Insurance Agent Permit Requirements in Honolulu, HI

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Hawaii Department of Taxation — General Excise Tax (GET) License

   Hawaii has no sales tax. Instead the state levies a General Excise Tax on the gross income of the business itself, and unlike a sales tax it reaches services, commissions and rent as well as goods. Every business must register for a GET licence with the Department of Taxation on Form BB-1 before doing business. The rate is 4% statewide, rising to 4.5% on Oahu because of the 0.5% county surcharge, and it is owed on gross income whether or not it is passed on to the customer.

   Official government source

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1)·Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1)

   Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

2. Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance

   Insurance agents are strongly advised (and often required by employers or carriers) to carry Errors and Omissions insurance. E&O covers claims arising from professional mistakes or failures.

   $500–$2,000/year·Immediate to 1 week

   $500–$2,000/year

   Immediate to 1 week

1. Hawaii Insurance Division — Insurance Producer License

   Insurance agents in Hawaii are licensed as producers by the Insurance Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. The route is prelicensing study, the Pearson VUE state examination for each line of authority, fingerprinting and a background check, then the licence application. Producers are licensed by line — life, accident and health, property, casualty — so the lines sought determine how many exams are taken.

   Official government source

   $150 initial resident producer license fee ($100 at renewal; $225 for a nonresident producer), plus the Pearson VUE examination fee and fingerprinting costs·Licenses are issued after the exam is passed and the background check clears; the examination candidate handbook lists test dates and locations

   $150 initial resident producer license fee ($100 at renewal; $225 for a nonresident producer), plus the Pearson VUE examination fee and fingerprinting costs

   Licenses are issued after the exam is passed and the background check clears; the examination candidate handbook lists test dates and locations

2. Hawaii General Excise Tax (GET) License

   The City and County of Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services issues no business licence — its divisions are accounting, real property assessment, treasury, purchasing and the liquor commission, and Honolulu has no general business licence at all, so there is nothing to renew annually or display. What a business does need is the statewide General Excise Tax licence from the Department of Taxation on Form BB-1, plus any activity-specific approvals such as building or zoning permits from the Department of Planning and Permitting.

   Official government source

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1) — there is no city business license fee·Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

   $20 one-time registration fee (Form BB-1) — there is no city business license fee

   Hawaii Tax ID issued immediately in person, in about 5–7 days online via Hawaii Tax Online, or 4–6 weeks by mail

Official Sources

• Hawaii Insurance Division — Insurance Producer License
• City and County of Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services

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