South Carolina Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers South Carolina-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the South Carolina exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the South Carolina exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every South Carolina insurance exam reserves a block of questions for South Carolina-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 116 facts from the TESTivity South Carolina 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 14 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period tested2 years — a policy is incontestable after it has been in force for 2 years during the insured's lifetime (except for nonpayment of premium)
- Grace period for individual life tested31 days for any premium after the first, during which the policy stays in force
- Window to reinstate a lapsed policy testedWithin 3 years after the date of premium default, with proof of insurability and payment of overdue premiums (unless the policy was surrendered for cash value or the extended term expired)
- Max interest chargeable on reinstatement, if capped testedOverdue premiums (and any indebtedness) are paid with interest not exceeding 8% per year compounded annually
- Suicide exclusion period tested2 years — if death is by suicide within 2 years of issue, the insurer's liability is limited to a refund of the premiums paid
- Free look for individual life tested10 days to return an individual life policy for a full refund (20 days if the policy replaces existing coverage; 31 days if sold by direct response / mail order)
- Free look for annuities tested10 days for an annuity (20 days if a replacement; 31 days if direct response)
- Free look when a policy is being replaced tested20 days when the life policy or annuity replaces existing coverage
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days — long-term care applicants have the right to return the policy or certificate within thirty days of its delivery and have the premium refunded
- Required nonforfeiture options testedCash surrender value, reduced paid-up insurance, and extended term insurance, under South Carolina's Standard Nonforfeiture Law
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedVariable life and variable annuities are a separate South Carolina line of authority that requires NO additional state exam: you need an active producer license with the Life line of authority (or applied for simultaneously) plus a FINRA CRD number supplied on the application, since variable products are securities. Pearson VUE still lists a Variable Contracts exam (InsSC-Var07) in its catalog, but it is not a licensing prerequisite.
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? testedNOT ESTABLISHED — South Carolina's Code of Laws Title 38 contains no viatical or life settlements chapter (there is no Chapter 64), and SCDOI's list of license types includes no viatical or life settlement provider or broker license. Treat any citation to a 'South Carolina Life Settlements Act' as unverified.
- Viator's rescission window testedNOT ESTABLISHED — the 30-day / 15-day rescission window commonly quoted for South Carolina comes from the NAIC model act, not from any South Carolina statute located in Title 38. Do not publish it as South Carolina law.
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYES — South Carolina adopted the NAIC best interest annuity standard by amending Regulation 69-29, published in State Register Vol. 46, Issue 5 on May 27, 2022. The regulation's own Section IX delays operation six months, so it applies to contracts sold on or after November 27, 2022, with obligations of care, disclosure, conflict of interest and documentation.
Health 15 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? testedNO — South Carolina has NOT expanded Medicaid under the ACA; it remains a non-expansion state. The Medicaid program is Healthy Connections, administered by the SC Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS).
- Effective date of expansion, if expanded testedNot applicable — South Carolina has not expanded Medicaid
- Agency administering Medicaid testedThe South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS); the Medicaid program is Healthy Connections
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedA FEDERALLY-FACILITATED marketplace (HealthCare.gov) — South Carolina did not build a state exchange
- Name of the state CHIP program testedPartners for Healthy Children — South Carolina's CHIP, administered within Healthy Connections (Medicaid) by SCDHHS
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic tested20 business days to pay a clean claim submitted electronically
- Clean-claim payment deadline, paper tested40 business days to pay a clean claim submitted on paper
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedYes — South Carolina uses different deadlines for electronic (20 business days) and paper (40 business days) clean claims
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment testedInterest accrues on a late clean claim at the South Carolina legal rate of interest (per §34-31-20(A)) from the 21st business day (electronic) or 41st business day (paper)
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? testedYES — an external review decision is BINDING on the health carrier; the review is conducted through the SCDOI under the Health Carrier External Review Act
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies testedFederal COBRA applies at 20+ employees; South Carolina continuation reaches smaller groups
- Employer size range covered by state continuation testedThe statute sets no employee headcount. §38-71-770 applies to group policies generally but denies continuation to anyone 'entitled under federal law to continuation of his coverage for a period of greater duration' — so in practice it operates for employers below the 20-employee federal COBRA threshold. What the statute does require is 6 months of continuous prior coverage under the group policy.
