Texas Agent Licenses
The General Lines Agent for Property and Casualty License is the most widely held and allows one to sell "insurance on things."
✦ Home and Auto
✦ Boats, Motorcycles, and RVs
✦ Commercial Lines
The General Lines Agent for Life and Health License is also widely held and allows one to sell "insurance on people."
✦ Term and Permanent Life
✦ Annuities
✦ Health, Dental and Vision Care Plans
✦ Medicare Advantage Plans
✦ Medicare Supplement Policies
Some people specialize and only do Life/Health or P&C. And there's nothing wrong with that. Focus on one thing and be the best.
On the other hand, a great many of us are active in both P&C and Life/Health.
Most small to mid-size agents need their team members to be versatile. And that means being able to do Life/Health and P&C. Otherwise, it breaks up the workflow.
When you first get licensed, you will have The Texas General Lines Agent License. The license will specify that you are authorized for Life and Health OR P&C, whichever one you applied for. That's having an agent license with one line of authority.
Later, when you are ready to get fully licensed, you are not issued a second license. Instead, your General Lines Agent License will be modified to show that you are now authorized for both lines of business. So, then it's one license with two lines of authority.
Two exams leading to two lines of authority on one General Lines Agent License.
My General Lines Agent License shows that I am authorized for:
1 Property and Casualty
2 Life and Health
I have lots of friends who only have one or the other.
It does not matter which one you do first, but unless you are planning to be a specialist, you should plan to be authorized for both lines of business.
When you apply for jobs and you're already fully licensed, you are in the driver's seat. It's a great investment in your future.
Here is how the Licensing Process works for Texas P&C and Life/Health Agents:
✦ If you are a resident of Texas, you apply for a Resident License
✦ You must be at least 18 years old and able to pass a Criminal, Civil, and financial background check.
✦ You do not need sponsorship or authorization from anyone.
✦ Be sure to disclose everything in your background when you apply
✦ Felonies involving violence or financial misconduct can be disqualifying. There is no way to get a pre-clearance decision. You must apply and let TDI decide on a case-by-case basis. They are generally very fair and forgiving. They may even grant a provisional license for a year to let you show you're trustworthy. Try it and see what they say.
✦ Lesser offenses may not be disqualifying, so it's always worth trying
✦ You will need to be finger-printed as part of the application process, but you can get this done ahead of time: Go to IdentoGo and make an appointment to get your fingerprints taken. (That link already has code 11G6QF included for you.) Bring ID and save everything they give you.
✦ When you've passed your exam, you'll go to sircon.com to apply for a license. Your IdentoGo fingerprints will be retrieved and included with your online application
✦ The application is pretty long, so have residence and employment history handy. They check you out pretty hard. The application asks for a business address. If you don't have one, it's fine to use your home address for both.
What to expect during the agent licensing process.
Texas Property and Casualty License (P&C)
Proper Name is: General Lines - Property & Casualty
People just call it a "P&C License"
- Study a ton of very complex material. Self-study or take a Prep Course, your choice. Remember, there is no such thing as a TDI "approved course." That's a bogus claim. Stay away from any company that goes there.
- When you make your appointment at Sircon, take this test: InsTX-PC06: General Lines - Property & Casualty. It's $49
- Make a 70 or better
- That's it. No other way. Unless you qualify for an exemption:
CPCU exempts one from the General Lines P&C Exam. Click to see the Texas Insurance Code citation 4002.003
Texas Life and Health License
Proper Name is: General Lines - Life, Accident, Health and HMO
Everyone just calls it a "Life and Health License"
Old pros still refer to it as a "Group One License"
- Study a world of content about Life Insurance, Annuities, Health Plans. On and On it goes. Self-study or take a Prep Course, Remember, there is no such thing as a TDI "approved course." That's a false claim.
- When you make your appointment at Sircon, take this test: InsTX-LAH05: General Lines - Life, Accident and Health. It's $49
- Make a 70 or better
- That's it. No other way. Unless you qualify for an exemption:
CLU exempts one from the General Lines Life/Health Exam. Click to see the Texas Insurance Code citation 4002.003
TDI does not approve General Lines Agent pre-licensing courses.
First, disqualify any company that claims its Texas General Lines Agent license exam prep courses are "TDI-Approved." That is a false, misleading claim. They don't deserve your trust—or your money. It's usually a school that is approved for Continuing Education Courses making it sound as if ALL of their courses are "approved." Ask them for proof, and they will cave.
The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) does not regulate General Lines Agent pre-licensing education. Period. Not for Property & Casualty (P&C), and not for Life and Health.
In many other states, you must complete an "approved course" from an "approved provider" before you can sit for an exam. But not in Texas.
What do you need to know about the TDI exams?
$49 exam fee. Retakes also $49. One test per 24 hours. Test as many times as you need to pass with a 70.
✦ Multiple Choice Format. Only one right answer, never more.
There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so leave no blanks.
✦ Section One of the exam is the first 110 questions about all kinds of insurance terms, policy types and industry basics.
✦ The computer then stops and says, "You have completed Section One. You then click to continue to Section Two.
✦ Section Two consists of 35 Questions all focused on Department of Insurance Rules, Regulations, and Compliance
You must complete both sections before the 2.5 hour timer runs out. You pass or fail based on your total raw score. The sections are not graded individually.
You get your result as soon as you finish the test. They hand you a sheet of paper. If you passed, you just see your score. You never know what you got right or wrong. If you didn't pass there's a bar graph to tell you how you did in each part of the exam.
See how our courses are taught in this sample video.
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Complete the course in good faith. If you cannot pass the state exam after three tries, I will refund the course fee.
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We cover the critical 2/3 of the syllabus in class. You do the rest on the video course. This is not a 2-day cram course. We go deep into the fundamental concepts that you must have before any of it will make sense. One cannot attend this class and then take the test the next day. This is a process.
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