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Continuing Education Program Q&A

To help licensees better understand their CE requirements, we have put together a list of questions and answers. Don't see your questions answered here?  Reach out to our Practice and Quality Assurance Team directly at practice@insurancecouncilofbc.com.
 


Q&A Topics

New! Updated CE Program Effective June 1, 2025

Record Keeping/Reporting 

Requirement to have met CE requirements prior to completing annual licence renewal

Course Eligibility

Course Length/Calculating CE Credits


 
Carrying Over Credits 

Repeating Courses

Waivers/Exemptions for CE

Non-resident Licensees

Does it Count for CE Credit?

New! Updated CE Program Effective June 1, 2025

Effective June 1, 2025, the Insurance Council has updated its Continuing Education (CE) program for BC adjusters and general, life, and accident & sickness insurance licensees. These changes are reflected in updated document for each licence class, titled the Continuing Education Program: Continuing Education Requirements and Guidelines (formerly referred to as the Continuing Education Guidelines).
What changes were introduced to the CE Program on June 1, 2025?
  • New CE Requirements and Guidelines published for BC adjusters, and general, life, and accident & sickness insurance agent licensees commencing for the licence period June 1 2025 through May 31, 2026.
  • New and expanded technical content categories to better reflect evolving industry knowledge.
  • Updated eligibility criteria for CE activities.
  • Clarified guidance to help licensees understand and meet their obligations.
  • Exception for new licensees:  Newly licensed individuals are no longer required to complete CE during their first licence period.
  • Reinstated Licensee exception clarification
There is no change to the minimum amount of CE credits required by licensees annually after the first licence period. There is also no change to CE requirements for travel agency employees/salespersons or motor vehicle dealers’ licensed representatives.
 

Record-keeping/Reporting

How and when do I submit my CE credits to the Insurance Council?
Currently, you are not required to submit your CE records to the Insurance Council, unless you are audited or specifically requested to do so, but you must keep a record of your CE for five licence periods (from June 1-May 31 for five years). If you are subject to a CE audit, you will be asked to provide copies of your course completion records, which may include providing information about the course content, as well as proof of attendance.

To help you keep track of your CE credits, we developed a CE Self-Tracker within the online portal to determine the number of credits required for your current licence period. Learn more here.
 

Requirement to have met CE requirements prior to completing annual licence renewal

Can I complete my CE credits after I submit my renewal, providing I've completed them by the May 31 due date?

No, per Rule 4(4), licensees must have met their CE requirements prior to renewing their licence so, there is no option for a licensee to renew their licence without having fully met their CE requirements. 
 

If I submit a late annual licence renewal, does that allow me additional time to complete my continuing education? 

No. Continuing Education must be completed by May 31 each year and the related requirements must be met prior to completing annual licence renewal. Licensees who do not meet their CE requirements by May 31 or per the CE Requirements and Guidelines for their licence class will be in breach of Insurance Council Rules and Code of Conduct. Licensees who submit a late annual licence renewal and who completed their CE requirements after May 31 will still be required to confirm they met their CE requirements and also explain the non-compliance. Proof of meeting CE requirements must be maintained and provided to the Insurance Council, if requested.

Course Eligibility

How do I know if the course I’m taking is eligible for CE credits?

The Insurance Council introduced an accreditation program in 2022 that allows course providers to apply to be an accredited course provider (ACP) or education providers to apply to accredit their individual courses. By taking an Insurance Council accredited course or one offered by an ACP, you’ll have the confidence of knowing the courses will meet licensing requirements. A list of accredited course providers and an accredited individual course list are available on our website here and will be regularly updated as more course providers and courses are accepted into the program.
 

If you’re not taking a course offered by an accredited course provider, then you should review the Insurance Council’s technical content requirement in the CE Requirements and Guidelines for your class of licence to determine if a course meets the Eligible CE credit criteria and Technical Content categories and can be claimed for CE. Assess the course content (e.g., review course objectives, learning outcomes etc.) to ensure the course aligns with the requirements. If you continue to have questions about whether a course qualifies under the CE Program, please contact the Practice & Quality Assurance team. 


What type of course delivery/event is considered  acceptable for CE credit?

CE Courses may be online, in-person, or blended. Attending industry conferences, symposiums, and university courses may be eligible for CE if they meet the Insurance Council’s CE eligibility criteria and the technical content categories as outlined in the CE Program for your licence class.


What type of CE courses do not qualify for CE credits?

