Life and Health Authority in Montana
This page describes a route rather than an exam, because Montana publishes no combined Life & Health producer examination.
Two independent sources say so. The candidate handbook's AVAILABLE EXAMINATIONS table has no combined life-and-health producer row - the producer entries are Life, Disability, Property and Casualty, each as its own two-part examination. And MCA 33-17-212(5) lists the classifications the examination must address as nine separate things: life insurance; disability insurance; property insurance, which for this purpose includes marine; casualty insurance; surety insurance; surety bail bond insurance; limited lines credit insurance; title insurance; and prepaid legal insurance. Life and disability are two entries on that list, not one.
There is a row in the handbook's table that looks like the exception, and mistaking it is the easiest error on this page. "Life and Disability Consultant" is a combined-line exam - 100 questions, two hours - but it is not a producer exam. A consultant is a different licence class under MCA 33-17-505, with its own $50 application fee and $100 biennial renewal under MCA 33-2-708, where the resident producer pays neither. Read the LICENSE TYPE column, not the EXAM column.
So the practical shape of getting both lines in Montana is: sit the Life examination, sit the Disability examination, apply once through NIPR, and receive one licence carrying two lines of authority. MCA 33-17-214(2) is explicit that a producer "may receive a license qualifying the insurance producer in one or more of the following lines of authority" - the licence is the container, the lines are the contents.
Two exams also means two twelve-month clocks. MCA 33-17-211(1)(d) requires that the applicant "has successfully passed the examinations for each kind of insurance for which the individual has applied within 12 months of application" - each kind. Pass Life in March and Disability the following April and you are fine; pass Life in March and let fifteen months go by before you apply and you are not.
The Two Examinations, Side by Side
| Examination | Part 1 scored | Part 2 scored | Pretest | Total time | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life | 50 | 36 | 10 | 2 hours | $65 |
| Disability (Accident & Health) | 50 | 42 | 10 | 2 hr 15 min | $65 |
| Both | 100 | 78 | 20 | 4 hr 15 min | $130 |
Counting every item you will answer, that is 198 questions across 255 minutes. The Disability paper carries the longer Montana portion - 42 scored questions against Life's 36 - which is the reverse of what candidates usually expect, and it is worth knowing before you decide which to sit first.
Both papers pass at a scaled 75. The handbook says the reported number "is neither the number of questions you answered correctly nor the percentage of questions you answered correctly," and that the standard was set "by the Montana Department of Insurance (in conjunction with Pearson VUE) after a comprehensive study was completed for each examination" - each examination, separately.
One name to keep straight across the two documents. Handbook #122700, cover-stamped June 2025, calls the health paper Disability and its parts "General: Accident & Disability" and "State: Disability." Content outlines #122703, cover-stamped 03/2026 and effective 2 March 2026, call the same paper "Accident & Health." The statute at MCA 33-17-212(5)(b) says "disability insurance." All three are current documents.
Most Tested Topics Across Both Montana Papers
A producer who sells across both lines has to hold a set of facts neither single-line guide owns on its own: what the guaranty association pays when a life and health carrier fails, how replacement is regulated across life and annuity products, and the continuing-education arithmetic that governs the licence itself.
