What This License Is
A Tennessee Life license lets you sell life insurance and annuity products to people and businesses in Tennessee. It is issued by the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance.
Licensing runs through the same process as every Tennessee producer line — the difference is the focused Life exam.
Exam Options & Format
The Life exam is Life Producer (Pearson VUE): 55 total (50 scored + 5 pretest) questions, 1 hr 45 min, $55 per attempt. Passing standard: 70 (scaled).
Tennessee also offers the combined exam (Life + A&H (both exams in one OnVUE sitting): 110 (two standalone exams) questions, 3 hr 30 min, $80), which licenses both lines in one sitting. If there is any chance you will sell health products later, the combined exam is usually the better value.
What the Life exam covers
General knowledge (50 scored): types of policies (whole life, universal/variable/indexed life, term, annuities, combination plans), riders and provisions, completing applications and underwriting, contract law, and retirement/tax concepts including MECs.
Tennessee law (18 scored): the common producer-law block plus life-only rules — required provisions (56-7-2305, 2307, 2308), disclosure and general rules (Dept. Rule 0780-1-40), replacement (0780-1-24), and annuity licensing/suitability (0780-01-86).
What the Accident & Health exam covers
General knowledge (50 scored): disability income, medical expense plans (HMO/PPO/POS, HDHP/HSA, FSA, HRA), Medicare Supplement, group insurance and COBRA, long-term care, and social insurance (Medicare Parts A–D, Medicaid, Social Security).
Tennessee law (18 scored): the common producer-law block plus health-only rules — required provisions (56-26-108, 129), cancellation/renewal, group and school policies, Medicare Supplement (56-26-132; Rule 0780-1-58), long-term care (56-42; Rule 0780-1-61), mandated coverages, external review, and ACA marketplace/essential-benefit topics.
Tennessee laws common to all lines
Roughly 14 of the state-specific scored questions on each exam come from the body of law common to every line — Title 56, Chapter 6 (“Licensing of Producers”) and the unfair-trade-practices statute at 56-8-104.
Expect questions on the Commissioner’s powers (hearings, investigations, regulatory authority, and penalties), core definitions (insurance producer, business entity, limited lines producer, unauthorized insurer, fiduciary, domestic vs. foreign insurer), and license mechanics (resident vs. nonresident, appointments and terminations, temporary licenses, renewal, and suspension/revocation).
The unfair-practices block is heavily tested: false advertising, defamation, boycotting/coercion/intimidation, unfair discrimination, rebating, and unfair claims-settlement practices.
A producer must be separately qualified and licensed for each line they sell, solicit, or negotiate.
How to get your Tennessee Life & Accident/Health license
Confirm you meet the basics: at least 18 years old, a Tennessee resident, and competent, trustworthy, financially responsible, and of good business reputation.
Schedule and pass the required Pearson VUE exam(s): Life and Accident & Health. Each exam must be taken alone in one test-center session; OnVUE offers paired online sessions for convenience.
Complete a fingerprint-based background check through IdentoGO (service code ORI #TN920680Z) and submit the signed Fingerprint Policy & Acknowledgement form to TDCI. You can fingerprint before or after the exam.
Apply through NIPR (www.nipr.com) with the $50 filing fee. If applying electronically you must wait 48 hours after testing; paper applications take about 15 days to process.
You’re issued a license once TDCI is satisfied you meet all requirements — but you can’t transact business until an insurer appoints you.
Keeping your L&H license active
All resident producers complete 24 hours of CE every 2 years, including 3 hours of ethics.
The compliance period ends on the last day of your birth month; renew through NIPR (the major-lines renewal fee is $60). You can renew up to 90 days early.
Up to 12 unused CE credit hours can carry over to the next period; you can’t repeat the same course within a 24-month window.
Quick Reference
Official Links
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