2026 NMLS Continuing Education Requirements by State

Mortgage Loan Originator Continuing Education Requirements by State

Every state-licensed Mortgage Loan Originator must complete annual continuing education to renew their license. The standard SAFE Act continuing education requirement is 8 hours each year: 3 hours of Federal Law, 2 hours of Ethics, 2 hours of Nontraditional Mortgage Lending, and 1 hour of General Elective.  Many states accept a General Elective for that final hour, but some states require that the elective be State-Specific. A few states require more than 8 total hours.

Mortgage loan originators must complete continuing education before they can submit renewal through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System. The annual NMLS renewal window runs from November 1 through December 31, but NMLS encourages MLOs to complete continuing education by the SMART CE Deadline of December 5, because course providers may take up to seven days to report course completion.

The following state-by-state guide explains whether the state requires state-specific continuing education, whether a General Elective may be used, the total number of continuing education hours required, and any special deadline notes.

The state-specific hour requirements above are based on the NMLS State-Specific Education Requirements chart.

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