Last Updated on December 29, 2025 by Jacques Wong, B.Sc.
If you’re licensed as an insurance agent in BC, you need to get a certain number of Continuing Education credits (BC CE credits) per year to maintain your license. It’s not just there to be a burden; brokers need to earn Continuing Education credits to stay up to date with the latest insurance products and continue to develop themselves professionally.
How Many CE Credits Do You Need in BC?
CE credit requirements in BC vary depending on the class of license you have.
General insurance agents and salespersons will require 8 CE credits each licensing term, regardless of the years of experience or designations held.
Life Insurance and Accident & Sickness-only insurance agents need 15 CE credits for each licensing term.
The exception is for new licensees: you are not required to complete CE during your first licensing period. This does not include licenses that are reinstated, though.
Only courses covering technical material, such as courses covering policy wordings, compliance, or ethics, count for credits. But if you have a Level 3 license, courses related to HR, management, and accounting will now count as “technical material”.
Licensees are responsible for ensuring they earn enough CE credits during each licensing term. The penalties could be severe, including having your license suspended or even terminated if you don’t get your yearly credits. It’s important that you take the required CE courses and track your certificates so you can prove it if you are audited.
The deadline for completing all your required CE credits falls within the annual licensing renewal period, from June 1st to May 31st. This means you need to complete all your credits on or before May 31st.
| Type of License | Credits Required Per Licensing Term | What Counts as Technical Material (for Credit) |
| General Insurance Agent/Salesperson | 8 | Courses covering policy wordings, compliance, or ethics. |
| Life Insurance Agent / Accident & Sickness-only Agent | 15 | Courses covering policy wordings, compliance, or ethics. |
| General Insurance Agent (Level 3 License) | 8 | Courses covering policy wordings, compliance, or ethics, PLUS courses related to HR, management, and accounting. |
Can I carry over credits?
You are allowed to carry over 1 year’s worth of credits to the next licensing term. For example, if you are a general insurance salesperson, you can carry over 8 credits to the next licensing term.
What courses count for CE credits?
To be eligible for CE credits, courses have to be on technical content, including:
- Insurance products (relevant to your class of license)
- Compliance with insurance legislation/requirements
- E&O insurance
- Ethics
- Management, accounting & HR (if you are a Level 3 licensee)
Sales/marketing or software training doesn’t count, and you can only use the same CE course for credits once every 3 licensing periods unless it has changed significantly.
Do licensing courses count for CE credits?
If the course was taken to upgrade your license (ie. from a Level 1 to 2 or 2 to 3), then you can use it for credits.
What are my CE credit requirements if my license is suspended or inactive?
You will still need to meet the same CE credit requirements as if you had an active license (ie. 8 hours for General Insurance licensees).
How to Track and Report Your CE Hours
Do I have to submit my CE credit certificates?
No, you do not need to submit your certificates with your annual filing. But you will need to keep good records in case the Insurance Council decides to do a CE Audit. You need to keep your certificates for at least 5 licensing periods.
If you receive a CE Audit Letter from Council, you will need to show the list of courses you’ve completed and the hours given for each, a copy of the certificate (or other evidence of attendance), and evidence that the course meets technical education requirements for your license type (ie. a course outline or agenda).
You should also keep a record of the course provider’s name and course title.
Record-Keeping Requirements
You must keep records of your CE hours taken to pass a CE audit performed at random by the Insurance Council of BC. That means you need to track:
- List of courses completed & hours for each
- Evidence of attendance (most commonly in the form of a CE certificate)
- Evidence the course meets the technical education requirements of your license type (ie. course outline)
- Course provider’s name & course name
This information is easily accessible via the CE certificate & the course provider’s website.
To ensure easy compliance, PNC Learning issues digital CE certificates that you can print out and/or store, but we also retain a copy in your account so you have all the certificates you need in one place in case you get audited.
The Insurance Council of BC also has an online CE self-tracker tool that you can use.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Failing to meet your CE requirements by the deadline is a serious issue. You will not be able to renew your license if you have not met your CE requirements. It is also considered a breach of the Insurance Council Rules and Code of Conduct, which can mean your license can be cancelled or suspended, and you can be subject to fines, investigations, and further disciplinary action.
Take away this worry and make compliance easy with automated reminders and certificate tracking if you use PNC Learning to meet your CE requirements.
Complete Your CE Hours Today
Don’t wait until the deadline. Sign up or start a free trial and complete your Continuing Education (CE) hours quickly and stress-free with PNC’s accredited courses. Stay compliant, stay licensed, and get it done today.
Stay Compliant, Stay Current Without the Stress
Meeting your BC continuing education requirements doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you need 8 or 15 credits per licensing term, PNC Learning makes compliance straightforward with 30+ Insurance Council of BC-accredited courses available entirely online.
Our General Insurance CE Courses are available on an affordable subscription basis of just $12.50/month (billed annually), giving you unlimited access to complete your credits on your own schedule. Only need a few credits at the last minute? No problem—you can enroll in individual courses for $49 each.
Best of all, our system automatically tracks every certificate you’ve earned on your account profile, so you never have to worry about losing documentation again. Get instant downloadable certificates, and if you’re audited by the Insurance Council of BC or your manager/nominee, just log in and download what you need.
Don’t wait until the deadline is looming. Stay current, stay compliant, and take the stress out of CE requirements.