All CE providers must meet Washington’s reporting and recordkeeping requirements. This includes course submissions, 10-day notices, certificates of completion, and course rosters.
Providers must keep accurate records, using only approved course information in advertising, and maintain current contact details. The guidelines on this page outline required submissions, what must be retained, and retention timelines.
These standards support high-quality continuing education and ensure licensees receive credit for completed courses.
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Course submissions, notices, and rosters
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Before course presentation
Follow these procedures before a course is presented.
New course submission
Before offering a CE course for credit in Washington, providers must have the course approved. You'll need to submit a request for approval, the instructor's resume, and the required course documentation.
Advertising a course once approved
A course submitted for CE credit cannot be advertised before we've approved it, including using phrases such as “continuing education credit is pending” or anything similar.
A CE course advertisement must include all of the following:
- The insurance education provider's name that's registered with our office
- The approved course title
- A brief description of the content of the course
- The number of approved credit hours
- The location where the course will be held (if a classroom course)
- The date and time the course will be presented (if a classroom or webinar course)
- The total cost of the course
Submit a 10-day notice of course presentation
CE providers must send us a notice at least 10 days before presenting an approved insurance CE classroom or webinar course in Washington state. The course notice should not be sent earlier than 60 days before the presentation. This notice is not a request for approval of the course, so you will not receive a reply.
Submit a new notice, edit a prior notice, or cancel a prior notice
After course presentation
Follow these procedures after you've presented a course.
Issuing course completion certificates
A certificate of completion must be issued to each course attendee within 10 days of completing the course. Only the instructor, class monitor, or someone authorized by the provider can sign the certificates. The provider must keep a record of the people authorized to sign certificates on behalf of the provider. A certificate form can be requested by the provider's contact person.
Contact our education team to request a sample certificate. Please include your provider number in the email.
If a producer initially declines insurance CE credit on the registration form and it can be documented, the 10-day rule is temporarily suspended. If the producer later decides to request CE credit, you have 10 days to submit the roster and issue a certificate from the date you are notified that the producer would like CE credit.
Submit a course roster
Rosters must be submitted electronically within 10 days of course completion. Our online roster program will accept a late roster, but repeated violations of the 10-day roster rule can result in an enforcement action.
If the licensee initially declined CE credit and this is documented on the registration, the 10-day rule is suspended until the licensee or the OIC notifies the provider that CE credit is requested.
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Recordkeeping requirements
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Course records: what to keep and for how long
Providers must keep all course and attendance or registration records for three years from the date the course was completed.
As a CE provider, you're required to maintain these records:
Provider documentation
Keep the provider application, program director application, course application, and instructor or content developer resume that the continuing education provider submitted to us to request course and credit approval.
Course documentation
You'll need to keep copies of:
- Course outlines, study materials, polling questions, and exams you submitted to us for approval
- An instructor's lesson plan for each approved classroom course or webinar course
- Each licensee’s registration, payment, attendance, participation, and a copy of each attendee's course completion certificates
- Each 10-day notice of subsequent presentation, revisions, and cancellations submitted to us
Attendance documentation
Attendence registers (XLSX 40.51KB) are required for each classroom and webinar course. The instructor or monitor must maintain possession of the attendance register for the entire duration of the class. Attendees can't sign out until the class is completed.
Attendees can't sign in more than 10 minutes after the start of the class.
The attendees must put their signature with their arrival time when they arrive. They must put their initials and departure time when they leave. The instructor or class monitor must sign and date the attendance register in the classroom once it has been reviewed. An error on the attendance register should be addressed with the attendee before leaving the classroom. The error can be lined-out and initialed when corrected.
For webinars, the electronic attendance register must include each attendee's:
- Name
- Phone number
- WAOIC number
- Log-in and log-out times for the class
- Chat history
- Polling responses
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Update contact information
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Follow these steps to make a simple change to your CE provider contact information or to swap out your CE program coordinator if you have a change in staff.
Change a CE provider's contact information
To change provider contact information, log in to your account. The provider's primary contact person can update:
- Program coordinator name
- Address
- Phone number
- Email address
- Fax number
- Web address
Change your CE program coordinator
If you have a change in staff and need to change who your CE program coordinator is, the new coordinator has 30 days to submit an application.
Download a CE program coordinator application (PDF 110.18KB)
This application should be completed by the new coordinator. Please email all applications to our education team.