New Hampshire Life & Health Insurance Exam — Study Guide

The state portion of your exam

Everything up to this point is national content. This chapter is the other half: the New Hampshire statutes, rules, and Insurance Department practices tested in the New Hampshire state supplement.

New Hampshire's insurance code is Title XXXVII of the Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA), supplemented by the Department's administrative rules — the Ins chapters. Most of the exam comes from RSA 400-A (the Department and the Commissioner), RSA 402-J (producer licensing), RSA 417 (unfair insurance trade practices), RSA 408-F (the guaranty association), and the rules on replacement (Ins 302), annuity best interest (Ins 305), and policy provisions (Ins 401.05).

A note on numbers. The legislature edits Title XXXVII every session and the Department amends its rules on its own schedule. Most of the figures here that move — fees, CE hours, free-look days, filing windows, guaranty limits, penalty caps — were read on September 5, 2026 against the statute or rule that sets them, and each now carries an inline citation naming that source and the date it was checked. A few could not be confirmed from a primary source; those still carry a bracketed verify-current flag, and a flag means exactly what it says — the figure is unconfirmed, and you should check it with the New Hampshire Insurance Department before relying on it. Rules that do not move — whether New Hampshire has a guaranty association, a replacement rule, an unfair trade practices act, a best-interest annuity standard — are stated flatly, because the exam expects you to know them affirmatively.

1. The Insurance Department and the Commissioner

New Hampshire has a single unified regulator: the New Hampshire Insurance Department (NHID), an independent agency in Concord, headed by the Insurance Commissioner. The Commissioner is appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Executive Council and serves a 5-year term (RSA 400-A:3; checked 2026-09-05) — appointed, not elected, a favorite exam contrast.

Powers (RSA 400-A:15). The Commissioner holds all powers specifically granted plus those reasonably implied: rulemaking (expressly including rules implementing the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act); licensing insurers and producers, and refusing, suspending, or revoking that authority; orders, which must state their purpose, grounds, and the law relied on (RSA 400-A:14); administrative fines of not more than $2,500 per violation (RSA 400-A:15, III; checked 2026-09-05); subpoena power (RSA 400-A:20); and enforcement, including referral of criminal violations to the Attorney General (RSA 400-A:16). Department discipline and criminal prosecution are independent tracks; one act can produce both.

Examinations (RSA 400-A:37). The Commissioner may examine the affairs, transactions, accounts, records, and assets of insurers and other regulated entities as often as the Commissioner considers appropriate, and a domestic insurer must be examined at least once every 5 years (RSA 400-A:37; checked 2026-09-05). The examined company bears the cost, including independent actuaries and accountants the Commissioner retains. Producers are reachable too: refusing to produce records, obstructing an examination, or ignoring a Department inquiry is an independent violation — you need not be guilty of the underlying conduct to be disciplined for stonewalling.

Hearings and penalties. Hearings are held when a statute requires one, on an aggrieved person's application, or on the Commissioner's own motion, with written notice of the hearing not less than 10 days in advance (RSA 400-A:17, :18; checked 2026-09-05). In an unfair-practices case the Commissioner issues a statement of charges and hearing notice (RSA 417:6), may administer oaths and compel records (RSA 417:7), and on a finding of violation issues findings and a cease-and-desist order (RSA 417:9); RSA 417:12 reaches unfair methods not enumerated in RSA 417:4. Penalties (RSA 417:10, :13) include suspension, revocation, or non-renewal, an administrative penalty of not more than $2,500 for each method of competition, act, or practice, and consumer relief for an individual complainant under that same $2,500 per-act cap (RSA 417:10; RSA 417:13; checked 2026-09-05). Violating a cease-and-desist order carries that exposure again. Appeals run under RSA 541; certain fine disputes go to Superior Court for trial de novo (RSA 417:11).

Fraud. RSA 638:20 grades insurance fraud by the value of the fraudulent portion of the claim: class A felony above $1,500, class B felony above $1,000 but not more than $1,500, and a misdemeanor otherwise (RSA 638:20; checked 2026-09-05), and RSA 417:28 requires any regulated person with reason to believe insurance fraud occurred to report it to the Department's Fraud Unit. "I suspected but said nothing" is itself exposure.

2. Producer licensing (RSA 402-J)

What requires a license

RSA 402-J:3: no person may sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance in New Hampshire without a license for that line. New Hampshire backs this with criminal teeth — unlicensed activity is a class A misdemeanor for an individual and a felony for any other person (an entity). That grading is a tested New Hampshire distinctive.

RSA 402-J:2 defines the verbs: sell (exchange a contract for money on an insurer's behalf), solicit (attempt to sell or ask a person to apply), negotiate (confer directly with a purchaser on substantive benefits, terms, or conditions). RSA 402-J:4 exempts officers, directors, and employees who neither sell, solicit, nor negotiate and take no commission; clerical staff; group-plan and employer benefit-plan administrators serving without commission; persons limited to inspection, rating, or claim handling; and advertising-only personnel who do not urge a particular insurer. The line is compensation and specificity. Variable life and variable annuities additionally require FINRA registration and a securities license.

