The New Hampshire Property Producer License
New Hampshire splits property and casualty into separate lines with separate exams, and also offers them combined — you can sit 12-84 for Property alone, 12-85 for Casualty alone, or 12-64 for both. All three lead to entries on the same single producer licence, because New Hampshire issues one licence and lists the lines on it.
The Property line covers first-party damage to real and personal property: fire, homeowners, dwelling, inland marine, commercial property. It does not carry the liability authority that Casualty does, and it does not by itself carry Personal Lines, which New Hampshire licenses as its own line with its own exam (series 12-86).
Getting there is short. Be 18, pass 12-84, apply through NIPR, pay $210. There is no pre-licensing course — repealed July 11, 2008 — and there are no fingerprints, which New Hampshire requires of no resident producer. This guide owns the test-center walkthrough for the whole state.
One thing worth knowing before you book: 12-84 kept remote proctoring. Only the Life (12-61) and Life, Accident & Health (12-63) papers lost it on July 6, 2026. So the six centers below are an option for this exam rather than an obligation — the Health guide walks the remote route.
Property Alone, or the Combined P&C Paper
| Paper | Series | Items | Time | Fee | Remote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property | 12-84 | 100 | 2 hr | $59 | Yes |
| Casualty | 12-85 | 100 | 2 hr | $59 | Yes |
| Property and Casualty | 12-64 | 150 | 2 hr 30 min | $72 | Yes |
| NH Property and Casualty Laws and Regulations | 12-81 | 40 | 1 hr | $59 | Not stated |
The combined paper is the better deal if you want both lines — $72 against $118 for two singles, one appointment rather than two, and 150 items rather than 200. Take Property alone if property is genuinely all you intend to write; there is no penalty for adding Casualty later beyond a second $59 exam, because the $210 licence fee is charged per licence and not per line.
There is one asymmetry worth noting. The combined 12-64 paper is 150 items in 2 hours 30 minutes — 50 more items than a single paper for only 30 more minutes. That works out to a slightly tighter pace per item than either single paper gives you. Candidates who read slowly sometimes do better across two shorter sittings even though it costs more.
PSI adds 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions. The content outline publishes "100 Items - 2 Hours" without separating scored from pretest, so treat that as the length of the paper rather than a scored count. The tutorial takes up to 15 minutes and does not come out of your exam time.
Most Tested Topics on the New Hampshire Property Exam
New Hampshire is a standard fire policy state, and that single fact organises most of this exam. Where other states approve forms and leave the terms to the filing, New Hampshire prints the policy in RSA 407:22 and makes its use mandatory under RSA 407:2 — so the appraisal clause, the proof-of-loss deadline and the subrogation provision are statutory text you can be asked to recite. From the TESTivity New Hampshire regulations curriculum, statute-verified:
| Concept | The New Hampshire rule |
|---|---|
| Standard fire policy, adoption | New Hampshire adopts a statutory standard fire policy and prints the form itself: "The Standard Fire Policy … shall be in the following form," with use made mandatory by RSA 407:2. It carries no edition year and is not the New York "165 lines" form, though it descends from the same lineage. Coverage attaches at 12:01 AM Standard Time, and the policy period is whatever the parties insert — there is no statutory fixed term (RSA 407:22; RSA 407:2) |
| Proof of loss, fire | 60 days after the loss for the insured to render proof — note this against the health line's 90 days, which is the transposition candidates make (RSA 407:22) |
| Payment of fire loss | 60 days after the insurer receives proof of loss the amount is "due and payable." A matched pair of 60s: 60 to prove, 60 to pay (RSA 407:12) |