| Concept | The Montana rule | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Guaranty cap, life death benefits | $300,000, and the association's liability may not exceed the lesser of that or the insurer's own contractual obligation | MCA 33-10-224(3)(b)(i)(A) |
| Guaranty cap, life cash surrender and withdrawal | Not more than $100,000 | MCA 33-10-224(3)(b)(i)(A) |
| Guaranty cap, annuity benefits | $250,000 in present value, including net cash surrender and withdrawal values | MCA 33-10-224(3)(b)(i)(C) |
| Guaranty caps, the four health tiers | $500,000 health insurance coverage; $300,000 disability income; $300,000 long-term care; $100,000 all other health | MCA 33-10-224(3)(b)(i)(B)(I)-(IV) |
| Guaranty aggregate, and its unit switch | $300,000 with respect to any one LIFE - except health insurance coverage, capped at $500,000 with respect to any one INDIVIDUAL | MCA 33-10-224(4)(a) |
| Using the guaranty association to sell | A prohibited unfair trade practice, and the required disclosure must say so - but only on the life and health side | MCA 33-10-210(1), (3)(c) |
| Replacement free look, and whose duty it is | 30 days with an unconditional full refund, and it is the replacing insurer's notice to give, not the producer's | ARM 6.6.306(1)(d) |
| Replacement duties that fall on the producer | No day count at all - present and read a signed replacement notice not later than at the time of taking the application | ARM 6.6.305(2) |
| Continuing education, the Montana hour | 24 hours per 24 months, including at least 3 of ethics AND at least 1 on changes in Montana insurance statutes and administrative rules | MCA 33-17-1203(1)(a) |
| The claim-handling safe harbour measured on the book | 90% of the dollar amount outstanding within 20 working days and all of it within 30 working days, across the preceding 6 months | MCA 33-18-233(2) |
| Annuity standard of conduct | Montana adopted the NAIC 2020 best interest standard, with a producer duty of care and a one-time 4-credit training | MCA 33-20-801 et seq.; 33-20-807(2) |
The guaranty aggregate is the single most testable row, because the unit changes inside one sentence. MCA 33-10-224(4)(a) opens "In no event is the association obligated to cover more than" and then gives "an aggregate of $300,000 in benefits with respect to any one life ... except with respect to benefits for health insurance coverage ... in which case the aggregate liability of the association may not exceed $500,000 with respect to any one individual." One life for the general ceiling; one individual for the health exception. And note the operator that governs every per-type cap above it: (3)(b) says the benefits "may not exceed the lesser of" the insurer's contractual obligation or the listed figure - so the association never pays more than the policy promised, whatever the cap number is.
Montana's dollar figures match NAIC Model 520 exactly. Its numbering and its vocabulary do not, and that is the trap for anyone who studied the model. The model runs other health first, then disability and long-term care, then health benefit plans; Montana runs health insurance coverage at (B)(I), disability income at (II), long-term care at (III) and all other at (IV). Montana also says "health insurance coverage" where the model says "health benefit plans." Cite Montana's own subsection path.
And one asymmetry worth carrying, because it is a real difference between Montana's two guaranty acts rather than a gap. MCA 33-10-210(1) makes it "a prohibited unfair trade practice for any person to make use in any manner of the protection afforded by this part in the sale of insurance," and (3)(c) requires the disclosure document to tell policyholders that insurers and producers are barred from using the association "for the purpose of sales, solicitation, or inducement to purchase." That section sits in Part 2, the life and health guaranty part, and by its own words reaches only "this part." The property and casualty guaranty act at 33-10-101 through 33-10-117 contains no counterpart - the whole seventeen-section part was read to confirm it. So the advertising prohibition is life-and-health-only in Montana.
Montana Exam Results, Diagnostics and Retakes
What you get when you pass. A score report, and with it information on how to apply for a licence. The pass is good for 12 months - MCA 33-17-211(1)(d) requires the exam to have been passed within 12 months of application, NIPR says "Montana exams are valid for one (1) year from the exam date," and the handbook says the same in its own words. Three sources, one number.
What you get when you fail, and why it is less than you might hope. The handbook says a failing candidate receives a score report showing a numeric score, diagnostic information on the general portion, and reexamination information. Specifically: candidates who fail Part 1 of a Life, Accident and Disability, Property or Casualty examination "receive general diagnostic information relevant to each major area of the examination." Read that carefully - the diagnostic is described for the general portion. The handbook does not describe an equivalent breakdown for the Montana state portion, which is exactly the part a candidate most needs help with.
The number on the report is not a percentage, and treating it as one will mislead you. The handbook is unusually direct: "The scaled score that is reported to you is neither the number of questions you answered correctly nor the percentage of questions you answered correctly." And: "With a passing score of 75, any score below 75 indicates how close the candidate came to passing, rather than the actual number or percentage of questions the candidates answered correctly." A 72 does not mean you missed three questions. It means you were close.
Note the disagreement between the state and the vendor here, because it is published on CSI's own site. CSI's Steps to obtaining a resident insurance license page describes the exam step as passing "with a score of 75% or better." The handbook says the 75 is not a percentage. Both pages are live. The handbook is the document that actually explains the scoring model, and it is the one to rely on.
Retaking is all-or-nothing. "Candidates who fail an examination and wish to retake it must retake the entire examination, i.e., Parts 1 and 2." There is no carry-over of a passed part and no window in which one stays alive. If you passed the general portion and failed the Montana portion, you sit both again.
And you cannot rebook on the spot. "Reservations for reexamination cannot be made at the test center, and candidates must wait 24 hours before making one." So the fastest possible turnaround is: fail, wait 24 hours, book, then wait at least the 24 hours the booking rule requires. Plan on a gap of days rather than hours.