Education that does not meet the Eligible CE Credit criteria or the Technical Content categories as set out in the CE Program: CE Requirements and Guidelines for the licensee's licence class cannot be claimed as CE.

Content that does not contribute to maintaining or expanding a Licensee’s competency as an Insurance Council of BC Licensee, does not meet British Columbia clients’ insurance needs, or is not in the interest of consumer protection is not eligible for CE credit. Examples of CE which would not meet Insurance Council of BC requirements include:

  • Education that is not relevant to the licensee’s Insurance Council of BC licensed activities and which does not pertain to serving or supporting British Columbia insurance consumers and risks;
  • Education that was completed before the Licensee became licensed by Insurance Council of BC;
  • Education that does not meet the Eligible CE Credit criteria or Technical Content categories of the CE Program: CE Requirements and Guidelines for the licensee’s licence class;
  • Content that is focused on advertising, generating sales leads, marketing/sales techniques, and strategies;
  • Courses on self-help and personal advancement or which are aimed at an individual’s non-insurance business interests; and
  • Courses focused on organizational financial management, management or leadership principles and practices, unless the licensee is a sole proprietor, nominee, or supervisor who supervises and oversees insurance business activities of the insurance agency/firm and/or other licensees.

Please contact the Practice & Quality Assurance team if you have questions about whether a course would qualify for CE credits.

For questions about specific scenarios and CE credit eligibility, please see the Does it Count for CE Credit? section.

Course Length/Calculating CE Credits

What is the minimum length of time for a course to qualify for credits under the CE Guidelines?

A course must be at least 15 minutes in length to qualify for CE credit.
 

How do partial credits count for courses that are less than an hour?

One hour of education time is equal to one hour of CE credit. Breaks are excluded, and you must attend the complete course or seminar. The course length to CE credit equivalent is as follows:

  • 15 minutes of instruction equals to 0.25 credits.

  • 30 minutes of instruction equals to 0.5 credits.

  • 45 minutes of instruction equals to 0.75 credits.

Partial credits for courses more than one hour in length continue to be accepted in 15-minute increments. For example, a course that includes an hour and 15 minutes of instruction equates to 1.25 credits and a course that includes 2.5 hours of instruction equates to 2.5 credits.


I completed a course that is 40 minutes in length. How many credits will I earn?

You would earn 0.5 credits. For courses that fall outside of the 15-minute increments, credit amount would be rounded down to the nearest 15-minute increment. For example, if a course is 20 minutes in duration, you would earn 0.25 credits.


I took a course from February to May 2025 but will not be completing the final exam until July 2025. Will my course count for CE credits towards the 2025 licence period or the 2026 licence period which starts in June?

It’s likely that you would not receive confirmation of your course completion until you successfully write and pass the exam, therefore the course completion would not have happened until July 2025 and the credits would therefore count towards the 2026 licence period (June 2025-May 2026). Where a course involves an exam, you must successfully complete the course and pass the exam to obtain CE credits. The date on which you successfully completed the exam will determine the licence period that the credits would count towards.

Carrying Over Credits

How many credits can I carry over to the next annual licence renewal period?

Credits you earn can be carried over to the next licence period up to a maximum of one licence period’s worth of CE credits. This means if you are a life and/or A&S agent, you can carry over up to 15 credits and if you are a general insurance salesperson, agent, or adjuster, you can carry over up to 8 credits to the next licence period.

Example Scenario:

Chang is required to complete 15 credits as a life insurance agent for her 2025 licence period (between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025). During this licence period, she completed 20 credits. 

Chang will claim 15 credits toward her 2025 licence period and can carry over the remaining five credits to the 2026 licence period. After applying the carry-over credits, she still needs to complete 10 CE credits between June 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026 in order to meet the CE requirements for the 2026 licence period.

Repeating Courses

Do I get credit if I take the same course more than once?

You may only claim CE credits for a course once within three licence periods unless the course content has changed substantially enough to warrant retaking it.

The purpose of CE is to enhance the licensee's insurance knowledge and to remain up-to-date in the insurance industry. For a course to qualify for CE credits, you must gain new knowledge through the completed course, or the course content must have changed substantially since the first time the course was completed.
 

What constitutes substantial course changes according to the Insurance Council?

Substantial course changes include major changes in the course content (e.g., new material has been added or revised, course objectives, shift in topic focus).

Changes in instructor or course modality (e.g., in-person to webinar) do not constitute substantive changes and will not be considered for CE credit if the course has already been taken in the last three licence periods.