| Appraisal clause, standard fire policy | Each party selects "a competent and disinterested appraiser"; the two select an umpire; and "an award in writing … of any 2 when filed … shall determine the amount." Any two of the three, not necessarily the two appraisers (RSA 407:22) |
| Subrogation, standard fire policy | The company "may require from the insured an assignment of all right of recovery against any party for loss" — framed as the insurer's option to require an assignment (RSA 407:22) |
| P&C guaranty association cap | The lesser of the insolvent insurer's own policy obligation or $300,000 per covered claim, with workers' compensation claims paid in full. A covered claim must exceed $50 net, insureds with net worth over $25,000,000 are excluded for liquidations ordered on or after August 23, 2003, and member assessments cap at 2 percent of net direct written premiums (RSA 404-B:8, I; RSA 404-B:5) |
| Rate standards vs. rate filings | Two sections doing two jobs: RSA 412:15 sets the substantive standard — rates "shall not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory" — while RSA 412:16 carries the mechanism. In a competitive market personal-risk rates are filed at least 30 days before the effective date; in a non-competitive market a filing waits 30 days, extendable by the Commissioner up to 60 more. Predictive and telematics models must be filed too (RSA 412:15; RSA 412:16) |
| Credit-based insurance scores | Permitted but restricted, and the operative word is SOLELY: an insurer may not charge a higher private passenger auto or homeowners premium "solely on the basis of information obtained from a credit rating, a credit history, or a credit scoring model." Rule Ins 3300 adds the guardrails — a score may not rest on income, sexual orientation, gender, religion, blindness or other disability, and insurers must make reasonable exceptions for extraordinary life circumstances (RSA 417:4, VIII(g); Ins 3300) |
| FAIR Plan | None is in operation. New Hampshire has no basic property insurance plan and no property joint underwriting association; hard-to-place property goes to the surplus lines market. The authority exists unused: RSA 404-C:1 lets the Commissioner adopt a plan by rule whenever he finds after a hearing that property insurance "is not readily available in the voluntary market" (RSA 404-C:1) |
| Surplus lines, diligent effort | Coverage "shall not be placed until the producer has first satisfied the insurance commissioner that the producer cannot procure such an insurance in an admitted company" — the diligent-search requirement, stated as a precondition rather than a filing (RSA 405:24) |
| Flood damage notice | New Hampshire requires a flood damage notice to the policyholder as a standalone statutory obligation rather than a policy-form footnote (RSA 407:23-a) |
| Commercial risks are separate | Cancellation and nonrenewal of commercial property runs under RSA 417-C, not the personal-lines chapter. RSA 417-B reaches only "personal, family, and household risks" (RSA 417-B:1; RSA 417-C) |
The item that decides the most points is the standard fire policy itself, because candidates trained on national material treat the appraisal and proof-of-loss provisions as policy terms that vary by carrier. In New Hampshire they are statutory terms that do not vary at all. When a question asks what an insured must do after a fire loss in New Hampshire, the answer is in RSA 407:22 and it is 60 days — not whatever the ISO form the candidate studied happens to say.
The second is the appraisal award, and it turns on two words. The clause does not say the two appraisers must agree. It says an award of "any 2" of the three — appraiser, appraiser, umpire — determines the amount when filed. So an umpire plus one appraiser is a binding award over the other appraiser's objection. A distractor reading "both appraisers must agree, failing which the umpire decides" describes a different clause than the one New Hampshire enacted.
Third, and cheap: the guaranty association's $50 floor. Most candidates learn the $300,000 ceiling and stop. New Hampshire also sets a floor — a covered claim is one "in excess of $50" net of deductions and commissions — and the statute expressly bars cumulating claims by assignment to get over it.