- Duration of state continuation coverage testedThe balance of the month of termination plus 6 additional policy months
- Election period for state continuation testedElected after the employer's notice of the right to continue; the individual must have had 6 consecutive months of prior coverage
- Max premium as % of group rate testedThe employee pays the entire group premium, including any portion usually paid by the former employer — South Carolina's statute adds no administrative percentage
Auto 12 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault testedTORT (at-fault) — the at-fault driver's liability insurance pays the other party's damages. South Carolina statute expressly mandates NO PIP (§38-77-144), confirming the tort model.
- Minimum bodily injury liability per person tested$25,000 per person
- Minimum bodily injury liability per occurrence tested$50,000 per accident
- Minimum property damage liability tested$25,000 per accident
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested25/50/25
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedMANDATORY — every South Carolina auto policy must include uninsured motorist coverage at limits no less than the 25/50/25 minimums (UM property damage may carry a $200 deductible)
- Underinsured motorist status testedUnderinsured motorist coverage must be OFFERED (up to the insured's liability limits) but is optional; the insured may accept or decline it
- Personal injury protection status testedNot required — South Carolina statute expressly provides that no PIP coverage is mandated (medical payments coverage is optional)
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedMODIFIED COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE — a claimant recovers only if their fault is NOT GREATER THAN the defendant's (50% or less); at 51% or more they recover nothing. Recovery is reduced by the claimant's share.
- The bar percentage, if modified comparative testedA claimant who is 51% or more at fault is barred; one who is exactly 50% at fault still recovers (reduced by their share)
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto testedThe Associated Auto Insurers Plan — South Carolina's assigned-risk plan, required by statute to be established by March 1, 2003. The earlier South Carolina Reinsurance Facility and its recoupment surcharge have been terminated and no longer appear in Chapter 77.
- Any alternative to buying liability insurance (e.g. VA's UMV fee) testedNONE as of July 1, 2024. South Carolina formerly let an owner register a vehicle as uninsured by paying a fee, but §56-10-510 was reserved (repealed) by 2023 Act No. 51 effective July 1, 2024. The $600 figure still in circulation is the reinstatement fee under §56-10-520(D), which the Department of Insurance may adjust annually.
CE & Renewal 10 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedA South Carolina producer license runs on a two-year (biennial) term
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedRenew by the last day of your birth month, biennially — those born in an even year comply in even years, those born in an odd year comply in odd years
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 CE credit hours every 2 years
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) tested24 total each cycle, but a producer holding both P&C and Life/Health must complete at least 8 hours in each line of authority
- Ethics hours required per period tested3 hours of ethics within the 24. Note the source: §38-43-106 sets the 24 hours and says nothing about ethics — the ethics requirement comes from SCDOI Bulletin 2007-06 and Regulation 69-50.
- Limits on who may provide CE credits testedCourses and providers must be approved by the SCDOI; up to 18 hours in excess of the minimum may carry forward to the next biennial period
- Initial long-term care training requirement testedLong-term care: a one-time course of no less than 8 hours plus no less than 4 hours of ongoing training every 24 months, with proof furnished to the insurer, before selling LTC. Annuities: a one-time 4-hour training course under Regulation 69-29, whose best interest amendment was published May 27, 2022 and applies to contracts sold on or after November 27, 2022.
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedA license that misses CE lapses, and appointments cannot be renewed without CE; falsely representing CE completion draws penalties under §38-2-10
- Late renewal / reinstatement tiers testedA license lapses to expired status the day after the compliance deadline and may be reinstated within 6 months once CE is complete and a $50 late CE compliance fee is paid. NIPR also publishes escalating late-renewal totals of $125 / $175 / $325 for 1-30, 31-60 and 61-180 days, which apply where CE was not completed by the expiration date. After 6 months the license and all appointments cancel and full relicensure is required.