Resident license requirements

Under RSA 402-J:6 an individual must be at least 18, have committed no act that is a ground for discipline under RSA 402-J:12, file the NAIC Uniform Application (in practice via NIPR), pass the written examination for each line (RSA 402-J:5) unless exempt, and pay the fees — a $210 application and license fee and a $150 biennial renewal (RSA 400-A:29; checked 2026-09-05). A business entity files the Uniform Business Entity Application and must designate a licensed individual responsible for the entity's compliance.

Pre-licensing education. State this affirmatively: New Hampshire does not require a pre-licensing course for a resident producer license — the requirement was eliminated in 2008. You still must pass the exam. The Department's own candidate bulletin says it plainly: “The Department does not specify an official study manual, nor are you required to take a pre-licensing study course.” (NHID Candidate Information Bulletin, rev. 8/4/2026; checked 2026-09-05)

The examination tests the lines applied for, producer duties and responsibilities, and New Hampshire insurance law — this chapter (RSA 402-J:5). PSI Services LLC administers New Hampshire's insurance licensing examinations. The combined Life, Accident & Health producer exam (series 12-63) is 150 items in 2.5 hours for a $72 exam fee; Life alone (12-61) and Accident & Health alone (12-62) are each 100 items in 2 hours at $59; the New Hampshire Laws & Regulations exam a CLU-designated applicant may take instead (12-80) is 40 items in 1 hour. There is no fixed retake waiting period, but you cannot rebook on the day you fail — fail on a Wednesday and you may call Thursday and retest as soon as Friday, space allowing. Recent change: effective 7/6/2026 the Life and the Life, Accident & Health examinations are no longer offered by remote proctoring and must be taken in person at a PSI test center (NHID Candidate Information Bulletin, rev. 8/4/2026, https://test-takers.psiexams.com/api/content/bulletin/12119, and the PSI New Hampshire content outlines for series 12-61, 12-62, 12-63, 12-80; checked 2026-09-05). Neither the bulletin nor the content outlines publish a passing score [verify the passing score with the Department or PSI].

Assumed names — RSA 402-J:10. A producer using a name other than the licensed legal name must notify the Commissioner and obtain approval before use. Adopting a DBA quietly is a violation.

Appointment by insurers

A license grants the right to transact; an appointment grants authority to represent a particular insurer. Under RSA 402-J:14 a producer may act as an insurer's agent only if appointed; the insurer files notice within 15 days from the date the agency contract is executed or the first application is submitted (RSA 402-J:14; checked 2026-09-05), and the insurer — not the producer — pays the appointment fee. The insurer is bound by acts within the producer's apparent authority. A producer may hold multiple appointments.

Termination — RSA 402-J:15. An insurer terminating an appointment for cause must notify the Commissioner within 15 days with the reason and copy the producer; the producer then has 30 days after receiving that notification to file a written response (RSA 402-J:15; checked 2026-09-05). Good-faith reports carry qualified immunity and the filings are confidential and privileged — the point is to stop a bad actor from moving quietly to the next carrier. Note the asymmetry: losing all appointments does not cancel your license, but a producer with none has no insurer authority to place business.

Renewal, expiration, CE

Licenses run biennially, keyed to the birth month, expiring the last day of the birth month — the first expiration falling at least 13 but not more than 25 months after the effective date, then every 2 years (NHID Candidate Information Bulletin, rev. 8/4/2026; checked 2026-09-05). Business entity (agency) licenses instead expire May 31. Renewal is filed electronically, ordinarily through NIPR.

Continuing education — RSA 402-J:7-a; Ins 1301–1303. New Hampshire does require CE, and the statute is specific: every 2 years, and at least 60 days prior to the renewal date, a producer must be certified by the Department as having completed 24 hours of approved CE, of which at least 3 but no more than 10 hours must be ethics (RSA 402-J:7-a; Ins 1302.03(a) and (f); checked 2026-09-05). Three tested points: the 60-day rule makes New Hampshire CE effectively due two months before expiration, and you must be compliant before you can renew; a nonresident who complies with home-state CE is exempt (RSA 402-J:7-a; :16); and sponsoring organizations retain records of all CE hours obtained through their programs for 6 years (Ins 1303.04(a); checked 2026-09-05) while the producer keeps completion certificates for inspection.

