Insurance adjusters investigate claims, inspect damage, and decide what a policy pays. In Florida, where hurricanes, floods, and a large population create a constant flow of property claims, licensed adjusters are in steady demand, and the licensing path is one of the fastest in insurance: with an approved designation course you can skip the state exam entirely. This guide covers the licenses, the requirements, and the steps from zero to working adjuster.
Types of adjusters in Florida
Florida licenses adjusters according to who they work for.
- Company adjusters are employees of an insurance company and handle that company’s claims.
- Independent adjusters work for independent adjusting firms that insurers hire, often on contract and especially after storms. Many catastrophe (“CAT”) adjusters are independents who deploy wherever the damage is.
- Public adjusters work for the policyholder, not the insurer, preparing and negotiating the claim on the policyholder’s behalf for a fee.
Company and independent adjusters hold the same license, the 6-20 Resident All-Lines Adjuster license (non-residents hold the 7-20). Public adjusters hold the 3-20 Resident Public Adjuster license, which requires adjusting experience first.
Step 1: Meet the basic requirements
To apply for a Florida adjuster license you must be at least 18, a United States citizen or legal alien with work authorization, and fingerprinted for a background check. Florida residents apply for the 6-20; if you live in another state, you apply for the 7-20 non-resident license using the same education and exam rules, which makes Florida a common first license for adjusters whose home state does not license adjusters.
Step 2: Qualify for the 6-20 by designation or exam
Florida law lists two ways to satisfy the all-lines adjuster examination requirement. You can sit for the state exam at Pearson VUE (two hours, 70% to pass, $44 per attempt), or you can earn an approved adjuster designation from a provider named in Florida Statute 626.221, which exempts you from the exam. The Registered Claims Adjuster (RCA) designation is one of those approved designations, and it is what our Florida 6-20 adjuster license course awards.
The designation route is the one nearly all of our students take. The course is 100% online and self-paced, covers the property and casualty lines Florida requires, and ends with a course final exam. Pass it, and your RCA designation satisfies the state’s education and examination requirements. There is no trip to a test center and no $44 exam fee.
Step 3: Apply to the Florida Department of Financial Services
Apply online through the DFS MyProfile system. The application fee is $50 and there is a $5 fee when the license is issued. You will upload or report your designation (or exam result), and DFS will match it to your fingerprint results. Once approved, your 6-20 license is issued.
Step 4: Get fingerprinted
Schedule a live-scan fingerprint appointment with the state’s fingerprint vendor and pay the processing fee at booking. Out-of-state applicants can use a mail-in fingerprint card process. Results go directly to DFS.
Step 5: Get appointed
An adjuster license is not active until it is appointed. A company adjuster is appointed by the insurer that employs them. An independent adjuster is appointed by the adjusting firm they work for, or can self-appoint. The appointment fee under Florida law is $60, renewed every two years, and in most cases the employer or firm handles it.
Step 6: Learn Xactimate
Xactimate is the estimating software used for the large majority of property claims in the United States, and most adjusting firms expect new adjusters to be proficient in it before deployment. It is not part of the state licensing requirement, but it is usually the difference between being hired and being passed over. We offer Xactimate Levels 1 & 2 training that takes you from sketching and scoping through macros, templates, and the Level 1 and Level 2 certification exams.
Step 7: Keep the license current
Florida adjusters follow the same continuing education law as agents: every two years, a 4-hour Law & Ethics Update course specific to the adjuster license plus elective hours, for 24 hours total (less after six or 25 years licensed). Our adjuster CE packages bundle the update course with claims-focused electives.
Becoming a public adjuster (3-20)
Public adjusters represent policyholders, and Florida regulates them more tightly. To qualify for the 3-20 Resident Public Adjuster license you must first have adjusting experience: Florida requires that you have been licensed and appointed in Florida for the previous six months as an all-lines adjuster (company or independent), as a public adjuster apprentice, or as a non-resident public adjuster. You must then pass the 3-20 state exam (two hours, 70%), file a $50,000 surety bond with DFS, and apply.
The practical path for someone new to the industry is: earn the 6-20 through the RCA designation, work as an adjuster for six months, then prepare for the 3-20 exam. Our 6-20 + 3-20 Public Adjuster Package bundles both courses, and the standalone 3-20 Exam Prep Course serves adjusters who already hold a 6-20. We also offer the $50,000 public adjuster bond to our students at a discount.
How long does it take?
Students who study steadily usually complete the RCA designation course in two to four weeks. Fingerprinting and the DFS application can be done while you study, and DFS processing typically adds a couple of weeks after everything is submitted. Many of our students are licensed and appointed within a month or two of enrolling. The 3-20 adds the six-month experience requirement on top of that.
What do Florida adjusters earn?
Pay depends heavily on the type of work. Company adjusters earn a salary; independent and catastrophe adjusters are usually paid per claim or as a percentage of the claim amount, which can be lucrative during an active storm season and quiet in between. Public adjusters charge the policyholder a percentage of the claim recovery, which Florida caps by statute. Rather than quote figures that go stale, we suggest searching current job postings for Florida adjuster roles, which list pay ranges directly.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a college degree to be an adjuster in Florida?
No. A qualifying degree with insurance coursework can exempt you from the exam, but no degree is required. The RCA designation course covers the education requirement.
Can I become an adjuster with no insurance experience?
Yes. The 6-20 has no experience requirement, and the designation course is built for people new to the industry. Experience is only required for the 3-20 public adjuster license.
Does the Florida adjuster license work in other states?
Many states offer reciprocity to adjusters licensed in their home state, and adjusters from states without adjuster licensing often use Florida as their designated home state. Check each state’s rules, since reciprocity varies.
Is the 6-20 the same as the old 5-20 and 6-20?
Florida consolidated its company adjuster (5-20) and independent adjuster (6-20) licenses into the single all-lines adjuster license, which uses the 6-20 code. One license now covers both roles.
Start your adjuster career
Enroll in the 6-20 RCA designation course to get licensed without the state exam, add Xactimate training to be deployment-ready, and come back for CE when your first compliance period ends. Questions about the adjuster path? Call (877) 200-7711.
Sources: Florida Statutes ss. 626.221, 626.2815, and 624.501; Pearson VUE Florida Insurance Candidate Handbook (2024).