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedExempt from CE: producers with 25 or more years of SC licensure who are at least age 65 (application required); limited-lines producers; and nonresidents meeting their home-state CE
Property 8 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) testedFILE-AND-USE with a 7% flex band. Overall average rate-level changes of 7% above or below current rates take effect without prior approval for fire, allied lines and homeowners, effective not less than 30 days after filing — but no more than two such increases in any 12-month period, and the second requires prior approval. The 7% is an overall average and does not apply on an individual insured basis. Auto has a parallel 7% band.
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedNarrower than most states. South Carolina does not ban credit-based insurance scores outright; what it regulates is the ABSENCE of credit information, which 'may be used by an insurer for underwriting purposes only if the insurer presents information satisfactory to the director that the absence is related to the risk.' Separately, auto insurers may not refuse to write, rate on, or refuse to renew because of age, sex, location of residence in this State, race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status or income level.
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedNO traditional multi-peril FAIR Plan — South Carolina's only property residual mechanism is the coastal SC Wind and Hail Underwriting Association (wind and hail only); there is no inland/statewide FAIR Plan
- Name of the FAIR Plan, if any testedThe South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association (the coastal 'Wind Pool') — South Carolina's residual property mechanism, writing wind and hail coverage only, in the coastal area; there is no separate inland FAIR Plan
- Coastal windstorm pool, if any (e.g. TWIA) testedThe South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association (SCWHUA, the coastal 'Wind Pool') — a residual market writing wind and hail coverage for residential AND commercial property in the statutory coastal area, which reaches parts of five counties: Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Georgetown and Horry. Membership is mandatory for insurers authorized to write property insurance in the state. Do not confuse the 'coastal area' with the separately defined eight-county 'seacoast area'.
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedCoastal hurricanes and windstorm (the Atlantic coast — Charleston, the Grand Strand, and the Lowcountry), hail and severe thunderstorms, and storm surge and flooding
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedA South Carolina insurance broker (surplus lines) license, which requires an existing resident property and casualty producer license for the same lines, passing the South Carolina broker licensing examination, a $200 biennial fee, and a $10,000 bond or certificate of deposit
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes — the risk must be one that one or more insurers licensed in this State have declined to write, and the broker must exercise due care in placing the insurance. South Carolina requires one or more declinations, not three. The diligent search is excused entirely for an exempt commercial purchaser who has been given the required disclosure and has requested the nonadmitted placement in writing.
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedThe South Carolina Life and Accident and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000 in life insurance death benefits per individual life
- Life cash surrender / withdrawal value limit tested$300,000 in net cash surrender or withdrawal value for life insurance (higher than the older NAIC $100,000)
- Annuity benefit limit tested$300,000 in annuity present value (higher than the older NAIC $250,000)
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for a health benefit plan; $300,000 for disability income, long-term care, or other health coverage
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$300,000 aggregate per individual life ($500,000 where a health benefit plan is involved); a separate $5,000,000 cap applies to one owner of multiple nongroup life policies
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedNO — South Carolina exceeds the NAIC model. The model act caps life cash surrender value at $100,000 and annuity present value at $250,000; South Carolina sets both at $300,000, and health benefit plans at $500,000. Do not answer a South Carolina question with the model figures.
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedThe South Carolina Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association (SCPCIGA)
- Per-claim cap testedThe Association pays each covered claim in excess of $250 and less than $300,000 — but pays workers' compensation claims IN FULL with no cap. Unearned premium refunds are paid only above $100, and all obligations cease at $10,000,000 per insured and its affiliates.
