (e.g. weather claims excluded) testedNo prohibition on nonrenewing for claims frequency was found in RSMo 375.002, 375.004, 375.007, 379.114, 379.116, 379.118, 379.120 or 379.122. What Missouri does have is different: a SPECIFICITY requirement banning 'violation or accident record' as a stated reason; eight enumerated situations in 20 CSR 500-2.600 where surcharging for an accident is unfairly discriminatory; a claims-history disclosure right on written request, within 30 days, for COMMERCIAL CASUALTY only (RSMo 379.884); and DCI bulletins on post-storm terminations that are non-binding under RSMo 374.015.5. Note also that renewal is not a waiver of grounds existing and unknown before renewal.
- Commercial casualty - the longer clock tested60 days for cancellation and 60 days for nonrenewal, plus 90 days' prior written notice TO THE DIRECTOR before cancelling or nonrenewing an entire line or class. Five grounds remove the 60-day cancellation requirement: nonpayment; fraud or material misrepresentation or a violation of policy terms; changes materially increasing the hazards; INSOLVENCY OF THE INSURER; and the insurer involuntarily losing reinsurance. Trap: the statute does NOT substitute a shorter number for those five - it simply removes the 60-day rule and is silent on what applies instead. Do not import the 10-day nonpayment figure, which lives in the property and auto sections.
- The claims-history disclosure right testedCommercial casualty only, and on written request: 'in the case of a cancellation or nonrenewal, the policyholder shall have the right to receive within thirty days of his written request, a statement of his claims history for that policy for the three years prior to the date of the cancellation or nonrenewal, or total experience if the policy has been in effect less than three years.' There is no parallel in the property or auto groups.
- FAIR Plan cancellation notice testedNot less than thirty days before cancellation or nonrenewal, to allow time to apply for new coverage. Notices must state the reasons, include procedures for obtaining inspections, and inform the insured of the right of appeal. The facility cannot cancel without governing-committee approval except for evidence of incendiarism, nonpayment, fraud or material misrepresentation, or a finding that changed physical condition or altered circumstances make the risk uninsurable.
Licensing 36 facts
How you get and keep the license — exams, fees, applications, background checks.
- Is there a standalone life license/exam? testedYes — a standalone Life exam and line of authority (Life includes annuities)
- Is there a standalone health license/exam? testedYes — a standalone Accident & Health or Sickness exam and line of authority
- Is there a combined life+health license/exam? testedYes — Missouri offers a combined Life, Accident & Health exam, in addition to the individual Life and Accident & Health exams
- Is there a personal lines license/exam? testedYes — a Personal Lines line (its own exam), covering noncommercial property and casualty risks
- Is P&C one combined license, or split into Property and Casualty? testedBoth — Missouri offers Property and Casualty as individual exams AND as a combined Property & Casualty exam, plus a narrower Personal Lines line.
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — FIXED annuities are sold under the Life line (which also may include AD&D and disability income). VARIABLE life and variable annuities require the separate Variable line plus FINRA registration.
- Does the P&C license already include personal lines authority? testedYes — a full Property & Casualty authority covers personal-lines risks; the Personal Lines line is a narrower noncommercial subset
- Full list of exam-based agent license types testedOne Missouri producer license listing any of: Life · Accident and Health or Sickness · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines · Variable Life and Variable Annuity · Credit — plus specialty lines (Crop, Surplus Lines, Title, Bail Bonds, Navigator)
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPearson VUE, at every stage - registration, delivery, scoring and rebooking. There is no remote option: Missouri does not appear on Pearson VUE's OnVUE programme index and has no Missouri OnVUE page, though DCI announced online proctored exams in November 2020. The handbook's reference to registering 'online or at a physical Pearson VUE testing location' is about BOOKING, not delivery.
- Exam fee testedOnly three fees exist. $32 for a single line (Life 50, Accident & Health 51, Property 52, Casualty 53, Personal Lines 56); $40 for a combined exam (Life/Accident & Health 54, Property & Casualty 55); $25 for limited and specialty lines (Surplus Lines 82, Public Adjuster 20, Public Adjuster Solicitor 21, Crop 31, Title 58, Surety Recovery Agent 57, Bail Bonds Agent 23, Title Agency Qualified Principal 59). Navigator (84) breaks the pattern at $32 for a one-hour exam.
- License application fee tested$100 for a resident producer license (biennial)
- Passing score testedA SCALED 70 on a 0 to 100 scale - not a percentage. The handbook says the reported score 'is neither the number of questions you answered correctly nor the percentage of questions you answered correctly.' Multiple forms of each exam exist and 'equating is used to correct for differences in form difficulty'; the handbook's worked example has 30 correct on one form equating to 28 on a harder one. The standard 'was set by the Missouri Department of Insurance ... after a comprehensive study was completed for each examination.' Whether the 70 differs by exam is not stated.