If you are audited by the Insurance Council, you would be asked to demonstrate how the content fundamentally changed each time it was taken to determine whether credits would be granted more than once.

Exemptions/Waivers/Deferrals

I have a professional designation. Is there a reduction in the number of CE credits I am required to complete under the new CE guidelines?

No, every licensee is required to complete the same number of credits for their class of licence regardless of whether they hold a designation. Licensees cannot claim any CE credit reductions. A general salesperson, agent, or adjuster is required to complete eight credits annually and a life and/or accident and sickness insurance agent is required to complete 15 credits annually per licence period.

I believe I have an exemption from completing CE, how do I confirm this?

All licensees are required to meet Insurance Council’s CE program as per Insurance Council Rules and there is no exemption or waiver available to licensees to exempt licensees from meeting CE requirements. However, effective June 1, 2025, new licensees who are in their first licence period are excepted from completing CE for their first licence period since they would have completed education to qualify for licensure and likely will be undertaking additional training and education through their agency or firm in their capacity as a new licensee. 

If you believe that you may have received a special exemption from meeting Continuing Education requirements in the past or prior to June 1, 2025, then we advise you to contact our Practice & Quality Assurance team by email at practice@insurancecouncilofbc.com to provide us with those details so we may consider and support you further in understanding and meeting your CE requirements.

I am not working and have been on extended leave because of a serious medical condition, are there any options available to me to extend the due date for completing my CE credits?

Apart from those licensees who are in their first year of licensure and qualify for an exception under the new CE program which came in to effect June 1, 2025, there is no exemption or waiver available to licensees for meeting CE and licensees cannot renew their licence without having met their CE requirements. Under extenuating circumstances, and where a licensee is not working, in any capacity or in any industry, then licensees can contact the Practice & Quality Assurance team to provide more information about their situation and be supported in understanding what options, if any, are available to them.

In all instances, the licensee would be required to suspend their licence until CE can be made up and for a maximum of only two licence periods. Licensees should contact the Practice & Quality Assurance team by email at practice@insurancecouncilofbc.com to explain their situation including providing details about what has prevented them from doing CE, whether any CE was completed during the licence period of June 1 to May 31, how much CE, if any, has been completed, whether the licensee is working and the intended date of return to work, and the plan or timeline for making up the CE. Licensees are encouraged to reach out early to ensure there is time to review the situation and go through the application and licence suspension phases, and allow for enough time to make up or complete CE if the licensee doesn’t qualify for exemption.

 

 

Non-resident licensee

I’m a non-resident licensee, am I required to meet the Insurance Council of BC CE Program? 

Non-resident licensees whose home jurisdiction does not have a mandatory continuing education requirement are required to meet the Insurance Council’s CE Program.  Non-resident licensees whose home jurisdiction has a mandatory continuing education requirement are not required to meet Insurance Council’s CE Program, provided they are meeting the CE requirements of their home jurisdiction and keep their licence there in good standing, and they are a resident of a Canadian province other than British Columbia. Licensees whose home residence is located outside of a Canadian province would be required to meet Insurance Council of BC CE Program.

Does it Count for CE Credit?

I completed courses before becoming licensed with the Insurance Council. Do these courses count towards meeting my CE requirements?

No, the courses you take to become licensed or before becoming licensed are not considered continuing education. The spirit of continuing education is for licensees to enhance their insurance knowledge. Per the CE Requirements and Guidelines, for education to be eligible as CE credit, it must be completed after the Licensee has become licensed by the Insurance Council. Courses taken before licensure or to become licensed do not count as CE.

If I completed a course but did not pass the exam would I still earn CE credits for completing the course?

No, where a course involves an exam, you must successfully complete the course and pass the exam. As part of your CE records, ensure that you maintain documentation of successful course completion, in the event you are audited by the Insurance Council.

My professional designation requires a certain number of courses or hours to be completed to maintain my designation.  Can I use these courses as CE credits towards my insurance licence?

Potentially, if the courses meet the Insurance Council’s Eligibility CE Credit criteria and Technical Content categories, then it is possible that you may also claim these courses for CE credit. Information on what constitutes Eligible CE Credit and Technical Content criteria can be found in the CE Requirements and Guidelines for your licence class.  

I facilitate/develop courses or seminars on insurance, does this count towards CE credits?

No, CE credits are not granted for developing, leading, teaching, or presenting a course or seminar. The spirit of continuing education is for licensees to enhance their insurance knowledge and gain competence. Instructors or facilitators of an insurance course are expected to have subject matter expertise in the content that they teach.