Wisconsin Insurance Laws on the State Licensing Exam

Wisconsin's state section draws from Wisconsin Statutes Chapters 600-655 (insurance generally), Chapter 628 (intermediaries/producer licensing), and Chapter 102 (workers' compensation) — administered by OCI. The approximately 20-25 state questions on each PSI exam cover OCI Commissioner authority, Wisconsin's producer licensing provisions (including the unique 8-hour shared PLE section and no-combined-exams rule), unfair practices, and line-specific Wisconsin law. For Life/A&H exams, BadgerCare Plus (Wisconsin's partial Medicaid expansion at ≤100% FPL — not the full ACA 138% FPL), Healthcare.gov (federal marketplace), LTC training with WI Medicaid-specific content requirements, and Annuity Best Interest (2021 Wis. Act; effective April 15, 2022) are the highest-priority state topics. For P&C exams, Wisconsin's modified comparative negligence with a 51% bar, at-fault auto system (25/50/10), required UM with stacking, and the WCRB (Wisconsin's independent workers' comp rating bureau — not NCCI, with rates 32% above national average) are the core state law areas.

Wisconsin's Insurance Legal Framework

OCI Commissioner Authority

OCI contacts:

PO Box 7872, Madison, WI 53707-7872

101 E. Wilson St., Madison, WI 53703

608-266-8699 (licensing); 800-236-8517 (consumer complaints)

ociagentlicensing@wisconsin.gov; oci.wi.gov

Commissioner authority:

License, suspend, revoke producers and insurers

Market conduct examinations

Issue cease and desist orders; impose civil penalties

Supervise the Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau (WCRB) — OCI licenses WCRB and WC carriers

Producer Licensing (Chapter 628; Wis. Admin. Code Ins 26)

All key facts tested:

PLE: 20 hours per line; 8-hr common section (shareable within 12 months); 12-hr line-specific; Certificate valid 1 year; bring to PSI exam; pass BEFORE PLE = must retest

Exemptions: OCI Form 11-026; 90 days before exam; technical college degree/4-yr business degree/military/professional designations

Intermediary's Guide to Wisconsin Insurance Law — OCI-developed online study resource for WI laws section

PSI: $75; PSI Bridge (Chrome); 70%; 180-day apply window; no retake wait; bring Certificate + ID

Fieldprint: $36; fieldprintwisconsin.com; code FPWIOCIInsurance; 180-day validity; 2 signature IDs

NIPR: $75/line; $5.60 transaction; 48-72 hr wait; 1-3 business days; 90 days documentation; 180-day apply window

No combined exams — Wisconsin does NOT offer combined Life & Health or combined P&C exams

Intermediary (Producer) Individual — Wisconsin's term for insurance producer

Renewal: 2 years; last day birth month; $35 resident; CE 24 hrs/3 Ethics; $1/credit hr reporting; no carryover; email notifications only

Temporary license: 12 months ($75/line); only for personal representative of deceased/disabled agent or military active duty designee

Expired 12+ months: must reapply ($75/line)

CE Annuity Best Interest: 4-hr one-time (2021 Wis. Act; April 15, 2022)

CE LTC: 8-hr initial (2 hrs WI Medicaid-specific); 4-hr refresher (1 hr WI Medicaid-specific)

License grounds for action:

Misrepresentation; WI law violation; misappropriation; incompetence; untrustworthiness; prior action; fraud

Wisconsin Unfair Trade Practices

Named practices — all tested:

Misrepresentation, twisting, churning, rebating, defamation, unfair discrimination, unfair claims settlement

Wisconsin Life Insurance State Laws

Annuity Best Interest (2021 Wis. Act; effective April 15, 2022):

One-time 4-hour OCI-approved course before selling annuities

Life/variable annuity licensees

Resident and non-resident may complete in any state with substantially similar laws

Counts toward 24-hour CE

Variable life/variable annuity: FINRA CRD number required on license application; must hold or simultaneously apply for Life line of authority.

Wisconsin replacement regulations: Specific disclosure forms required; replacement of life insurance has distinct Wisconsin procedures.

Wisconsin A&H Insurance State Laws

Healthcare.gov: Wisconsin's ACA marketplace. NOT state-based.

BadgerCare Plus — Wisconsin's most distinctive health law:

Wisconsin's Medicaid program name

Coverage threshold: ≤100% FPL (NOT ≤138% FPL — Wisconsin does NOT have standard ACA Medicaid expansion)

Wisconsin used a Section 1115 waiver to cover adults at or below 100% FPL

Adults from 100-138% FPL are directed to the Healthcare.gov marketplace where they receive federal premium tax credits

This is Wisconsin's "partial expansion" — different from every other comparison state that expanded:

Indiana: HIP 2.0 to 138% FPL

Missouri: MO HealthNet to 138% FPL

Minnesota: Medical Assistance to 138% FPL

Maryland: Expanded to 138% FPL

Wisconsin's approach is specifically testable as a distinctive state regulatory position

LTC Training (Wisconsin Medicaid-specific requirement):

No Wisconsin individual health insurance mandate.

Wisconsin P&C Auto Insurance Laws

Wisconsin is an at-fault state.

