How Long the ND Premium Reduction Lasts

Two years, or three

NDCC 26.1-25-04.1 requires the reduction "for at least a two-year period following" successful completion of an approved course. A driver fifty-five or older at completion gets three years.

Note the words "at least." Two years is the floor an insurer's rate filing has to meet. Some may offer more; the statute does not stop them. What your policy does is a question for your agent.

It starts when you finish, not when you send the certificate

The period runs from successful completion. That is a reason to send the certificate the same week: a certificate that sits in a drawer for three months is three months of reduction you paid for and never saw. The reduction must be shown as its own line on your bill, so the first bill after you send it tells you whether the clock is being read correctly.

The gap most drivers leave

Here is what usually happens. A driver takes the course, the line appears on the bill, and two years later it quietly disappears. Nobody calls; the statute does not require a reminder. The premium drifts up, and the driver notices a year later, if at all.

The fix is a calendar entry on the day you finish: two years out, or three. A month before that date, take an approved course again, send the new certificate, and the line continues.

Does retaking early help?

The statute ties the reduction to completing a course; it does not say you must wait for the old period to end. In practice this is the insurer's call: ask how far ahead they will accept a new certificate and whether the new period starts from the new completion date. Most drivers aim for a few weeks before the old period ends.

Keep the certificate

The certificate is the only record there is. There is no state database to look it up in later. Keep the PDF where you can find it, because the day you dispute a missing line on your bill is the day you will want it.

The course is four hours online and $24.99, certificate included. How to get the reduction, step by step.

Quick answers

Does the reduction renew automatically?

No. It follows completion of an approved course, for the period the statute sets. After that it ends unless you complete a course again.

Can my insurer give more than two years?

The statute says at least two years, so an insurer may offer longer. Ask what your policy does.

Can I retake the course early?

Nothing in the statute forbids it. Ask your insurer how far ahead of the end date they will accept a new certificate, and whether the new period starts at the new completion date.

How long North Dakota's insurance premium reduction lasts, and when to retake the course