New life insurance agent checklist: from exam to first policy

What should a new life insurance agent do, in what order?

Do the legal and contracting steps first, then build your habits. The list below is the order most new agents follow. State rules and agency practice differ, so confirm each step with your state's department of insurance and your agency.

1. Confirm your license is issued and active in your resident state, and save the details.
2. Look up and record your National Producer Number (NPN).
3. Write down your continuing education deadline and put it on a calendar.
4. Decide how you will handle errors and omissions (E&O) coverage.
5. Complete carrier contracting and appointments, through your agency or directly.
6. Add nonresident licenses for any other state you plan to sell in.
7. Learn the contact rules: Do Not Call, calling hours, and consent for calls and texts.
8. Set up your CRM and your daily routine.
9. Practice conversations in your first week, with a mentor listening.
10. Ask your agency the questions in the list near the end of this page.

How do your license, NPN, and continuing education fit together?

Your license is issued by a state. BLS states that insurance sales agents must be licensed in each state where they work, and that life and health insurance requires a license separate from property and casualty. Our license guide explains the process, and the licensing exam guide covers the test.

Your NPN is the number that ties your records together. NIPR describes a National Producer Number as a unique NAIC identifier assigned during the licensing application process. Carriers and agencies use it to match you to the right licensing record, so keep it with your license details. You can look it up on the NIPR site.

Continuing education starts earlier than most people expect. NIPR says that, typically, you cannot renew your license or work in the insurance field without completing continuing education, and that each state sets its own requirements. Florida is one example: the Department of Financial Services says continuing education hours start the day you are licensed, with 24 months to complete them, due on the last day of your birth month, and its license requirements list 24 hours. Your state may differ, so find the rule for your state and put the date on a calendar now.

Do you need E&O insurance?

Errors and omissions insurance is professional liability coverage for claims that an agent made a mistake or failed to do something in the course of professional work. Whether you need it depends on your state, the carriers you contract with, and your agency, so treat it as a question to answer before you start selling rather than a box to assume.

State licensing agencies do not all treat E&O the same way. Florida's licensing FAQ, for example, addresses E&O only for title agents, where it says coverage is not required for an individual title agent license. We could not confirm a single national rule for life insurance agents from an official source, so ask your agency three things: whether coverage is required, whether the agency provides it or you buy it, and what it costs you.

What do contracting and appointments involve?

A license lets you sell. A carrier contract and appointment let you sell that carrier's products. In Florida, state law says a person may not act as an insurance agent unless currently licensed by the department and appointed by an appropriate appointing entity. Other states have their own appointment rules. Our guide to insurance carrier contracting explains the paperwork, who files it, and what to expect.

• Ask who handles your contracting, and who pays any fees.
• Ask which carriers you can sell on day one and which come later.
• Keep copies of every contract and confirm each appointment shows as active before you write a case.
• Add a nonresident license in any other state where you plan to sell. BLS notes agents must be licensed in each state where they work. The independent agent guide covers working with several carriers.

Which contact rules apply to your calls and texts?

Learn them before your first call, because a violation can follow you and your agency. This is a summary of federal basics, not legal advice. Your agency's compliance team and your state's rules control what you do.

• Do Not Call: the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule prohibits calling numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, and requires telemarketers to check their call lists against it every 31 days.
• Calling hours: the Telemarketing Sales Rule allows calls between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone.
• Your own list: companies must keep an internal do-not-call list and honor requests to be added to it.
• Caller ID: telemarketers must transmit accurate Caller ID information.
• Prerecorded calls: the FTC says prior express written consent is required before delivering prerecorded telemarketing messages.
• Cell phones and texts: under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), autodialed or prerecorded calls and text messages to a cell phone require the called party's prior express consent. The FCC says anyone claiming consent has the burden of proving it.

What should your first week look like?

Set up your CRM first, then spend most of the week on conversations with someone listening. A CRM is where you record every contact, note, follow-up date, and consent. Name your contacts consistently, log each call the same day, and set a follow-up date on every open case. If your agency provides a CRM, learn it before you build a spreadsheet of your own.

• Day one: log into the CRM, dialer, and carrier portals and confirm each one works.
• Days two to three: learn the products you will lead with and the carrier underwriting questions.
• Throughout: listen to a mentor's live calls, then have the mentor listen to yours.
• End of week: review every open case with a mentor and set the next step on each.

If you are weighing programs, our guide to life insurance agent training programs lists what good training covers and the red flags to avoid.

What should you ask your agency before your first policy?

• Who handles my contracting, and when will each carrier be active?
• Is E&O coverage required, and who provides it?
• How are conversations delivered to me, and how is consent recorded?
• Who is my mentor, and how do I reach that person during a live case?
• What do I pay, and what does the agency pay?
• How do I submit a case, and who helps if underwriting asks for more?
• Who answers client questions after the policy is issued?

How Checkmate fits

Checkmate is an independent agency in Orlando, Florida, with 1,000+ licensed agents, 40+ A-rated carriers, and clients in all 50 states. Onboarding handles contracts, appointments, and portal setup, and agents work in an AI CRM and dialer with inbound calls and qualified web leads delivered to them. Live training runs every day, and mentors are available to new agents. Call (833) 997-6934, Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm ET, or start on the agent page. See the agent job description guide for what the work involves day to day.