What This License Is
A Wisconsin Life license lets you sell life insurance and annuity products to people and businesses in Wisconsin. It is issued by the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.
Licensing runs through the same process as every Wisconsin producer line — the difference is the focused Life exam. Note that Wisconsin requires 20 hours of pre-licensing education for this line before you can sit for the exam.
Exam Options & Format
The Life exam is Life Producer (Series 22-01): 100 (+5-10 unscored trial items) questions, 2 hr, $75 per attempt. Passing standard: 70%.
Wisconsin does not offer a combined exam for these lines — each line of authority is its own exam, so producers who want both simply take both exams.
Prelicensing for life and health: 20 hours per line
Wisconsin requires 20 hours of OCI-approved prelicensing education for each line of authority. Those 20 hours break down as 8 hours of general content — principles of insurance, general Wisconsin insurance law, and ethics — plus 12 hours of line-specific policies, terms, and Wisconsin law.
Here is the part candidates miss: the 8-hour general core does not have to be repeated for a second line as long as both are completed within 12 months. So life and health (Life + Health) is a 32-hour regulatory minimum — though most providers simply package two full 20-hour courses, which is why you will usually see it advertised as 40 hours.
Prelicensing education is not a prep course for the state exam, and it is separate from any exam-prep product. The completion certificate is valid for one year from the date of issuance.
TESTivity recommends [Achievable](https://app.achievable.me/study/insurance-life/purchase#a_aid=getthelicense) to satisfy your Wisconsin pre-licensing requirement. Achievable is an approved provider, its insurance courses were built by the same subject-matter expert behind TESTivity, and completing the Achievable course earns you the certificate of completion Wisconsin requires.
One important distinction: TESTivity is not an approved pre-licensing provider in Wisconsin and does not issue certificates of completion. The TESTivity learning tools and study packages will absolutely help you pass the exam — but treat them as a supplement to your Achievable course, not a substitute for it.
Disclosure: TESTivity has a partnership with Achievable and may earn a commission if you enroll through links on this page.
Fingerprints through Fieldprint ($36)
Wisconsin runs a state and FBI criminal background check on every resident producer applicant. Fingerprints are captured electronically through Fieldprint — schedule at fieldprintwisconsin.com using the code FPWIOCIInsurance. The fee is $36, and the fingerprint reservation is valid for 180 days.
Fingerprint cards mailed directly to OCI are not accepted; the capture has to go through Fieldprint. Results usually reach OCI within 24–72 hours.
Apply through NIPR after you pass
Once you pass an exam, wait 48–72 hours for results to post, then file the electronic application through NIPR at nipr.com. A single application can cover one or more lines of authority, and the application fee is $10.
You must apply within 180 days of passing the exam. After OCI receives the application you have 90 days to supply any requested documentation or the file is closed as expired — and fees are non-refundable.
Wisconsin does not mail a paper license. Your National Producer Number (NPN) is issued 24–48 hours after approval and doubles as your Wisconsin license number; print the license yourself from State Based Systems (SBS).
24 CE hours every two years (3 in ethics)
Important CE details: 24 hours biennially with a minimum of 3 ethics hours; renews on the last day of the birth month; no carryover. Resident renewal fee $35.
Resident producers holding major lines complete 24 hours of continuing education each biennium, and at least 3 of those 24 hours must be ethics. Wisconsin does not carry over excess CE credit into the next cycle.
Licenses expire every two years on the last day of your birth month. You must be CE-compliant first, then renew through NIPR; the resident renewal fee is $35. OCI sends a reminder 45–60 days out, but the reminder is a courtesy — the obligation to renew on time is yours.
Designations that waive L&H prelicensing
If you already hold certain professional designations, Wisconsin waives the prelicensing-education requirement for the matching line (you still take the licensing exam). For Life, qualifying designations include the CLU, ChFC, CFP, CEBS, CIC, FLMI, LUTCF, and RHU. For Health, they include the CEBS, REBC, and HIA.
A two-year Wisconsin technical-college insurance degree, or a four-year business degree with an insurance emphasis, also exempts you. Submit the Prelicensing Exemption Form with documentation of the designation or degree.
Life replacement, illustrations, and the free look
Wisconsin regulates life replacement closely (s. Ins 2.07): when a sale replaces existing coverage, specific disclosure and notice steps protect the consumer, and a producer needs a variable license to recommend terminating a variable contract.
Life illustration rules (s. Ins 2.14 and 2.17) govern what an illustrated policy may show and require the illustration be consistent with the policy as issued. On the annuity side, Wisconsin applies a best-interest suitability standard for annuity recommendations under s. 628.347.
Every life policy carries a right to examine (free look). Stranger-originated life insurance and life settlements are regulated under s. 632.69.
Wisconsin health mandates, Medicare Supplement, and LTC
The A&H outline leans heavily on Wisconsin's mandated benefits. Notable ones tested include the autism spectrum disorder mandate (s. 632.895(12m)), newborn and adopted-child coverage, mammography and colorectal screening, and the treatment of alcohol, drug, and mental health conditions.
Wisconsin has its own state continuation right (s. 632.897) that runs alongside federal COBRA, plus an independent-review and grievance process for denied claims (s. 632.835).
Medicare Supplement (s. 632.84, s. Ins 3.39) and long-term care insurance (s. Ins 3.46, including the Wisconsin LTC Partnership) each carry their own marketing, outline-of-coverage, replacement, and suitability rules. LTC also adds agent training requirements.
Wisconsin Insurance Security Fund
The Wisconsin Insurance Security Fund (ch. 646) is the state guaranty mechanism that pays covered claims when a member insurer becomes insolvent. Producers may not use the existence of the Fund as a selling point or inducement — advertising its protection to close a sale is prohibited.
Quick Reference
Official Links
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