Every state-licensed mortgage loan originator is required to complete a minimum of 8 hours of NMLS-approved continuing education each calendar year. This is a federal requirement under the SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act and applies regardless of how long you have been licensed or how many states you hold licenses in.
The 8 hours are divided into four mandatory topic areas: 3 hours of federal law covering TILA, RESPA, and related regulations; 2 hours of ethics including fair lending and fraud prevention; 2 hours of non-traditional mortgage lending; and 1 elective hour, which many states use to satisfy a state-specific requirement. Most NMLS-approved providers package all four areas into a single 8-hour course, so one enrollment covers the full federal requirement. CE hours cannot carry over from one year to the next — hours completed in one calendar year apply only to that year's renewal.
States that require more than 8 hours or a state-specific elective
The 8-hour federal minimum is a floor, not a ceiling. Many states require MLOs to complete a state-specific elective hour on top of the federal core. A smaller number require significantly more. Here is the full breakdown for 2026:
States requiring more than 8 total hours:
New Jersey requires 12 total hours — the standard 7-hour federal core plus 2 state-specific elective hours and 3 additional elective hours. New York requires 11 total hours — the 7-hour federal core plus 3 hours of New York state-specific CE and 1 additional elective hour. Oregon requires 10 total hours — the 7-hour federal core plus 2 state-specific elective hours and 1 general elective hour. Arizona Responsible Individuals (AZ-RI, a separate license type from the standard MLO) require 12 total hours including 4 state-specific hours. Utah (Department of Real Estate license), Washington, and West Virginia each require 9 total hours.
States requiring exactly 8 hours but with a mandatory state-specific elective:
The following states require the standard 8 hours total, but the elective hour must be a state-specific course rather than a general elective: Arizona, California (DFPI license), Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada (Qualified Individuals only), New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, both South Carolina license types (BFI and DCA), Washington D.C., and both Utah license types under DFI and DRE.
States where 8 hours with a general elective satisfies the full requirement:
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California (DRE license), Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, both Indiana license types (DFI and SOS), Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada (standard MLO), New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Tennessee, both Texas license types (SML and OCCC), Utah (DFI), Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming all satisfy their requirement with the standard 8-hour course and a general elective.
A note for multi-state licensees
If you hold licenses in multiple states, you complete the 7-hour federal core only once regardless of how many states you are in. However, you must satisfy the elective requirement for each state separately. If one state requires a state-specific elective and another requires only a general elective, the state-specific elective typically satisfies both. Where two states each require their own state-specific elective, you need both. For states like New Jersey, New York, and Oregon that require multiple additional hours, those hours stack on top of everything else. The practical approach is to select all your states when enrolling — a good provider will calculate the minimum package needed to satisfy all your requirements simultaneously.