Two Life & Health training overlays sit alongside the 24 hours. Annuity best-interest training (Ins 305) is a one-time 4-credit Department-approved course required before selling annuities; substantially similar training in another state is accepted; a producer who already held a life line of authority when the rule took effect had 6 months to complete it, and a producer whose annuity course predates January 1, 2024 had 6 months to take either a new 4-credit course or an additional one-time 1-credit course on sales practices, replacement, and disclosure (Ins 305.06(b); checked 2026-09-05). Long-term care training (RSA 415-D; Ins 3600, 3602) — an initial course, commonly cited as 8 hours including LTC Partnership content, plus an ongoing course, commonly cited as 4 hours, each term — [verify both: neither figure appears in RSA 415-D, Ins 3600, or Ins 1300, and the Department's own web pages could not be retrieved; confirm with the New Hampshire Insurance Department]. Correction: the one-time flood training of Ins 1304 is not a Life & Health overlay — it applies only to a resident individual producer issued a property and casualty line of authority on or after January 1, 2008 (Ins 1304.01–.03; checked 2026-09-05).

Fees, lapse, address changes. Fees are set by RSA 400-A:29, nonrefundable, collected on submission: $210 application and license fee, $150 biennial renewal, $150 additional for late renewal, $50 for late completion of continuing education, and $25 each to appoint or to terminate an appointment (RSA 400-A:29; checked 2026-09-05). The schedule was last amended effective September 13, 2025, which is exactly why it is a poor thing to memorize — look it up. Under RSA 402-J:7 a license stays valid while fees are paid and education requirements met; a lapsed license may be reinstated within 24 months from the due date of the renewal fee on payment of fees and penalty without passing a written examination, after which the applicant must requalify by examination (RSA 402-J:7; checked 2026-09-05). A licensee must notify the Commissioner of a change of address within 30 days of the change (RSA 402-J:7, VI; checked 2026-09-05) — avoidable, and it matters because renewal and CE notices go to the address on file.

Temporary and nonresident licenses

Temporary — RSA 402-J:11. Issued without examination for up to 180 days (RSA 402-J:11; checked 2026-09-05) to service a licensed producer's business: to the surviving spouse or court-appointed personal representative of a deceased producer; to the designee of a producer who is disabled or entering active military service; to a member or employee of a licensed business entity on the death or disability of its designated individual; or to any designee where the public interest requires it. The Commissioner may limit the authority, require a licensed sponsor answerable for the temporary licensee's acts, and revoke it if insureds or the public are endangered. It is a continuity device, not a shortcut into the business.

Nonresident — RSA 402-J:8, :16. New Hampshire licenses nonresidents reciprocally and without examination: a producer licensed and in good standing in the home state receives the same lines on filing the Uniform Application with the fee and home-state verification, provided the home state extends the same privilege. The license stays valid so long as the home-state license remains in good standing, and home-state CE satisfies New Hampshire CE.

Exam exemption — RSA 402-J:9. A person licensed for the same lines elsewhere who applies within 90 days of cancellation, with home-state good-standing verification, is exempt from New Hampshire pre-licensing and examination — as is a licensed producer who moves to New Hampshire and applies within 90 days of establishing legal residence (RSA 402-J:9; checked 2026-09-05).

Grounds for denial, non-renewal, suspension, revocation

RSA 402-J:12 — the Commissioner may place on probation, suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue or renew a license, or levy a fine, for: incorrect, misleading, incomplete, or materially untrue information on an application, or obtaining a license by misrepresentation or fraud; violating any insurance law, rule, subpoena, or order of this Commissioner or another state's; improperly withholding, misappropriating, or converting money or property received in the insurance business; intentionally misrepresenting the terms of an actual or proposed contract or application; conviction of a felony; committing any insurance unfair trade practice or fraud; fraudulent, coercive, or dishonest practices, or incompetence, untrustworthiness, or financial irresponsibility here or elsewhere; having a license denied, suspended, or revoked in any other jurisdiction; forging a name to an insurance document; cheating on a licensing examination; knowingly accepting business from an unlicensed person; and failing to comply with a child-support order.

A fine of not more than $2,500 per violation may accompany or replace license action (RSA 402-J:12; checked 2026-09-05). A business entity's license may be suspended, revoked, or refused where an individual licensee's violation was known or should have been known by a partner, officer, or manager and was not reported or corrected.

Self-reporting — RSA 402-J:17. Report any administrative action in another jurisdiction or by another New Hampshire agency within 30 days of final disposition, and any criminal prosecution anywhere within 30 days of the initial pretrial hearing date (RSA 402-J:17; checked 2026-09-05). Failing to self-report is its own violation — the one that most often turns a survivable problem into a revocation.

Commission sharing — RSA 402-J:13. New Hampshire prohibits paying a commission, service fee, brokerage, or other valuable consideration to a person for selling, soliciting, or negotiating insurance here if that person must be licensed and is not — and prohibits the unlicensed person from accepting it. Renewal or deferred commissions may be paid to a person who was licensed at the time of the sale. New Hampshire draws the referral line by statute, and narrowly: an unlicensed person may refer a party to a licensed producer and be paid for it only if the compensation does not exceed the nominal amount of $25 and is not based on or related to the party's purchase of insurance (RSA 402:16-b; checked 2026-09-05). A larger fee, or one contingent on a sale, fails the test.