How much does it cost to become an insurance adjuster

Adjuster, Individual/TBA – Independent or Public

An Independent Adjuster is any  person, firm, association, or corporation who acts in this state on behalf of an insurer when investigating and  adjusting  claims  arising  under  insurance contracts  issued  by the insurer

A Public Adjuster is  any  person,  firm,  association  or corporation who  acts on behalf of an insured in negotiating the  settlement  of  a claim or claims for loss or damage to property of the insured.

Temporary Independent Adjuster Permit (for Catastrophes)

To facilitate the settlement of claims resulting from a  catastrophe or an emergency, an individual who is not licensed as an independent adjuster in New York, but otherwise is qualified to adjust claims, can obtain a Temporary Adjuster permit if sponsored by a New York authorized insurance company.

Prelicensing Requirements

To qualify for a license, the licensing candidate must meet the following prelicensing requirements:

• the public adjuster candidate must complete a Department approved prelicensing education course totaling not less than 40 hours of instruction. Visit the Prelicensing Provider/Course List on the portal for provider contact information.
• no prelicensing course is required for the independent adjuster candidate
• all adjuster applicants must pass, within 2 years of applying for the license, the appropriate licensing exam administered by the exam vendor.  Visit the Exam Vendor Information page for registration and scheduling instructions.

Exceptions from the prelicensing course requirements:

A candidate for the public adjuster license may wave the education requirement if he/she were regularly employed in the insurance industry for no less than one year in duties involving sales, underwriting or claims.  The candidate must submit a signed and completed Statement of Employer with the license application.

Fingerprints

All adjuster applicants must submit fingerprints of both hands.

New York resident applicants must be electronically fingerprinted through IdentoGo.

Non-resident applicants must mail a completed fingerprint card and fingerprint fees to the Department.

Detailed instructions can be found on the Fingerprinting Procedures and page.

Bond

A Public Adjuster candidate must submit a bond in the amount of $1000 to cover the licensing period (from date issued to expiration date). The bond, with Acknowledgements and Power of Attorney forms can be uploaded with the application.

A bond is no longer required of Independent Adjuster applicants.

Certificates of Character

A Public Adjuster applicant must submit five (5) Certificates of Character from members of the community, in which he/she resides or transacts business, certifying, under penalty of perjury,  that they have personally known the applicant for at least five years, that he/she is honest, competent and of good character and that they are not related, by blood or marriage, to the applicant.  The certificates can be uploaded with the application.

Certificates of Character are no longer required for Independent Adjuster applicants.

Application Requirements

Public adjuster candidates must upload the following documents with the online application:

• Complete Bond, including Acknowledgements and Power of Attorney form
• Certificates of Character
• Signed IdentoGO pre-enrollment confirmation/receipt
• Statement of Employer (if applicable)

Independent adjuster candidates must upload the following documents with the online application:

• Signed IdentoGO pre-enrollment confirmation/receipt

Fees and Renewal Period

Licenses are issued for up to 2 years.  A non-refundable fee of $100 is charged when a license is issued for a licensing period of more than one year. A non-refundable fee of $50 is charged when a license is issued for a period of one year or less.

All adjuster licenses expire on 12/31 of even years.  After the initial licensing period, all licenses will be issued effective 01/01 of odd years to 12/31 of even years.

Payment Options

You may pay the licensing fees by credit card, electronic funds transfer (e-check) or paper check.  If electing to pay by paper check, your application will remain pending until the Department receives and processes the check.

There is a $20 fee for any e-check or paper check returned by the bank for insufficient funds.

Apply Online

To access the  individual/tba adjuster application, visit the DFS Portal:

DFS Portal

Check Status/Print License

The Department no longer mails paper licenses. Print the license as soon as it is issued.

Browsers and Blockers:

• Use a supported browser: The latest version plus one previous of IE, FF, Chrome, and Safari, are supported.
• Disable “Pop-up Blockers” in your browser before using DFS portal applications.
• Maintenance: Application may be unavailable from 7:30am to 7:45am daily for scheduled maintenance.

Apply by paper application

You must email [email protected] to obtain a paper application and instructions.