How many times you may sit it. The only attempt limit anywhere in the handbook is the online one: "Candidates taking an online examination are allowed two attempts per exam. All subsequent examination attempts will have to be taken at a Pearson VUE testing center." No maximum number of test-center attempts is stated anywhere in the document. The honest way to hold that is that the handbook publishes no cap - which is not the same as a guarantee that attempts are unlimited, and is not a promise the vendor has made. The Health guide covers the online cap and how it interacts with travel.
One planning note specific to this two-exam route: because Montana has no combined paper, a failure costs you one paper rather than both. That is the small consolation of the single-line-native structure - a candidate who is strong on life and weak on health does not have to re-sit the life material.
What Happens on a Montana Exam Day
Report to the test center 30 minutes before your examination and check in with the test center administrator. That half hour is not padding - it covers identity verification and security screening, and arriving on the hour for an appointment on the hour is how candidates lose a seat.
Bring two forms of current signature identification. This is the rule that most often turns a long Montana drive into a wasted one, and the requirement is two, not one. At least one must be a primary form carrying both a photograph and a signature.
The handbook's primary list runs to nine items, each requiring a photograph and a signature and none expired: a government-issued driver's licence; a U.S. Department of State driver's licence; a U.S. learner's permit, plastic card only, with photo and signature; a national, state or country identification card; a passport; a passport card; a military ID; a military ID for spouses and dependents; and an Alien Registration Card, green card or permanent resident visa. Its secondary list runs to three, each requiring a signature and not expired: a U.S. Social Security card; a debit or credit card; and any form of ID from the primary list. So the ordinary combination is a driver's licence plus a credit card.
Personal items do not come in with you, and the list is broader than "phones." The handbook: "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 or other weapons, hats, bags, coats, books, and/or notes, pens, or pencils." Note watches on that list, which catches people who intended to pace themselves, and note that the list is expressly non-exhaustive. Items go "in a secure area as indicated by the administrator," or back to your vehicle.
Breaks are allowed but expensive. Unscheduled breaks are generally permitted - raise your hand and wait for the administrator - and note the handbook's wording: candidates must leave the testing room for all breaks, while not leaving the floor or the building. The examination clock does not stop. On a Life state portion of 45 minutes, a five-minute break is more than a tenth of your time.
Getting there in the first place. Reservations must be made at least 24 hours ahead, online or on 800-274-8906, and walk-ins are not accepted. Changes and cancellations need at least 48 hours notice or the fee is forfeited. Fees are paid at reservation and are not accepted at the test center. The Property guide covers scheduling, vouchers and the test-center list in full.
If you are sitting both papers on the same trip - a reasonable plan in a state where the drive may be long - remember that these are two separate examinations and two separate appointments, 2 hours and 2 hours 15 minutes respectively, each with its own 30-minute check-in. That is most of a day, and the handbook publishes no combined or back-to-back arrangement.
Montana Life and Health License Fees
$130 in examination fees, because there are two examinations and each costs $65. $30 for the fingerprint check, once, if you apply for both lines together. Nothing to the state - no pre-licensing course, no application fee, no appointment fee, no renewal fee.
The comparison that matters is not against other states but against what you would pay in Montana for an adjacent credential. MCA 33-2-708 prices the Life and Disability Consultant licence at $50 to apply and $100 to renew every two years, on top of its own 100-question examination. The resident producer route costs $0 at both points. Montana charges for consultants and nonresidents and charges residents nothing.
If you take the two exams in different cycles, note that the twelve-month validity runs from each exam separately, and that CSI's fingerprint instructions reach an applicant adding a line of authority to an existing licence - so splitting the two lines across two applications means a second fingerprint card and, on CSI's face, a second $30. Applying for both lines at once avoids that.
Montana Life and Health License Eligibility
The general qualifications sit at MCA 33-17-211(1) and are covered on the single-line guides. Two of them bite harder on someone holding both of these lines.
The funeral director bar reaches both. MCA 33-17-211(1)(h) applies "if applying for a license as to life or disability insurance" - so a funeral director, undertaker or mortician, an officer, employee or representative of one, or anyone with an interest in or benefiting from such a business, is barred from both of the lines this page covers. Not one of them. The Life guide sets out the three limbs and the narrow funeral-insurance exception at MCA 33-20-1501(1)(c)(ii).