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? testedYes — for the Life & Health association, using its existence to advertise or induce the purchase of insurance is prohibited (a disclaimer notice is required); the P&C guaranty statute has no parallel prohibition
Workers Comp 7 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? testedYes — a covered South Carolina employer must secure workers' compensation by insuring or qualifying to self-insure
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedCoverage is required once an employer regularly employs FOUR or more employees (the Act does not apply to employers with fewer than four, or with prior-year payroll under $3,000); part-time employees count
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedThe South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate tested66 2/3% of the employee's average weekly wage, with a floor of $75 a week, capped at the average weekly wage in the State for the preceding fiscal year
- Maximum TTD duration tested500 weeks maximum — except paraplegia, quadriplegia and physical brain damage, which carry lifetime benefits with no 500-week limit
- Deadline to file a claim tested2 years after the accident, or within 2 years of the date of death where death resulted. Occupational disease runs from definitive diagnosis and notification; repetitive trauma runs from when the employee knew or should have known, but never more than 7 years after last injurious exposure.
- Ways an employer may comply (insure / self-insure / group) testedBuy a policy from a private carrier, or qualify as an approved individual or group self-insurer — South Carolina has no monopolistic state fund
Regulator 5 facts
Who regulates insurance here and what powers the office holds.
- Name of the state insurance regulator testedThe South Carolina Department of Insurance (SCDOI)
- Title of the person who heads it testedDirector of the Department of 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 (not elected)
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedTitle 38 of the South Carolina Code of Laws (Insurance), with regulations in Chapter 69 of the SC Code of Regulations; producer licensing is in Chapter 43
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedNo — the Department of Insurance is a standalone department led by a single Director appointed by the Governor (the mainstream 'appointed director' model, not an elected commissioner or a multi-member commission)
Cancellation 8 facts
When and how policies can be canceled or nonrenewed — heavily tested.
- Initial window during which an insurer may cancel more freely testedAuto: 90 days — an insurer may cancel a new auto policy without cause during the first 90 days; after that, only for stated reasons. (Property: a new homeowners policy under 120 days old may be canceled for any reason.)
- Notice days to cancel a homeowners policy inside the initial window testedHomeowners: at least 30 days' notice to cancel (10 days for nonpayment); after 120 days, cancellation is limited to enumerated reasons (nonpayment, material misrepresentation, substantial change in risk, substantial breach, loss of reinsurance), and the notice must state the precise reason
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window testedAuto: at least 15 days' written notice to cancel or refuse to renew, on a form approved by the SCDOI, informing the insured of the right to Department review
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment testedAuto: 15 days' notice for nonpayment (the general auto notice period). Homeowners: 10 days' notice for nonpayment.
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes testedFor a permitted cause, an auto cancellation runs on 15 days' notice and a homeowners cancellation on 30 days' notice, each stating the precise reason
- Notice days required for nonrenewal testedAuto nonrenewal takes at least 15 days' notice; homeowners nonrenewal takes at least 60 days' notice before expiration, each stating the precise reason
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedHomeowners cancellation and nonrenewal notices must state the PRECISE reason. Auto notices must state the specific reason and disclose the right to Department review — except where the cancellation or nonrenewal is for a §38-77-123(B) reason (nonpayment of premium, or a suspended or revoked driver's license), which §38-77-120(a)(3) exempts from the reason-statement and §38-77-390(B) notification requirements. The 15-day notice period itself has no such exception.
- Restrictions on nonrenewing because of claims (e.g. weather claims excluded) testedDistinctive South Carolina protection: a 'substantial change in the risk' used to justify a homeowners cancellation may NOT be based on climatic conditions unless supported by SC-specific statistical data approved by the SCDOI — limiting hurricane-driven coastal cancellations. Auto insurers likewise may not nonrenew based on specified claim types or the insured's age, sex, residence, or race.
Licensing 27 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 and Health exam and line of authority
- Is there a combined life+health license/exam? testedYes — South Carolina offers a combined Life, Accident and Health exam in addition to the standalone Life and Accident & Health exams
- Is there a personal lines license/exam? testedYes — a Personal Lines line (its own exam), covering property and casualty sold to individuals for personal, noncommercial purposes
- Is P&C one combined license, or split into Property and Casualty? testedBOTH — Property and Casualty are available as separate exams AND as a combined Property, Casualty, Surety & Marine exam; a narrower Personal Lines line is also offered
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — the Life line covers life insurance, endowments and annuities. Variable life and variable annuities are a separate line of authority requiring the Life line plus a FINRA CRD number, with no additional state exam.