Every New Hampshire Test Center, and How to Book
PSI publishes six New Hampshire sites in its current bulletin. This is the list the Department's own producer FAQ has not caught up with — that page still names Prometric as the vendor and lists only Concord and Portsmouth, which was true before July 1, 2025 and is not true now.
| City | Center | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Concord | Brainseed Testing Center | 2 Whitney Road, Suite 24, Concord, NH 03301 |
| Keene | Monadnock Aviation Inc | 80 Airport Rd, Keene, NH 03431 |
| Manchester | Excel Testing LLC | 1001 Elm Street, Suite 105, Manchester, NH 03101 |
| Nashua | X.L.O.S. Testing Center | 71 Spit Brook Road, Suite 106, Nashua, NH 03060 |
| Newington | Brainseed Testing Services | 100 Arboretum Drive, Suite 120, Newington, NH 03801 |
| Portsmouth | Located in the H&R Block office | 775 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801 |
Two of these are worth a second look before you book. Portsmouth is inside an H&R Block office and Keene is at Monadnock Aviation — neither is a purpose-built testing campus, and candidates who arrive expecting a dedicated facility sometimes lose time finding the door. Build that into your arrival. Newington and Portsmouth are about four miles apart, both in the 03801 ZIP, so if one has no seats the other is effectively the same trip.
The geography is the real constraint. Every site sits in the southern half of the state or along the Seacoast; Keene is the only western option and there is nothing north of Concord at all. A candidate in Berlin, Lancaster or Colebrook is looking at a two-hour-plus drive each way. For this line that is avoidable — Property (12-84) kept remote proctoring, so the North Country candidate can test from home. It is the Life papers that lost the option and would force the drive.
Booking. You register and schedule with PSI directly — online through the New Hampshire candidate portal, or by phone. New Hampshire requires no application, no state approval and no candidate ID number first, so you can book as soon as you decide to. The fee is $59 for this paper, payable at registration, and it stays valid for one year from the date of payment.
Rescheduling, and the rule that costs people $59. You may cancel and reschedule "without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received 2 days before the scheduled examination date." Two days — not 24 hours, which is what the old Prometric bulletin said and what a lot of stale pages still say. It must be done through the PSI website or by speaking to a representative: voicemail and email are expressly not accepted. Miss the window and the fee is gone, because "examination fees are not refundable or transferable."
On the day, arrive 30 minutes before your appointment and bring one current government-issued photo ID bearing your signature. The Life & Health guide covers check-in, the security screening and the prohibited-items list in full.
What the New Hampshire License Costs
New Hampshire is one of the cheapest states in the country to get licensed in, and the reason is what it does not charge you for. There is no pre-licensing course to buy, because the requirement was repealed on July 11, 2008. There is no fingerprint fee, because New Hampshire fingerprints no resident producers at all. What is left is the exam and the license.
| Item | Cost | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Exam, this line | $59 per attempt | PSI |
| Pre-licensing education | $0 — not required | — |
| Fingerprints / background check | $0 — not required | — |
| Application and license fee | $210 | NH Insurance Department, via NIPR |
| NIPR transaction fee | A few dollars, shown at checkout | NIPR |
| Running total | about $269 |
The $210 is set by RSA 400-A:29, X(a) as an "application and license fee," and it is charged per licence rather than per line of authority — New Hampshire issues one producer licence and lists the lines on it. Adding a line later costs you an exam plus the $50 amendment fee under RSA 400-A:29, X(c) — not another $210.
The exam fee is not refundable and not transferable, and the bulletin puts that in capitals for a reason: if you fail, you re-register and pay again. There is no discount on a retake. The fee itself stays valid for one year from the date of payment, so a registration you never use does not evaporate immediately.
The fees you will meet later are worth knowing now. From RSA 400-A:29, X: biennial renewal $150, appointment $25 and termination of appointment $25, amendment to a licence $50 (a name or address change is excluded from that fee), additional fee for late renewal $150, and late completion of continuing education $50. Reinstatement is not in that fee schedule: NIPR publishes $300 for a New Hampshire reinstatement, while the Department's own FAQ describes the late charge as double the licence fee and RSA 402-J:7 states the penalty as double the unpaid renewal fee. Confirm the current figure with the Department before relying on it.
If you are heading toward surplus lines, budget for the licence but not for an exam: PSI's bulletin lists surplus lines as "No exam, but P & C license required." The Casualty guide walks that route, including what RSA 405:24's diligent-effort requirement actually obliges you to do before placing a risk.
