24 hours, 3 ethics — with a reduced first-term requirement
Mississippi requires 24 CE hours per two-year license term for resident life/health and property/casualty producers, with 3 of those hours in ethics.
A producer whose license has been in effect for a term of 18 months or less at the time of renewal has a reduced requirement: 12 CE hours and no ethics requirement for that shortened first term. The full 24-hour, 3-ethics requirement applies from the following term on, so this is a one-time ramp for producers licensed partway through a cycle.
The age-65, 25-year exemption
Mississippi exempts producers who are over 65 years old and who have been licensed for a continuous period of 25 years or more. Both conditions have to be met — the age threshold alone is not enough, and a gap in licensure resets the 25-year continuity clock.
This is a genuine full exemption from the CE hours, not a reduction. A producer who qualifies still renews the license every two years through SIRCON and pays the fee, but does not have to complete any CE to do so. It is one of the few true age-and-service exemptions left in the country.
Other exemptions and the line-of-authority match
Mississippi also exempts inactive producers, producers holding only limited-lines licenses, and non-resident producers who satisfy their home state's requirement.
For producers who are subject to CE, each course has to match a line of authority the producer holds — a producer carrying only a property/casualty license cannot apply life-and-health coursework toward the 24 hours.
Birth-month renewal through SIRCON, and the reinstatement path
The Mississippi license term ends on the last day of the licensee's birth month, every two years, and producers renew through SIRCON. There is no CE grace period — an incomplete record blocks the renewal. The renewal fee is $100 regardless of how many licenses the producer holds, and a late renewal adds a $150 late fee.
A producer who missed the previous renewal can electronically reinstate a license within 12 months of expiration by paying a reinstatement fee of 50% of the license fee plus the renewal fee, and by being CE compliant. Past 12 months, the producer applies for a new license from the start.
How completions are reported, and what to keep
Mississippi-approved providers report completions to the Insurance Department electronically, and the producer's CE record is what SIRCON checks before it will process the renewal. A producer claiming the age-65 or first-term exemption should still confirm the record reflects the exemption rather than showing a shortfall.
A newly issued license or renewal can be pulled from SIRCON at no cost 30 days after approval, which is a useful way to confirm the renewal actually went through rather than assuming it did. Keep a certificate for every course for a few years, and — if claiming the age-65 or first-term exemption — confirm the record shows the exemption rather than a CE shortfall.
Non-resident producers
A non-resident licensed in Mississippi relies on their home state's CE requirement, provided the home state has one and the producer stays in good standing there. The 24-hour count, the reduced first term, and the age-65 exemption are resident rules.
Product-specific training tied to a Mississippi annuity or long-term care sale is separate from the general count and should be confirmed against a current Mississippi Insurance Department bulletin.
Worked example
A producer who has been licensed 32 years turns 66 this year. Because she is over 65 and has held her license continuously for more than 25 years, she is exempt from the 24-hour requirement — she renews through SIRCON on her birth-month cycle, pays the $100 fee, and completes no CE.
A colleague the same age who let his license lapse for a year in 2015 does not qualify: the gap broke his 25-year continuity, so he still owes the full 24 hours with 3 ethics each cycle.
The bottom line
Mississippi's core requirement is a standard 24 hours with 3 ethics, but two carve-outs matter: a 12-hour, no-ethics requirement for a first term of 18 months or less, and a complete exemption for producers over 65 with 25 years of continuous licensure. A producer approaching either milestone should confirm it against the Mississippi Insurance Department before assuming it applies.
If neither carve-out applies, book 21 hours in your licensed lines plus a 3-hour ethics course, finish a month or more before the birth-month deadline, and renew through SIRCON. Budget the $100 renewal fee — and if the record still shows a shortfall after expiration, the $150 late fee and, past 30 days, a reinstatement at half the license fee plus the renewal fee are what it costs to recover.
Primary and official sources used for this guide
Mississippi Insurance Department — Producer/Individual LicensingPrimary/official source for Mississippi's 24-hour requirement, the reduced first-term requirement, the age-65/25-year exemption, and the SIRCON birth-month renewal.↗NIPR — Mississippi Resident Renewal (Individual)Renewal detail for Mississippi residents, including the $100 renewal fee, the $150 late fee, and the 12-month reinstatement at 50% of the license fee plus renewal.↗Source pages can change. Check the current text and effective date before relying on a threshold, waiting period, or required form.