- Does the P&C license already include personal lines authority? testedYes — holding the Property and Casualty lines (or the combined P&C exam) covers personal-lines risks; standalone Personal Lines is a narrower, personal-only line
- Full list of exam-based agent license types testedSouth Carolina offers Life · Accident and Health · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines — with combined Life/Accident & Health and Property/Casualty/Surety & Marine exams available — plus Variable Contracts (with FINRA registration), Surplus Lines Broker, Adjuster, and limited lines
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPearson VUE has administered South Carolina producer exams since May 2023 under contract with SCDOI. Do not confuse this with continuing education: State Based Systems (SBS) replaced Prometric as the Department's CE administrator effective July 1, 2019.
- Exam fee tested$59 per examination, flat across every line including the combined Life/Accident & Health and Property/Casualty/Surety & Marine exams; paid at reservation and not accepted at the test center
- License application fee tested$25 for a resident producer license (biennial; not pro-rated, non-refundable)
- Fee per insurer appointment tested$40 per local insurer appointment (initial and biennial renewal), paid by the insurer; special and general appointments are $100
- Passing score tested70, reported as a SCALED score on a 0-100 scale and set by the SC Department of Insurance. The handbook states scores 'should not be interpreted as the percentage or number of correct answers' — it is not 70% correct.
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedNO — South Carolina has no pre-licensing education requirement for any producer line; you may schedule the exam as soon as you are ready
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) testedNone — South Carolina requires no pre-licensing hours for any line. Nothing in Title 38 Chapter 43 mandates it and the candidate handbook lists no course-completion step. A structured study course is strongly recommended but is not legally required.
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedElectronic fingerprinting (since January 2017) for a state (SLED) and federal (FBI) criminal history check; the applicant bears the cost
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedFingerprints are captured through IdentoGO, but only AFTER (or at the time of) the application — SCDOI emails scheduling directions once your NIPR application is on file. SCDOI's fingerprinting page publishes the navigation: IdentoGO, select South Carolina, State Fingerprinting, Schedule a New Appointment, then the drop-down selection 'SC920124Z-DOI Producer Licensing/Renewal'. No fee amount is published. SLED runs the state check and forwards the prints to the FBI. Nonresident producers are not fingerprinted, and prints taken under any other application type are destroyed.
- How long the background report stays valid testedFingerprints are submitted with the initial application; a producer who stays continuously licensed is not re-fingerprinted at renewal
- Deadline to apply after passing the exam testedApply through NIPR within 12 months of passing — South Carolina exam results are valid for 12 months. You must wait 48 hours after passing before applying, so results upload to NIPR.
- How long a passed exam remains valid testedExam results are valid for 12 months from the date of issuance
- Waiting period before retaking a failed exam testedYou must wait 24 hours after a failed attempt before rescheduling (pay the $59 fee each attempt); each exam may be taken up to 6 times in a one-year period
- Limit on number of attempts, if any testedEach exam may be taken a maximum of 6 times within a one-year period
- Notice required to reschedule/cancel without forfeiting the fee testedChange or cancel at least 48 hours before the exam to transfer the fee to a new reservation or request a refund; inside 48 hours the $59 fee is forfeited. A candidate who was late or absent may call Pearson VUE within 14 days to request an excused absence for illness, a death in the family, a disabling traffic accident, court or jury duty, military duty, or a weather emergency.
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedNIPR (nipr.com) — apply online and pay the fees; exam scheduling is through Pearson VUE
- Are temporary licenses available? testedYes — but only for business-servicing situations (the death or disability of a producer, a member/employee of an agency, or a producer entering active military service); not a general 'work while you study' license
- Temporary license duration and training requirement testedUp to 180 days, with no exam, issued only to service an existing insurance business after a producer's death, disability, or military induction; the Director may limit authority and require a sponsor