Texas vs Florida Adjuster License: Which Should You Get? (2026 Comparison)

Texas and Florida both license all-lines adjusters through a Pearson VUE exam or an approved 40-hour course or designation, both offer a designated home state (DHS) version, and both require 24 hours of continuing education every two years. The real differences are the exam format and outline, Florida’s appointment system, the fees, and how emergency licenses work. If you live in Texas or Florida you need your own state’s resident license; the choice is only open if you live in a state that does not license adjusters, or when you decide which nonresident license to add first. Our Texas and Florida license pages give the step-by-step application process for each.

Texas vs Florida at a glance

The exams compared

Both exams are delivered by Pearson VUE, and both mix general insurance knowledge with state law. The weighting is quite different.

Texas (outline effective September 1, 2026):

The product section covers the standard fire policy, auto liability (including the Texas personal auto policy), homeowners forms, commercial lines, inland and ocean marine, and bonds. The Texas law section covers licensing, claim handling practices and workers’ compensation. Texas scores the exam as a whole, not section by section, and there is no penalty for guessing.

Florida (outline effective January 1, 2026):

Florida’s outline reaches further into casualty: auto liability, Florida no-fault (PIP), general liability, umbrellas, boiler and machinery, crime and surety, and workers’ compensation. It also adds small sections on health insurance and on Florida’s residual markets, including Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.

Florida’s exam is English only and offered at physical test centers; DFS says online proctoring is no longer available for new reservations. Texas offers a Spanish version that lets candidates switch between English and Spanish.

Practice the right one: the Texas practice test and Texas full exam, or the Florida 6-20 practice test and Florida full exam. Topic drills like auto insurance, general liability and workers’ compensation matter more for Florida.

Skipping the exam: course vs designation

Texas exempts applicants who finish a TDI-certified prelicensing course within 12 months before applying. The course must run at least 40 hours, with at least 30 in a classroom or classroom equivalent, and end with a course exam (150 questions for all lines, a 70% passing score) proctored by a disinterested third party. CPCU and AIC holders are also exempt.

Florida exempts holders of an approved all-lines adjuster designation. DFS’s list includes the AIC, the Accredited Claims Adjuster (ACA) from Florida colleges, and several private designations. Each designation course must cover the full exam outline in at least 40 hours and end with a comprehensive final exam. Providers can send proof of completion to DFS within 21 days. CPCU holders, applicants with an insurance degree of 18 or more credit hours, and current Florida general lines agents are also exempt.

Fees and fingerprints

Texas fingerprints run through IdentoGO after you register in TDI’s online fingerprint portal. Nonresident applicants with an active home state license are exempt. Florida accepts LiveScan from Florida residents and LiveScan or mailed cards from out-of-state applicants, and fingerprint results stay valid for 1 year for new applicants. Florida also waives the application fee for active-duty service members, their spouses, and veterans separated within the previous 24 months.

Appointments, license term and renewal

This is the biggest structural difference.

• Texas: once licensed, you can work. The license lasts 2 years and renews for $50. If it lapses less than 90 days, you can renew with a $25 late fee; after a year, you must retake the exam.
• Florida: a license alone is not enough. You must also be appointed: by your insurer as a company employee adjuster, or by an adjusting firm or yourself as an independent adjuster. You can hold only one appointment type at a time. The license itself never expires as long as you stay appointed, but it lapses after 48 months without an appointment, and you then have to qualify again as a first-time applicant.

Continuing education

Texas also requires at least half of the hours (12) in a classroom or classroom equivalent. As a nonresident in either state, you generally satisfy CE by meeting your home state’s requirement. Florida’s nonresident relief depends on your home state reciprocating; DHS holders in either state must meet that state’s full CE.

Emergency licenses

Both states issue short-term licenses after a catastrophe, and both require a sponsor who is responsible for the emergency adjuster’s work.

• Texas: up to 90 days, extendable by 90 more. A licensed adjuster or an insurer with a Texas office certifies the application within 5 days after you start work. No exam or fingerprints are required, and the statutory fee is capped at $20. Texas law also lets a nonresident adjuster handle losses from a single catastrophe without a Texas license.
• Florida: 6 months, with extensions of up to 6 months each while conditions persist. An authorized insurer, eligible surplus lines insurer or licensed independent adjusting firm certifies you, and you cannot start work until DFS issues the license. The fee is $10, and the license covers only losses from that emergency.

The catastrophe adjuster guide covers deployments in detail.

Reciprocity reach

Both are exam-based licenses with CE, which is what other states look for. Alaska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wyoming each publish a list of the DHS licenses they accept, and Texas and Florida are on all four. Alaska accepts a DHS license only from states that require a background check, an exam and CE. Wyoming adds a condition: for Texas or Florida, you must hold that state’s specific DHS license type. Florida’s own list (for its 7-20 nonresident license, per NIPR) includes a Texas DHS license.

Beyond those lists, many states issue nonresident licenses based on either license. California and New York have no exam reciprocity for adjusters, and Hawaii and Iowa generally require their own exams. Check the reciprocity map before you decide.

Which should you choose?

• You live in Texas: get the Texas resident license. You need it to adjust in Texas, and you cannot hold a DHS license.
• You live in Florida: get the 6-20. Florida requires that you not hold a resident adjuster license in another state.
• You live in a non-licensing state: either works as your DHS. Choose Texas for lower official fees, no appointment, a Spanish exam option and unlimited retakes. Choose Florida if you plan to work Florida claims and want an exam that leans harder into casualty and auto.
• You want both: take one as your resident or DHS license, then add the other as a nonresident license. Texas issues its nonresident license without an exam to holders of an active home state license from a reciprocal state. Florida’s 7-20 requires the Florida exam unless your license comes from a state on DFS’s reciprocity list or you qualify for another exemption, so confirm before you apply.

For the full licensing path, read how to become an insurance adjuster and the DHS guide.