What a life and health license costs, and where to book
Source: state candidate bulletins and handbooks Verified Nov 6, 2026
A life insurance license costs more than the exam fee. The exam itself is $40–$92 per attempt, depending on the state, and you book it with Pearson VUE, PSI or Prometric, whichever your state contracts. The license application fee goes to the state and the fingerprint fee to its vendor, both on top.
On this page · 8 sections
Booking and fee rules, with the state-to-state range
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| How to book | Book with your state's exam vendor; some states require a pre-licensing certificate before you can schedule | Ohio insurance licensing candidate information bulletin +1 |
| Test provider | Pearson VUE, PSI or Prometric, depending on the state | Texas Insurance Candidate Handbook +2 |
| Where you test | Test centers in every state; online proctoring only in some states and for some lines Ohio ended remote exams on March 13, 2026. California offers no remote option for life and health. Tennessee allows one online attempt per line. | Ohio insurance licensing candidate information bulletin +2 |
| Required education | Set by each state: none in some states, 20 hours per line in Ohio and New York, 20 hours per line plus 12 hours of ethics in California Georgia requires 8 hours for life and 8 for accident and sickness. | Ohio insurance licensing candidate information bulletin +3 |
| Exam fee | Varies by state: about $40 to $92 per exam Examples: New York $40, Florida $44, Texas $49, Georgia $67, Illinois $92 per line when its general and state exams are booked on one order. In states with two exams you pay for each. | New York insurance candidate information bulletin +2 |
| Retake fee | The full exam fee for each attempt | Texas Insurance Candidate Handbook +1 |
| Where to apply for the license | After you pass, you apply to the state insurance department online, usually through NIPR or Sircon; Florida uses its own MyProfile portal Some states make you apply first: North Carolina asks you to submit the NIPR application before you book the exam, and Florida authorizes the exam after it approves your application. | Texas Insurance Candidate Handbook +5 |
| License application fee | Paid to the state, separately from the exam fee; for example Texas $50 per license type, Florida $50 plus a $5 license ID fee, Georgia $100 plus a $20 processing fee Tennessee charges a $50 filing fee, Pennsylvania $55 for a resident producer, Ohio $10 per line plus the NIPR transaction fee, and New York $40 for each year of the license term. | Texas Insurance Candidate Handbook +2 |
| Fingerprints | Most states require fingerprints for a resident license, taken by the state's vendor IdentoGO in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and Pennsylvania; Live Scan in California and North Carolina; WebCheck in Ohio. | Texas Insurance Candidate Handbook +6 |
| Rescheduling | Set by the state's vendor, usually free with at least one or two business days' notice ≈ as of Nov 6, 2026 · check your state's handbook | California insurance candidate information bulletin +1 |
| How long a pass counts | From 1 to 2 years: 1 year in Texas, Florida and California, 2 years in New York If you do not complete the license application in time, you take the exam again. | Texas Insurance Candidate Handbook +3 |
Every row verified Nov 6, 2026. Amounts are list prices from the state bulletins on each row; confirm the figure on your state's bulletin before you pay.
Three separate bills
Budget for three items, paid to different parties:
- The exam fee, paid to the vendor when you book. Two-exam states charge it for each line.
- The license application fee, paid to the state, usually after you pass. Florida and North Carolina take the application first.
- Fingerprints, paid to the vendor your state uses, such as IdentoGO, Live Scan or WebCheck.
Four states from the table, as worked examples:
- Texas: $49 exam, $50 license fee, fingerprints at IdentoGO.
- Georgia: $67 exam, $100 + $20 for the license, fingerprints at IdentoGO.
- Tennessee: $55 each for the exams, a $50 filing fee, fingerprints at IdentoGO.
- Ohio: $49 exam, $10 per line plus the NIPR transaction fee, and fingerprints through WebCheck, $72.25.
A prelicensing course comes on top in states that require one, and its price depends on the school. Some states price a combined exam or a same-day pair below two single exams.
Vendor, fee and delivery by state
| State | Test provider | Exam fee | License application fee | Fingerprints | Where you test | Required education | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona secondary source Prometric handbook not reachable | ≈ Prometric | — | — | — | — | ≈ None required | Arizona insurance licensing guideArizona insurance license exam |
| California | PSI | ≈ $43 PSI site fee + CDI fee Department fee not confirmed | — | Live Scan, $74 | Test center only | 20 h per line + 12 h ethics | California insurance candidate information bulletinLife Agent license requirements |
| Florida | Pearson VUE | $44 | $50 + $5 | Required | Test center | 60 hours | Florida Insurance Candidate HandbookFlorida content outlines |
| Georgia | Pearson VUE | $67 | $100 + $20 | IdentoGO | Test center | 8 h + 8 h | Georgia Insurance Candidate HandbookGeorgia content outlines effective Oct 22 |
| Illinois | Pearson VUE | $92 per line | — | — | Test center | Required | Illinois Insurance Candidate HandbookIllinois content outlines |
| North Carolina | Pearson VUE | $45 each | — | Live Scan | Test center | — | North Carolina Insurance Candidate HandbookNorth Carolina content outlines effective Mar 2 |
| New York | PSI | $40 | $40 a year | Electronic | Test center or online | 20 h per line, 40 h combined | New York insurance candidate information bulletin |
| Ohio | PSI | $49 | $10 per line | WebCheck | Test center only | 20 h per line | Ohio insurance licensing candidate information bulletin |
| Pennsylvania | PSI | $55 | $55 | IdentoGO | Test center or online | — | Pennsylvania insurance licensing examination bookletPennsylvania insurance licensing requirements |
| Tennessee | Pearson VUE | $55 each | $50 | IdentoGO | Test center or online | — | Tennessee Insurance Candidate HandbookTennessee content outlines effective Oct 7 |
| Texas | Pearson VUE | $49 | $50 | IdentoGO | Test center | — | Texas Insurance Candidate HandbookTexas content outlines effective Sept 1 |
11 states. Each row was verified on Nov 6, 2026 against the document named in its Source cell. “≈” marks a value that is approximate or only partly confirmed by the cited document. A “secondary source” tag means that row’s marked values come from a third-party publication, not the state’s own bulletin. A dash means the bulletin or department page we read does not state it: check your state's bulletin. Arizona rows rely on secondary sources.