Eligibility Requirements
RSA 402-J:6 sets a short list, and it is worth reading for what is absent as much as for what is there. The Commissioner issues the licence to an individual who:
- is at least 18 years of age;
- has not committed any act that is a ground for denial, suspension or revocation under RSA 402-J:12;
- has paid the fees set out in RSA 400-A:29; and
- has successfully passed the examinations for the lines of authority requested.
That is the whole test. There is no pre-licensing education, no fingerprint card, no criminal history record check, and no residency waiting period. New Hampshire is one of a small number of states that runs a producer licensing system with no biometric background check at all — nothing in RSA 402-J, nothing in RSA 400-A:29's fee schedule, and nothing in rule chapter Ins 1300 creates one.
What replaces it is self-disclosure. The Uniform Application carries background questions, and a "yes" answer obliges you to submit a written explanation and the court or regulatory documents behind it. Those documents must reach the Department within 30 days of the electronic application or the application is denied. A felony conviction remains an express ground to deny or revoke under RSA 402-J:12, I(f) — New Hampshire simply learns about it from you rather than from a records check.
One ground in that list is distinctly New Hampshire and worth naming: RSA 402-J:12, I(k) makes "improperly using notes or any other reference material to complete an examination for an insurance license" a statutory ground for denial or revocation in its own right. Most states handle exam misconduct as a vendor matter. New Hampshire wrote it into the licensing statute, and the administrative fine reaches $2,500 per violation.
Keeping the New Hampshire Property License
Important CE details: 24 hours per 24-month cycle. Ethics has a floor AND a ceiling: at least 3, at most 10. Deadline is 60 days before expiry, and expiry is the last day of your birth month. First-cycle producers are covered by their exam pass. No carryover, no long-service or designation exemption, $50 penalty for a late filing.
New Hampshire licences are biennial, and they expire on the last day of your birth month — not on the anniversary of issue, and not on a fixed statewide date. Your first term is therefore short or long rather than a clean two years: it runs to the second birth month after the licence is issued, which in practice is anywhere from about 13 to 25 months.
RSA 402-J:7 frames the licence as continuous rather than expiring: it "shall remain in effect unless revoked or suspended as long as the fee set forth in RSA 400-A:29 is paid and educational requirements for resident individual producers are met by the due date." Miss either and it stops.
The CE requirement — RSA 402-J:7-a and Ins 1302.03:
- 24 hours of Commissioner-approved instruction in the preceding 24 months.
- At least 3 and no more than 10 of those hours may be ethics. New Hampshire caps ethics as well as requiring it, which is unusual — most states set only a floor. You cannot fill the cycle with ethics courses.
- A credit hour means at least 50 minutes of instruction, and the same course cannot be counted twice in one renewal period.
- Everything must be completed and reported 60 days before your renewal date. Not by the expiration date — sixty days ahead of it.
- Passing the state producer licensing exam satisfies the ensuing renewal (Ins 1302.03(g)). A brand-new producer does not owe CE for the first cycle.
The 60-day lead is the single most expensive detail on this page, because it is not the deadline people assume. Your licence expires on the last day of your birth month; your CE was due two months before that. The renewal window itself opens 60 days before expiration and closes at midnight on the expiration date, so the CE deadline and the opening of the renewal window fall on roughly the same day. A producer who starts thinking about renewal when the window opens has already missed the CE deadline.
Fall short and Ins 1302.05 is blunt: no further licence issues until compliance is demonstrated. A $50 late-CE fee applies on top. Miss the renewal fee instead and RSA 402-J:7 charges a penalty of double the unpaid renewal fee. A lapsed licence can be reinstated within 24 months without re-examination; past two years you apply as a new licensee and sit the exam again.
New Hampshire allows no carryover of excess hours into the next cycle, and grants no exemption for long service or for professional designations — a producer with thirty years and a CLU owes the same 24 hours as everyone else. The only exemptions are nonresident reciprocity and the exam-passage credit above.
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