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18 (bail bond and surety recovery agents must be 21)
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedNO — Missouri does NOT require pre-licensing education for producers. Only the written exam is required; candidates study the content outlines and sit the exam directly.
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) testedNone - and there is a rescission to point at rather than a mere absence. 20 CSR 700-3.100 'Prelicensing Education' was RESCINDED effective 30 January 2003, and the DCI states affirmatively that 'Missouri does not require pre-licensing courses.' Because nothing exists to be exempt from, Missouri has no pre-licensing exemption list either - keep that separate from the EXAM waiver list, which does have three entries.
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedDisclosure questions on the Uniform Application, and NO fingerprints for producers. NIPR states fingerprints are required only for Bail Bond Agent, General Bail Bond Agent and Surety Recovery Agent applicants. RSMo 375.015 (all subsections), RSMo 375.014, 20 CSR 700-1.010, the DCI resident-producer page, the DCI producer licensing FAQ and the Pearson VUE licensing checklist were each read and none imposes one on producers. The only criminal reference in RSMo 375.015 is to acts under RSMo 375.141 and to disclosure of 'a conviction for a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude'.
- Deadline to apply after passing the exam testedOne year from the date of the examination - confirmed twice. The handbook says 'all Missouri exam scores are valid for one year', and 20 CSR 700-1.010(3)(C) says 'once an individual has passed an examination, the applicant has one (1) year from the date of the examination in which to submit an application for licensure to the department," and "failure to submit an application within this time period will necessitate the individual taking and passing the examination again before the applicant may be licensed.' Separately, wait 24 to 48 hours after passing before applying, so the results can load into the system.
- How long a passed exam remains valid testedOne year from the date of the examination, stated identically in the candidate handbook and in 20 CSR 700-1.010(3)(C). And the rule says so in terms: "Failure to submit an application within this time period will necessitate the individual taking and passing the examination again before the applicant may be licensed."
- Waiting period before retaking a failed exam tested'Candidates must wait one (1) day before scheduling a reexamination', and 'reservations for reexamination are not made at the test center' - you rebook through the normal channel and pay again. No cap on attempts appears in the handbook's Retaking the Exam section or in RSMo 375.016(4), which provides only that a candidate who fails to appear or fails to pass 'may reapply for an examination and shall remit all required fees and forms before being rescheduled.'
- Notice required to reschedule/cancel without forfeiting the fee testedYou must reschedule or cancel at least 48 hours before the exam to avoid forfeiting the fee
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedNIPR - the handbook says 'applicants are requested to file applications electronically via the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) at www.nipr.com.' Paper is accepted by mail to PO Box 4001, Jefferson City, MO 65102 with 'a company or agency check, cashier's check, or money order for $100.' The form is the NAIC uniform application, Form UA-IP for individuals and UA-BEP for business entities. Sircon appears in Missouri for the CE provider and course catalog only, NOT as the licence application portal.
- Are temporary licenses available? testedYes - up to 90 days, 'without requiring an examination', under RSMo 375.025. Four qualifying circumstances: the surviving spouse or court-appointed personal representative of a producer who dies or becomes mentally or physically disabled; a member or employee of a licensed business entity on such a death or disability; the designee of a producer 'entering active service in the Armed Forces'; and 'any other circumstance in which the director deems that the public interest will best be served.'
- Temporary license duration and training requirement testedNot to exceed ninety days - note NOT 180. No examination. The director may limit the temporary licensee's authority and may require a 'suitable sponsor' who assumes responsibility, and may revoke where 'interests of insureds or the public are endangered'. It ends when 'the owner or the personal representative disposes of the business'. RSMo 375.025 contains no fee language at all.
- Exam waivers - three in the statute, none in the handbook testedRSMo 375.016(1) makes the list exclusive: a resident applicant 'shall pass a written examination unless exempt pursuant to subsection 5, 6 or 7 of this section.' (5) prior licensure - exempt if currently licensed in that state, or if the application arrives 'within ninety days of the cancellation' AND 'the prior state issues a certification that, at the time of cancellation, the applicant was in good standing in that state'. (6) relocation - apply 'within ninety days of establishing legal residence' and 'no examination shall be required of that person to obtain any line of authority previously held in the prior state except where the director determines otherwise by regulation'. (7) 'individuals applying for limited lines producer licenses shall be exempt from examination.' THE MARCH 2026 CANDIDATE HANDBOOK MENTIONS NONE OF THEM. No designation-based waiver exists - CLU, ChFC, CPCU, RHU and the rest appear in neither the handbook nor 20 CSR 700-1.
- The Title agent carve-out that is not in the statute testedThe DCI FAQ answers 'I have a license in another state. Do I still have to take an examination?' with: 'No. If you hold a resident agent, broker or producer license in another state, you are not required to take an examination for those lines in which you are licensed, with the exception of Title agents.' Note this sits on that question, NOT on the separate 90-day relocation answer, which carries no Title exception. The words appear nowhere in RSMo 375.016(5) or (6) - but RSMo 375.016(6) waives examination for lines previously held 'except where the director determines otherwise by regulation', which is the delegation the carve-out rests on.
