To get an Arkansas adjuster license, you need to be at least 18, meet the state’s residency and character requirements, complete 20 hours of pre-licensing education for each line of authority you want, pass the PSI exam with a score of 70% or higher, and submit your application through the National Insurance Producer Registry.1Justia. Arkansas Code 23-64-209 – Qualifications for Adjusters License The whole process is run by the Arkansas Insurance Department, and no one may adjust insurance claims in the state without a license issued under its code.2Justia. Arkansas Code 23-64-201 – License Required to Solicit, Sell, Negotiate, Engage, Consult, or Adjust in the Business of Insurance
One thing to clear up before you start: Arkansas does not separately license public adjusters. If you want to represent policyholders against insurers rather than work on the insurer’s side, there is no state licensing pathway for that role. The license described below is for adjusters working on behalf of insurance companies.
Choose Your Lines of Authority
Arkansas issues adjuster authority in three main lines: property, casualty, and workers’ compensation. There is also a separate limited license for crop adjusters.3NIPR. Arkansas Non-Resident Adjuster Licensing Individual You can hold more than one line, but each line is its own course requirement and its own exam. If you want property and casualty, that is two sets of 20 hours and two tests.
The crop adjuster license is the exception to most of the rules below. It covers only federal crop insurance and crop hail claims, and crop adjusters are not required to pass an exam.
Meet the Baseline Eligibility Rules
The Insurance Commissioner cannot issue an adjuster license to anyone who fails three threshold tests.4Justia. Arkansas Code 23-64-202 – General Qualifications for Licensure – Exemptions – Definitions
- You must be at least 18, the legal age of majority in Arkansas. Applicants under 18 whose minority disabilities have been removed by court order can still apply with proof of that order.
- Resident applicants must have lived in Arkansas for at least 30 days before applying. The commissioner can waive the 30-day window for a genuine permanent resident who can prove it.
- You must be found competent, trustworthy, financially responsible, and of good personal and business reputation. These standards are not one-time hurdles; they have to stay true the entire time you hold the license.
A criminal background check feeds into that character finding. The department runs applicants through its online criminal background check system, which searches both state and federal records.5Arkansas Insurance Department. Arkansas Insurance Department – Enterprise Background Check You will need fingerprints captured by a trained fingerprint harvester, and the results have to be submitted before the department will process your application.
Complete the Pre-Licensing Education
Arkansas requires a minimum of 20 hours of pre-licensing instruction for each line of authority you want to add.6Arkansas Insurance Department. Rule 31 – Pre-License Education for Insurance Producers and Adjusters Property is 20 hours. Casualty is another 20. Workers’ compensation is another 20.
Your coursework has to be completed within two years of the date you sit for the exam, so there is no advantage to finishing it years ahead of time. If you already hold a current certification from a national or state claims association that is also an approved continuing education provider, the commissioner may waive the pre-licensing requirement entirely.
Pass the PSI Exam
Arkansas requires a written exam demonstrating competence in whichever line you are pursuing.1Justia. Arkansas Code 23-64-209 – Qualifications for Adjusters License PSI administers the exam, and the passing score is 70%.7PSI. Arkansas General Adjuster Content Outline The commissioner sets the content, which focuses on Arkansas insurance law and the regulations relevant to the line you are testing in.8FindLaw. Arkansas Code 23-64-203 – Examinations
Each line has its own exam. Using notes or outside reference materials during the exam is grounds for the commissioner to deny or revoke a license, so this is one place to follow the rules closely.
Submit Your Application Through NIPR
Once your education is done and your exam is passed, the application itself goes through the National Insurance Producer Registry. The NIPR portal handles the electronic filing, document uploads, and payment.9NIPR. Apply for an Insurance License You will need your Social Security number (or your National Producer Number if you have been licensed before), your date of birth, and a payment method such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or electronic check.
For a resident adjuster, the state fee is $0 and the application fee is $55.10NIPR. Arkansas Resident Licensing Individual Non-resident adjusters pay a $120 state fee.3NIPR. Arkansas Non-Resident Adjuster Licensing Individual NIPR charges its own transaction fee on top. The department processes applications in the order received once all forms, fingerprints, and exam results are in; no specific turnaround is published. After approval, you can print your license through the state’s license management system.11Arkansas Insurance Department. Licensing
Already Licensed in Another State?
If you hold a valid adjuster license somewhere else, Arkansas offers a reciprocity shortcut. The commissioner will waive the exam and other requirements for a non-resident applicant whose home state extends the same courtesy to Arkansas residents.12Justia. Arkansas Code 23-64-516 – Reciprocity In practice, if your home state has a reciprocal arrangement with Arkansas, you can skip pre-licensing and the exam.
One caveat for non-residents: if you designate Arkansas as your designated home state (DHS) for the adjuster class, you lose the shortcut. The department treats a DHS applicant like a resident applicant, which means the exam and background check are back on the table.3NIPR. Arkansas Non-Resident Adjuster Licensing Individual
Keeping the License Active
Arkansas adjuster licenses run on a two-year renewal cycle. Resident adjusters have to complete 24 hours of continuing education per cycle, with at least 3 of those hours in ethics. The same CE course taken twice inside a 24-month window will not get you credit the second time, so track what you have already used.
The renewal window opens 90 days before your expiration date and closes on the expiration date. The non-resident renewal fee is $120.13NIPR. Arkansas Non-Resident Adjuster Renewal Individual Missing the deadline gets expensive fast. A non-resident whose license has been expired between 91 days and one year faces a $150 late CE filing fee plus a $240 reinstatement fee.
Two reporting duties apply between renewals and catch people off guard. If you are charged with, convicted of, or plead to any criminal offense, or if you file bankruptcy or have bankruptcy filed against you, you must notify the commissioner in writing within 30 days.2Justia. Arkansas Code 23-64-201 – License Required to Solicit, Sell, Negotiate, Engage, Consult, or Adjust in the Business of Insurance Failing to report can trigger immediate suspension regardless of how the underlying matter turns out. Changes to your residential or business address, phone number, or email also require notice within 30 days, handled through the Arkansas Insurance Department rather than NIPR.14Arkansas Insurance Department. Contact Information Change Process Keep your address current; failing to respond to a written inquiry within 30 days is itself a disciplinary ground.15Justia. Arkansas Code 23-64-512 – License Denial, Nonrenewal, or Revocation
What Can Cost You the License
The commissioner can deny, suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew a license on 17 statutory grounds. The ones that most often cause trouble include providing false or materially untrue information on your application, any felony conviction, having an adjuster license denied or revoked in another state, fraudulent or dishonest practices, misappropriating money or property received in the course of insurance business, using notes during the exam, and failing to comply with a court order for child support or state income tax.15Justia. Arkansas Code 23-64-512 – License Denial, Nonrenewal, or Revocation
Civil penalties can be imposed alongside or in place of suspension. Lying on any document required by the Arkansas Insurance Code is a Class D felony, so the stakes on the application itself go well beyond losing the license.