Booking with Pearson VUE, PSI or Prometric
The vendor is chosen by the state, not by you. Find your state in the table, then:
- Finish any required course first. Ohio, for example, requires 20 hours per line, with a completion certificate before scheduling.
- Open an account on the vendor's page for your state and pick the exam by its code, such as LAH05 in Texas or 17-55 in New York.
- Choose a test center or, where allowed, an online sitting, and pay the fee.
- Read the ID rules in your state's handbook before exam day.
- To change the date: rescheduling is set by the state's vendor, usually free with at least one or two business days' notice.
Test center or online, state by state
Every state in the table runs test centers; online sittings are the exception, and the rules differ line by line.
New York and Pennsylvania let you test online under a PSI remote proctor. Ohio ended its remote option in March 2026, and California keeps life and health exams in person. Tennessee allows one online attempt per line, so any second try of that line happens at a center.
In states that test the lines separately, each line is booked and paid on its own. In Illinois a line is a general plus a state exam, and the price depends on booking the two on one order (see the table); North Carolina charges $45 per exam attempt. Either way, both lines mean two payments, and a retake of either line is billed again.
More on the life and health exam
/life-and-health-insurance/Life and Health practice testA free set on the general part of the exam, every answer option explained/life-and-health-insurance/practice-test/Life and Health exam factsQuestions, time, pass mark and retake rules for the exam in each state/life-and-health-insurance/exam-info/Life and Health study guideThe general sections of the state exam, their weight range and the usual traps/life-and-health-insurance/study-guide/Sources
- [1]PSI: Ohio insurance licensing candidate information bulletin (5493) test-takers.psiexams.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [2]Pearson VUE: Georgia Insurance Candidate Handbook (121100, Oct 2026) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [3]Pearson VUE: Texas Insurance Candidate Handbook (124400, Oct 2024) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [4]PSI: California insurance candidate information bulletin (2530, rev. Oct 2026) test-takers.psiexams.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [5]Pearson VUE: Tennessee Insurance Candidate Handbook (124300, Oct 2026) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [6]PSI: New York insurance candidate information bulletin (7228) test-takers.psiexams.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [7]Pearson VUE: Illinois Insurance Candidate Handbook (121400, Aug 2026) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [8]Pearson VUE: North Carolina Insurance Candidate Handbook (123400) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [9]Pearson VUE: Florida Insurance Candidate Handbook (121000) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [10]PSI: Pennsylvania insurance licensing examination booklet (7282) test-takers.psiexams.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [11]Achievable: Arizona insurance licensing guide (secondary source) achievable.me, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [12]StateRequirement: Arizona insurance license exam (secondary source) staterequirement.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [13]California Department of Insurance: Life Agent license requirements insurance.ca.gov, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [14]Pearson VUE: Florida content outlines, 2026 and Jan 1, 2027 editions (121003) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [15]Pearson VUE: Georgia content outlines effective Oct 22, 2024 (121102) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [16]Pearson VUE: Illinois content outlines, 2026 and 2027 editions (121402) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [17]Pearson VUE: North Carolina content outlines effective Mar 2, 2026 (123415) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [18]ExamFX: Pennsylvania insurance licensing requirements (secondary source) examfx.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [19]Pearson VUE: Tennessee content outlines effective Oct 7, 2026 (124301) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
- [20]Pearson VUE: Texas content outlines effective Sept 1, 2026 (124401) (PDF) pearsonvue.com, re-read Nov 6, 2026
Cost and scheduling, answered
How much does a life and health insurance license cost in total?
Add the exam fee ($40–$92 per attempt), the state license fee, fingerprints and any required course. The state table shows each part where the state publishes it.
Do I schedule with Pearson VUE or PSI?
Whichever your state contracts. Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Tennessee use Pearson VUE; California, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania use PSI; Arizona is reported to use Prometric.
How long after passing do I have to apply?
1–2 years, depending on the state; the validity row above names them. Miss the window and you retake the exam.
Which states let you take the life and health exam online?
Of the states in the table, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee offer a remote sitting, Tennessee only once per line. Ohio stopped remote exams in 2026, and California does not offer them for life and health; see center or online.