- Identification required at the test centre testedTWO forms of current signature identification - one primary bearing photograph and signature, one secondary bearing a signature. Primary: government-issued driver's license, U.S. Department of State driver's license, U.S. learner's permit (plastic card only), national/state/country ID card, passport, passport card, military ID, military ID for spouses and dependents, Alien Registration Card. Secondary: U.S. Social Security card, debit or credit card, or any primary-list item. NOTE WHAT IS ABSENT - employee IDs and school or student IDs are NOT on Missouri's list, though Pearson VUE's generic secondary list elsewhere includes them. Names must match exactly, nothing may be expired, and a chip-embedded or illegible signature does not count.
- Arrival, personal items and breaks testedArrive 30 minutes early; you are photographed and sign a Candidate Rules Agreement, and the computer tutorial does not reduce exam time. 'No personal items are allowed in the testing room. Personal items include but are not limited to cellular phones, hand-held computers or other electronic devices, pagers, WATCHES, wallets, purses, firearms.' Breaks are usually allowed but 'the exam clock will not stop'. Late arrivals 'will not be admitted to the examination and will forfeit the examination fee'; an excusable absence needs written verification within fourteen days.
- What you receive when you finish testedYour official score, in hand, before you leave the centre - the report carries 'either a Pass or Fail score'. The exam 'will end automatically when the examination time has expired'. Below 70 the number indicates how close you came 'rather than the actual number or percentage of questions the candidates answered correctly'. Whether Missouri supplies any section-level diagnostic on failure is not stated in the handbook's Score Explanation or Retaking sections - do not plan a retake around a breakdown you may not receive. Duplicate score reports come from your Pearson VUE account.
- How long to wait after passing before applying tested24 to 48 hours: 'after 24-48 hours of passing the examination (to allow time for the exam results to load in the system), go to the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance' to apply. Applying sooner means the system cannot yet see your pass.
- Question counts by exam testedEvery paper is two scored sections plus embedded pretest that is 'mixed in with the scored questions and ... not identified'. Life, Accident & Health, Property, Casualty and Property & Casualty: 50 general plus 40 Missouri scored, 10 pretest, 100 total. Life/Accident & Health combined: 50 general plus 45 MISSOURI scored, 105 total - the only combination that adds items. Personal Lines: 75 GENERAL plus 40 Missouri scored, 125 total. Limited lines: 50 scored on state statutes, rules and regulations.
- The Property & Casualty timing anomaly testedThe combined Property and Casualty exam carries THE SAME 100 ITEMS as Property alone but allows three hours instead of two - the combination buys an extra hour, not extra questions. This is not an error: it was re-extracted twice from the printed outlines with differently worded prompts and both passes agreed. The Life/Accident & Health combination behaves differently and does add five items.
- Booking, payment and vouchers testedReservations must be made at least 24 hours before the desired date, and payment 'must be paid at the time of reservation by credit card, debit card, voucher, or electronic check' - 'fees will not be accepted at the test center'. Vouchers bought through the Missouri voucher store 'expire 12 months from the date they are issued' and are non-refundable and non-returnable. Misconduct means dismissal and forfeiture of the fee.
- Nonresident licensing tested$100 through NIPR, age 18 or over, and lighter on paperwork than the process usually implies: 'a Certification Letter from the producer's home state is not required' - home-state standing is verified through the Producer Database (PDB) report instead. Consistent with that, 20 CSR 700-1.030 'Certification Letters' was rescinded on 30 July 2008. Nonresident CE compliance is also verified through the PDB. The governing statute is RSMo 375.017.
- Exam fee reimbursement for veterans testedAdministered by VETERANS AFFAIRS, not by the DCI - the DCI page hosts the information and routes applicants to the VA. 'Veterans Affairs will pay for the cost of the tests, up to $2,000 for each test,' regardless of the number of exams taken or attempts made, and 'will not issue reimbursement for other fees connected with obtaining a license or certification' - so the $100 licence fee is not covered.
- Deadline to report an address change testedThirty days. Address changes must be reported to the DCI within 30 days, alongside the licence renewal machinery in RSMo 375.018.
- The limited-lines exam conflictUnresolved on the sources read, and worth knowing rather than smoothing. RSMo 375.016(7) says 'individuals applying for limited lines producer licenses shall be exempt from examination', yet DCI lists Crop, Title and Surplus Lines among the lines requiring an exam and Pearson VUE sells exams for those plus bail bonds, public adjuster and surety recovery. The likely reconciliation is that these are separate statutory licence types rather than 'limited lines producer' licences - but no source stating that reconciliation was located, and no statutory definition of 'limited lines producer' was found.