Wisconsin auto minimums (Wis. Stat. Ch. 344):

$25,000 bodily injury per person

$50,000 bodily injury per accident

$10,000 property damage per accident

= 25/50/10

Same as Missouri's statutory minimum; among the lowest nationally

Modified comparative negligence — Wisconsin's most tested P&C state law (Wis. Stat. § 895.045):

51% bar: Plaintiff barred if MORE than 50% at fault (>50%)

Plaintiff at ≤50% fault: recovery REDUCED proportionally

Same standard as Indiana (both use 51% bar); different from Missouri's pure comparative (no bar)

UM required:

$25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident bodily injury UM — mandatory

UM stacking allowed — multiply UM limits by number of vehicles on policy

Wisconsin's ~571,454 uninsured drivers (Insurance Research Council)

UIM: optional (not required)

No PIP requirement — at-fault state; MedPay optional.

Statutes of limitations:

6 years for property damage

3 years for personal injury (Different from Missouri: 5 years PI; 6 years PD)

Wisconsin Workers' Compensation (Chapter 102)

Coverage: Nearly ALL employers — very broad coverage with minimal exemptions (unlike Missouri's 5-employee threshold)

Public and private employers; part-time employees; minors; family member-employees

Exemptions: domestic servants; some farm employees; volunteers (≤$10/week); religious sect members (certified exemption); Native American tribal enterprises

Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau (WCRB):

NOT NCCI — Wisconsin is an independent bureau state (same category as Indiana's ICRB)

WCRB is a licensed rate service organization; unincorporated association of member insurers; regulated by OCI

wcrb.org

Sets rates, rating plans, policy forms, endorsements, and collects statistical data

Wisconsin WC rates ~32% above national average (significant difference from Indiana's 4th lowest nationally)

Private competitive market; approximately 300-400 insurance companies approved to write WC in Wisconsin

Assigned risk pool administered by WCRB

Administered by: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) — Worker's Compensation Division; NOT OCI. DWD administers Chapter 102; OCI licenses WCRB and WC carriers.

WC Act adopted: 1911 (Chapter 102)

TTD benefits: 66 2/3% of gross average weekly wage; maximum ~$961/week

Exclusive remedy: Workers' comp is exclusive remedy under Chapter 102.

Wisconsin State Law Numbers Summary

5 Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Wisconsin's modified comparative negligence standard and how does it compare to Missouri's? Wisconsin uses modified comparative negligence with a 51% bar (Wis. Stat. § 895.045) — a plaintiff is completely barred from recovery if found MORE than 50% at fault. This is identical to Indiana's standard. Missouri uses pure comparative negligence — a plaintiff can recover regardless of fault percentage (even 99% at fault recovers 1% of damages). Wisconsin's 51% bar is more restrictive than Missouri's pure system but more plaintiff-friendly than Maryland/Virginia's contributory negligence (any fault = zero recovery).
• What makes Wisconsin's auto minimum $10,000 PD significant? Wisconsin's $10,000 property damage minimum is among the lowest nationally — matching Missouri's statutory minimum. A Wisconsin driver with only $10,000 PD coverage who causes $50,000 in vehicle damage faces $40,000 in personal exposure. Advisory implication: Wisconsin P&C producers should always recommend PD coverage well above the $10,000 statutory minimum, especially given the average new vehicle value exceeding $48,000.
• What makes UM stacking in Wisconsin distinctive? Wisconsin allows UM coverage stacking — multiplying UM limits by the number of vehicles on the policy. A Wisconsin household with 2 vehicles and $25,000/$50,000 UM per vehicle can stack to $50,000/$100,000 in UM coverage. This is a specifically Wisconsin feature — not all comparison states allow stacking. Given Wisconsin's ~571,454 uninsured drivers, stacked UM provides meaningful additional protection.
• How does WCRB compare to Indiana's ICRB and Missouri's NCCI? Both Wisconsin (WCRB) and Indiana (ICRB) use state-specific independent rating bureaus — private, non-profit associations of member carriers that set rates, classification systems, and statistical plans independently of NCCI. Missouri uses NCCI (national standard). Wisconsin's WCRB rates are approximately 32% above the national average — in contrast to Indiana's ICRB rates (4th lowest nationally). This rate differential makes Wisconsin commercial workers' comp a higher-cost but active advisory market.
• What does "nearly all employers" mean for Wisconsin workers' comp coverage? Wisconsin Chapter 102 covers essentially all employers and employees with minimal exceptions — unlike Missouri's 5-employee general threshold or Indiana's 1-employee threshold with construction exception. Wisconsin requires workers' comp for farm operations above certain thresholds, includes part-time employees, minors, and family member-employees. The only significant exemptions are domestic servants, some farm employees, volunteers receiving ≤$10/week, and certain religious sect members. For the exam, Wisconsin has no numeric employee threshold — coverage is effectively universal for commercial employers.

Own the Wisconsin State Section

Wisconsin's BadgerCare Plus partial expansion, LTC WI Medicaid-specific content, 51% comparative fault bar, WCRB, and Annuity Best Interest (2021 Act) all require specific Wisconsin preparation. JustInsurance's OCI-approved Wisconsin courses cover both the national section and the Wisconsin state section.

Enroll today and master the Wisconsin state law that determines your exam outcome.