Straight answers on the Illinois public adjuster exam and license.
A public adjuster is on the policyholder's side, not the insurance company's. When hail, wind, fire or water damages a home or business, you document the loss, build the estimate and negotiate the claim for the owner. Illinois limits public adjusters to first-party property claims, meaning the policyholder's own insurance, and the license is issued by the Illinois Department of Insurance.
Illinois law spells out three kinds of adjusters. Company adjusters are employees of the insurance company, and independent adjusters are hired by insurance companies on contract. A public adjuster doesn't work for any insurance company, and you have to give your client those three definitions in writing before they sign with you.
Yes. In Illinois you can't act, advertise or solicit as a public adjuster, or even try to sign a client, without a license from the Illinois Department of Insurance. Working without one is a Class A misdemeanor, with less than a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500, and a contract signed in violation of the law is void.
Book the exam with Pearson VUE, online or by phone at least 24 hours ahead, and pass it. Get fingerprinted by an Illinois-approved live scan vendor. Get a $50,000 surety bond or letter of credit, and have your contract form approved by the Illinois Department of Insurance. Then apply on NIPR, pay the $250 license fee and upload your bond and contract with the application.
You must be at least 18, make Illinois your home state, pass the state exam, get fingerprinted and file a sworn application with a $50,000 surety bond or letter of credit. You also need an office in Illinois that's open to the public by appointment or regular business hours. There's no required pre-licensing course.
Yes. Illinois requires you to keep an office in your home state that the public can reach, by reasonable appointment or during regular business hours.
It depends on your record. A felony, or a misdemeanor involving dishonesty or fraud, can be grounds for denial unless you show enough rehabilitation. The state can't ask about arrests that didn't lead to a conviction, or hold sealed, expunged or juvenile records against you. Federal law (the 1033 rule) also bars anyone convicted of a felony involving dishonesty or breach of trust from working in insurance without written consent. Answer every background question fully.
Yes. Before your license is issued, and for as long as you hold it, Illinois requires a $50,000 surety bond in favor of the state or a $50,000 irrevocable letter of credit. You don't pay $50,000. You pay a yearly premium to the bond company. If your bond ends, your license stops with it.
The exam is $92, which includes the state's $50 fee, and each retake is another $92. The license is $250 for two years, plus a NIPR transaction fee. Fingerprinting adds the State Police fee of $30 plus the vendor's own charge, and your bond has a yearly premium. If you need to change or cancel your exam, do it at least 48 hours ahead.
The online course is $597, with 12 months of access. For the three-day class, contact our team for current pricing.
The exam follows Pearson VUE's Illinois public adjuster content outline, which has five sections: General Property Insurance Product Knowledge (35 questions), Property and Casualty Terms and Related Concepts (25), Illinois Laws and Regulations for Public Adjusters (25), Electrical and Building Techniques and Estimating (10) and Policy Provisions and Contract Law (5).
The exam has 100 scored questions, you get 165 minutes, and you need a scaled score of 70 to pass. You get a pass or fail report before you leave the test center.
At a Pearson VUE test center. Book online or by phone at least 24 hours ahead, since walk-ins aren't allowed. Bring two forms of ID with your signature, one of them a government-issued photo ID, both in the exact name you registered under, and arrive 30 minutes early. Late arrivals aren't admitted and lose the fee. The exam is also offered in Spanish.
Yes. Every Illinois insurance exam, the public adjuster exam included, is offered in Spanish. Spanish exams have to be scheduled at a Pearson VUE test center.
Don't give up. After a first fail, you wait 7 days before you can book again, and after a second or later fail, you wait 30 days. You pay the $92 fee each time. Your score report shows a numeric score and where you were weak, so you'll know exactly where to focus.
Our three-day class covers the full Illinois exam outline, from property insurance products and insurance terms to Illinois laws for public adjusters, building techniques and estimating, and policy provisions. It's taught in person, in Hoffman Estates.
You study at your own pace on your phone, tablet or desktop, with the same material we teach in the classroom: nine modules and more than 40 lessons of videos, quizzes, flash cards, downloadable PDFs and a full-length practice exam. Plan on about six to eight hours, with 12 months of access.
No. There's no prerequisite, and Illinois doesn't require a pre-licensing course. We start with the insurance basics the exam expects and build from there.
Illinois bars you from offering to represent someone while the loss is still happening, while the fire department is working at the property, or between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. You can't have an unlicensed person solicit for you either, and your contract has to state that the public adjuster who signed it is the one who solicited the job.
Usually a percentage of what the insurance company pays on the claim. On a home, Illinois caps it at 10% on any claim. For other property, the 10% cap applies to claims from a Governor-declared disaster unless the Director of Insurance approves more. Your contract has to be on a form the Illinois Department of Insurance approved, state the exact percentage, and leave the deductible out of your fee. If the insurer pays, or commits in writing to pay, the policy limit within five business days after the loss is reported, you can't take a percentage of it.
Your Illinois public adjuster license runs for two years, and you renew it on NIPR for $250. Continuing education is required. You need 24 hours every two years, including 3 hours of classroom or webinar ethics, finished at least 30 days before your renewal date. If your license lapses, you can get it back within 12 months without retaking the exam by paying double the renewal fee. After 12 months, you take the exam again.
Not by itself, but it can get you there. Indiana gives nonresident licenses to public adjusters who hold a license in good standing in their home state. You'll need a separate $10,000 Indiana surety bond no more than six months old, an Indiana-approved contract form and a legal representative in Indiana. Indiana licenses run to December 31, and Indiana has no continuing education requirement for public adjusters.
Before your client signs, Illinois requires a separate signed and dated disclosure explaining company, independent and public adjusters, a written notice of their rights as a consumer, and written disclosure of any financial interest you have in the claim, like a tie to a contractor. After signing, your client can cancel within 5 business days of the insurer receiving the contract, and anything they paid comes back within 15 business days.