Residency is a continuing condition and losing it terminates the licence. MCA 33-17-211(1)(e) requires the applicant to be "a resident of this state or of another state that grants similar privileges to residents of this state," and then adds: "Licenses issued based upon Montana state residency terminate if the licensee relocates to another state." Terminate, not lapse - which matters because Montana's lapse machinery has a reinstatement fee and its termination language does not. For a producer carrying two lines, a move ends both at once. The Property & Casualty guide covers the nonresident route back in.
Business entities. MCA 33-17-212(4) requires each individual named in a business entity's licence as having authority to act for it to meet the same qualifications, and MCA 33-17-1001(2) lets the entity's licence fall if a disciplinary ground reaches any individual designated in it.
One duty that runs alongside the licence rather than being a condition of it, and that a producer selling across both lines is most exposed to. MCA 33-17-1102(1) requires all insurance premiums and return premiums received by a producer to be held in a separate trust account, with the producer acting "in a fiduciary capacity." Commingling is permitted, except for title producers, so long as each person's share "is reasonably ascertainable from the records and accounts of the licensee." Misappropriating funds belonging to policyholders or insurers is one of the fourteen grounds at MCA 33-17-1001(1).
And a record-retention number that is not the one insurers use. MCA 33-17-1101(4) requires a producer to "keep at a place of business complete records pertaining to transactions under the license for a period of at least 3 years after completion" of the transaction. The replacement rules impose 5 years on insurers - ARM 6.6.306(1)(c) and 6.6.308(1)(a). Different actors, different clocks; the producer's number is three.
Montana Life and Health Continuing Education
Important CE details: The 24 hours attach to the licensee, not to the licence and not to the lines on it. Holding both Life and Disability does not double the requirement, and adding Property or Casualty later does not raise it either - a Montana producer with five lines of authority owes the same 24 credit hours as one with a single line. That is worth knowing before you buy a course package, because bundles are frequently sold and priced as though each line carried its own obligation. What adding a line does trigger is the background check: CSI's fingerprint instructions reach an applicant adding a line of authority to an existing licence, so the cost of a new line is a fingerprint card, not a course.
MCA 33-17-1203(1)(a) sets the whole requirement in one sentence, and it has three numbers in it: 24 credit hours in each 24-month period, including at least 3 hours of ethics credits and at least 1 credit hour on changes in Montana insurance statutes and administrative rules.
The Montana-law hour is the one to check when you buy a course bundle. It is not a general regulatory-update hour and it is not satisfied by a national compliance course - the statute says "changes in Montana insurance statutes and administrative rules." The clearest evidence of how seriously CSI treats it is where else it appears: 33-17-1203(1)(b) puts limited lines credit, prepaid legal and surety bail bond producers on a total of only 5 credit hours per biennium - and still requires the same 1 hour on Montana statutory and rule changes out of those five.
How completions are recorded, and why the deadline is earlier than you think. Courses and providers are approved by CSI itself, under ARM subchapter 6.6.42, with no third-party administrator in between. Completions are reported to CSI by the provider, not by you, and CSI warns it may take up to 30 days for a provider to report one. CSI also warns that "if you do not complete your CE 30 days in advance of your license expiration, your license may lapse." Put those two sentences together and the operative deadline is a month before your expiration date, not the date itself.
What happens if you miss it is unusually blunt, and it is the only lapse trigger Montana publishes. MCA 33-17-1205(1) requires each individual subject to 33-17-1203 to file certification biennially, in the format the commissioner supplies, as to the courses completed during the preceding biennium. 33-17-1205(2): "If an individual fails to comply with this section, the individual's license lapses. An individual with a lapsed license may not conduct insurance business under another person's license, including a business entity license affiliation." That second sentence closes the obvious workaround.
Exemptions, and there are only two. 33-17-1203(3) names a temporary licence holder under 33-17-216, and anyone "otherwise exempted by the commissioner" - a case-by-case discretion rather than a class. Montana grants no long-service exemption and no age exemption. Where the arithmetic genuinely cannot be met, 33-17-1203(2) lets the commissioner grant a good-cause extension "not to exceed 1 year." The Casualty guide covers extensions and the absence of any carry-forward.
The product-specific gates a Life and Health producer may owe on top of the 24 - the one-time 4-credit annuity course, and the 8-hour initial plus 4-hour recurring long-term care training - are covered on the Life and Health single-line guides respectively. Whether their hours also count toward the 24 is not stated by any Montana source.
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