To self-appoint your Florida adjuster license, you register yourself in the Department of Financial Services (DFS) eAppoint system as both the appointing entity and the licensee, then submit and pay for the appointment — a $60 fee for resident and nonresident adjusters alike.1MyFloridaCFO. Fees and Payment Methods Florida law requires every adjuster to hold both an active license and an active appointment before handling claims, and when you work for yourself, no employer is there to appoint you. The eAppoint system formally recognizes this by defining a “self appointing entity” as a licensee whose license type permits self-appointment.2Florida Department of Financial Services. Appointing Entity Registration The steps are straightforward once your business entity and prerequisites are in place, but skipping the groundwork is what stalls most first-timers.
Who Self-Appoints in Florida
Self-appointment applies most often to public adjusters holding the 3-20 license and to independent adjusters running their own firms. If you work for an insurer, an independent adjusting firm, or a managing general agent, that employer handles the appointment on your behalf. When you operate your own business, the appointment has to flow from your business entity to you — even though you are both sides of that transaction.
Set Up Your Business Entity First
Your self-appointment attaches to a formal business entity, so that entity has to exist and be properly licensed before eAppoint will let you finish. Every location where you perform adjusting work, including a home office, must be licensed as an adjusting firm with DFS.3MyFloridaCFO. Agents and Adjusters
There is one narrow exception. If you are a sole licensed adjuster conducting business under your own individual name and you do not employ or appoint any other licensees, you are exempt from the adjusting firm license requirement.4The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 626.112 – License and Appointment Required You still need an FEIN or Social Security Number to register in eAppoint, but you can skip the firm application.
If the exemption does not fit you — because you use a trade name, formed an LLC, or plan to bring on other adjusters — work through these steps before touching eAppoint:
- Register your entity with Sunbiz. File your LLC, corporation, or other structure with the Florida Division of Corporations. This generates the documentation DFS requires.
- Get a Federal Employer Identification Number from the IRS. The firm license application requires it, and eAppoint uses it as an identifier during registration.
- Apply for the adjusting firm license with DFS. Provide the entity’s legal name, principal business address, and the name and license number of the designated primary adjuster for that location.3MyFloridaCFO. Agents and Adjusters
Trying to submit the appointment before Sunbiz has issued your registration or DFS has issued the firm license is the single most common way to hit a wall. eAppoint simply will not have your entity in its records yet.
Prerequisites for Your License Type
An Active Individual License
Your adjuster license must appear as active in DFS records. If you recently passed your exam, confirm the license has been processed and is effective before attempting the appointment. A pending or lapsed license blocks the process.
A $50,000 Surety Bond (Public Adjusters Only)
If you hold a 3-20 public adjuster license, you must file an original $50,000 surety bond with DFS before seeking appointment.5Florida Department of Financial Services. 3-20 Resident Public Adjuster License The bond has to be executed by a surety insurer authorized in Florida, use the Department-provided form, and be mailed as the original to the DFS Bureau of Licensing in Tallahassee. Copies and electronic submissions will not satisfy the requirement. The bond must remain unimpaired throughout your appointment and for one year after your license expires or is terminated.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 626.8651 – Public Adjuster Apprentice and Adjuster Bond Requirements Get the correct form from DFS before you purchase the bond, since a non-approved form sends you back to the start.
Fingerprint Results Still on File
If you were fingerprinted for your original license, you generally do not need to repeat it. Results are valid for 48 months if you hold a current Florida license in good standing, and 12 months if you do not.7Florida Department of Financial Services. Frequently Asked Questions If yours have expired, get re-fingerprinted before DFS will process any new appointment.
Complete the Self-Appointment in eAppoint
Register as an Appointing Entity
Log into your MyProfile account on the MyFloridaCFO website and select “Access eAppoint.”8Florida Surplus Lines Service Office. New Agents On the eAppoint homepage, click “Register to become an Appointing Entity.” The system will ask for your entity type and an identifier — your license number, FEIN, or Social Security Number. If eAppoint finds you in DFS records, you move on to set your address preferences, including the invoicing address where DFS will mail renewal notices. Submit the registration form.2Florida Department of Financial Services. Appointing Entity Registration
Your account is not usable immediately. DFS sends an activation code to both your email address and your invoicing address by regular mail. You cannot access the account until you enter that code. If nothing shows up in your inbox, check your physical mail before assuming something is broken. Plan for a few business days here.
Submit the New Appointment
Once the account is active, log back in and select “New Appointment.” Choose the appointment type that matches your license — Public Adjuster Firm or Independent Adjuster Firm — enter your business entity details, and review the submission. Pay the $60 appointment fee by eCheck or major credit card. Credit cards carry an added convenience fee.1MyFloridaCFO. Fees and Payment Methods
After payment processes, the appointment appears in the system. Check MyProfile and confirm that both your license and your appointment are listed as active. At that point you are legally authorized to transact insurance adjusting business in Florida.
Keep the Appointment Active
The appointment renews every 24 months, timed to your birth month, at the same $60 fee.9Florida Senate. Florida Code 626.381 – Renewal, Continuation, Reinstatement, or Termination of Appointment DFS mails the invoice to the address you set in eAppoint, so keep that address current. Late filings may be accepted at the Department’s discretion, but a penalty applies, and in a self-appointment the appointing entity paying the penalty is you.
Every two-year compliance period, you also owe 24 hours of continuing education: a 4-hour law and ethics update specific to your license type, plus 20 hours of electives.10Florida Department of Financial Services. Continuing Education Public adjusters have an added catch: your 20 elective hours must come from courses specifically approved for public adjuster course authorities. Generic insurance CE that counts for other license types will not satisfy the requirement. Check the DFS-approved course list before enrolling. An appointing entity cannot process a renewal for a licensee who has not met CE, even when that entity is the licensee.9Florida Senate. Florida Code 626.381 – Renewal, Continuation, Reinstatement, or Termination of Appointment
If the appointment lapses — through a missed renewal, a cancelled bond, or voluntary termination — you cannot legally adjust claims until you put a new appointment in place, even if your underlying license still exists in the DFS system. Going long enough without any active appointment can cause your license itself to expire, which forces you back through exam, fingerprinting, and application. If you close the firm or change your business structure, formally terminate the appointment through MyProfile rather than letting it go dormant.
Federal Felony Restriction Under 18 U.S.C. 1033
One issue can stop a self-appointment before it starts. Federal law prohibits anyone convicted of a felony involving dishonesty or breach of trust from working in the insurance industry without written consent from a state insurance regulatory official, under 18 U.S.C. § 1033. The prohibition covers conduct such as embezzlement, fraud, and misrepresentation to regulators, and it applies regardless of state or adjusting type. If a qualifying conviction is in your background, you need what the industry calls a 1033 waiver, obtained through a separate application, before DFS will process your appointment. The waiver is not guaranteed, so address it before investing time and money in the entity setup.