California Life Agent: what it costs over three years
With no retakes, the fees listed below add up to $548 over the first three years. Each line shows who sets the fee and the day we read it.
Cost over the first three years
| Fee | Each | Times | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam fee (paid to the Department of Insurance) (each attempt) California Department of Insurance, read . California Department of Insurance, license fees. The CDI fee schedule is labeled effective March 3, 2019. | $55 | 1 | $55 |
| PSI convenience fee (each attempt) California Department of Insurance and PSI, read . California Department of Insurance candidate bulletin (PSI), revised March 2026. PSI charges it at its test sites. The bulletin says it is not charged at the Department's Los Angeles site. | $43 | 1 | $43 |
| Filing fee (license application, nonrefundable) (once) California Department of Insurance, read . California Department of Insurance, license fees. The CDI fee schedule is labeled effective March 3, 2019. | $188 | 1 | $188 |
| Live scan fingerprints (once) California Department of Insurance and PSI, read . California Department of Insurance candidate bulletin (PSI), revised March 2026. Total for the Department's live scan vendor, which the bulletin splits into $17 FBI, $32 DOJ and $25 vendor fee. | $74 | 1 | $74 |
| License renewal (every 2 years) (when due) California Department of Insurance, read . California Department of Insurance, license fees | $188 | 1 | $188 |
| Total | $548 | ||
Your numbers
Type the fee you pay, how many attempts you want to plan for and the date of the first one. The page does the arithmetic with the owner's wait. Nothing you type is saved or sent. This shows what you would pay and wait if every attempt but the last did not pass. It does not say how likely that is.
- Attempt 1, fee $98
- Attempt 2: wait 0 days after the last one, fee $98
2 attempts: fees add up to $196, and the waits add up to 0 days.
California Department of Insurance and PSI: To retest you re-register with PSI, and the bulletin sets no waiting period between attempts. Insurance Code section 1682 bars anyone who has failed the same exam 10 times from taking it for 12 months from the last failure. Attempts are counted by exam type. Read October 18, 2026. Owner page. The owner states no fixed wait, so 0 days is used; check the owner page for current scheduling rules. Confirm California Life Agent fees and waits on the owner page before you pay.
How the total is built
The total is the sum of the lines above for the first three years after you pass. Fees that repeat for each attempt are paid again for each retake you choose. Fees that fall due on a cycle are counted when they fall due inside the three years. Course and study costs, travel and state fees we do not list are not included. Fees change, so confirm each on the owner page before you pay.
See also exam change dates.
Free California Life Agent practice is on its practice page, with right or wrong on every answer. The full analysis is $39 once, with a 30-day full refund. Open California Life Agent practice.
DecipherU is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by California Department of Insurance and California Department of Insurance and PSI. Names and marks belong to their owners. This page is a plain-language summary of public pages, not their own text and not advice.
Verify fees, deadlines and requirements with the issuing authority before you rely on them. Rules change, and this page may be out of date.
Educational information only. It is not professional, legal, financial, medical or licensing advice.