In Texas, Florida, Georgia, and California, the exam and license fees for a life and health insurance license add up to between $99 (Texas and Florida) and $243 (California), or $286 if you test at a PSI center in California. New York charges a $40 exam fee plus $40 for each year or part of a year the license covers. The combined exam fee alone runs from $40 to $67. Fingerprinting, required pre-licensing courses, and retakes come on top, and they vary the most.
How much does the life and health exam cost?
The exam fee depends on your state. These are the combined life and health exam fees from each stateâs current candidate handbook or regulator fee schedule:
| State | Combined exam fee | License or application fee | Fingerprinting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $49 | $50 per license type | Required (IdentoGO); fee not listed here |
| Florida | $44 | $50 application + $5 license ID fee | Required (Live Scan); fee not listed here |
| California | $55, plus a $43 PSI convenience fee at PSI centers | $188 filing fee (one fee for life and A&H together) | $74 total |
| New York | $40 | $40 per year or fraction of a year | Check with DFS |
| Georgia | $67 | $100 license + $20 processing | Required (IdentoGO); fee not listed here |
Sources: the Pearson VUE handbooks for Texas, Florida, and Georgia; the PSI bulletins for California and New York; CDIâs licensing fee page; and New York DFS application instructions.
Two caveats. Californiaâs $55 exam fee comes from a CDI fee schedule dated 2019 that CDI still publishes, and the $43 convenience fee is waived if you test at the CDI site. New Yorkâs $40 exam fee comes from a PSI bulletin last updated in April 2023, so confirm it when you register.
What is the total cost to get licensed?
Add the exam fee, the license or application fee, fingerprinting, and any required course. Using only the fees in the table, California comes to $317 if you test at the CDI site ($55 + $188 + $74), or $360 at a PSI center. Georgiaâs exam and license fees total $187 before fingerprinting. Floridaâs and Texasâs each come to $99 before fingerprinting. New Yorkâs total depends on the license term: $40 for the exam plus a license fee of $40 for each year or part of a year, according to the PSI New York bulletin. The DFS application instructions explain that a license period longer than one year takes the full fee and one year or less takes half.
None of those totals include a pre-licensing course, which is often the biggest single cost in states that require one.
How much do pre-licensing courses cost?
They vary by provider and by state, and we havenât found an official source that sets or reports a typical price, so we wonât quote one. What the states do set is the number of hours:
- Florida: 60-hour approved course for the 2-15 license, completed within 4 years
- New York: 40 hours (20 life + 20 accident and health), before the exam
- Georgia: 16 hours (8 life + 8 accident and sickness), within the last 12 months
- California: 12-hour Ethics and California Insurance Code course, before the license issues
- Texas: none listed in the handbook
These courses must come from state-approved providers. CertFuelâs Life and Health course is a general-knowledge study course: it doesnât cover state-specific insurance law and doesnât count toward any stateâs pre-licensing hours. For the full licensing sequence, see how to get a life and health license.
Does it cost more to take life and health separately?
It can, if you want both lines. Separate exams mean two exam fees. Georgia, for example, charges $67 for each of its separate Life and Accident and Sickness exams, the same fee as its combined exam. Texasâs Life Agent exam is $39 on its own. California charges one $188 filing fee for life and A&H together. If you plan to sell both lines in Georgia, the combined exam costs half as much as the two separate exams. The life vs. health license guide explains what each line lets you sell.
How much does a retake cost?
A retake means paying the exam fee again. Floridaâs handbook says re-examination fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. Build at least one retake fee into your budget if money is tight, and read the retake guide for state waiting periods.
Will an employer pay for the exam?
Sometimes. TDIâs career page notes that some companies will pay for your exam if you agree to work for them. Ask before you register.
How can you study without paying for a prep course?
CertFuelâs Life and Health course is available in Free Beta, with lessons, 1,700+ practice questions, 600+ flashcards, separate 50-question Life and Health diagnostics, videos, and podcasts. Thereâs no published end date for the beta, and it isnât a promise of permanent free access. It doesnât pay or waive any state fee.
The public cheat sheet, flashcards, videos, and podcast need no account. Use them for the general-knowledge portion, and use your stateâs candidate handbook for the state law portion.