Idaho Real Estate Salesperson License requirements

Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.

1. 1

   Module 1 (45) then Module 2 (45), 70% finals, 100% attendance

   Complete within three years of your application, live, by Zoom, or self-paced. Zoom students sign the Student Engagement Terms. A renamed Nevada 120-hour course will not count.

2. 2

   Get Pearson fingerprints at the same time (results valid 6 months; 1–12 weeks)

   Electronic at Boise / Pocatello / Spokane Valley, or by hard card. Nampa does not fingerprint. Check your approval yourself, because no notice is mailed.

3. 3

   Pearson $83 (80 national items / 150 min + 40 state items / 90 min, scaled 70)

   Take it after both modules, in a combined 4-hour appointment. If you fail one section, retake that section within one year. Apply within one year of your first pass.

4. 4

   Apply once prints are approved; pay fees including the $20 recovery fund

   IREC Fees page (Jan 1, 2026): individual initial $135, renewal $0 during the holiday. The original license fee is not waived. E&O through Rice or REE141. Form REE040 plus attachments.

5. 5

   First active renewal: 2 Core courses + Post License Fundamentals 8 + one 4-hour post-license module

   General electives are allowed starting with the second active renewal. The licensing period ends on the last day of your birth month. Do not switch from inactive to active until post-license is posted.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.

Residency and identification

Idaho residency is not required. Active out-of-state licensees may apply for an exam waiver that removes the national portion and the prelicense modules; they still take the Idaho portion (waiver request form on dopl.idaho.gov/rec). Create your Pearson account before IREC applies the waiver. Other waivers and deadline extensions follow the Special Consideration Policy, and incomplete requests are not considered. The licensing period ends on the last day of your birth month, and renewals open 60 days before.

Qualifying education

Per IREC's education-applicants page, Module 1 is a study of fundamental real estate concepts (45 hours), and Module 2 covers listing, selling, buying, and closing (45 hours). You can take them in a live classroom, by remote Zoom, or self-paced online. You must attend 100% of each course and pass the final course exam for each module at 70% or higher. Both must be completed within the 3 years immediately before your license application date. The Approved Textbook List is linked from that page. Continuing education does not substitute. Zoom and hybrid students agree to the Student Engagement Terms, or the provider may deny credit. Providers have 5 business days after you finish a course to post the record; follow up with the school before emailing [email protected]. A Nevada 120-hour, Utah sales agent, or Washington 90-hour certificate does not count as Module 1 + Module 2 unless you use the exam-waiver form.

Education or filing deadline

Courses must be completed within the three years immediately before the application date; passing the exam does not extend that deadline. For Pearson, you must pass both sections and submit the completed application within one year of the first passed section. Fingerprint results are valid for six months.

Character review

A fingerprint-based background check plus Commission review. Disclose convictions. E&O is required when the license is issued (group through Rice or independent on REE141).

Background process

Pearson fingerprints; results are valid 6 months and take 1–12 weeks. Check your approval before applying, because no notice is mailed.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the salesperson license. You must have a supervising designated broker to practice. The associate broker upgrade requires a different 90 hours (Brokerage Management 28 + Real Estate Law 30 + two electives), not Module 1 + 2.

Broker affiliation

An Idaho salesperson practices under a licensed designated broker. If you have never renewed active, you must complete the post-license courses before your license can be activated after an inactive renewal. Do not have your broker switch you to active until Post License Fundamentals 8, a 4-hour module, and two Core courses are posted. Becoming a designated broker or branch manager requires BCOO (or Brokerage Management in its place) and is separate from the salesperson license.

Pearson VUE (handbook #091300, July 2024). pearsonvue.com/us/en/id/realestate.html; (877) 540-5833. $83 for the combined appointment, per the fee table on the handbook's back cover. · Fee: $83

A retake costs the same $83 even if you take only the failed section. You must pass the failed section within one year of the date of the passed section, and submit a completed application within one year of the first passed section, or retake both. Attempts are unlimited. You must wait 24 hours to rebook, and changes or cancellations require 48 hours' notice. Payment is not accepted at the test center. Vouchers expire after 12 months. A waiver of the general portion is an IREC letter applied to your Pearson account before you book; it is not retroactive and is not a document you bring to the center.

These are commission or testing-vendor amounts we can cite. School tuition and optional preparation products are private-market prices.

Pearson handbook #091300 back-cover fee table: $83 salesperson (4 hours) and $83 broker (4 hours); retakes are the same $83. IREC Fees page effective January 1, 2026: individual broker/salesperson initial $135, renewal $0 during the announced fee holiday. Per Board News, original license fees are not waived, late and reinstatement fees still apply, and early renewals made within the 60-day window before Jan 1, 2026 were charged and then refunded by Jan 31, 2026. The application and initial license amounts shown here are the same $135 original fee, not two charges. A $20 recovery-fund fee applies to the original and each two-year renewal under § 54-2070; check the Fees page to see how that $20 applies to a $0 holiday renewal. Cooperative license $100. Business entity/branch initial $50 / renewal $0. Fingerprint fees are set by Pearson. E&O is a separate premium paid to Rice or an independent carrier.

• !

  Letting Module 1 become more than three years old before you apply

  The deadline is measured from your application date, not your exam date. Passing the exam does not reset it.

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  Breaking a Zoom engagement rule and losing credit

  The Student Engagement Terms allow the provider to deny credit. 100% attendance is required.

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  Applying before fingerprint approval

  No notice is mailed, so check it yourself. Prints can take 12 weeks and are then valid for only six months.

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  Treating first renewal as 12 generic elective hours

  Your first active renewal requires named post-license courses (Fundamentals 8 + a 4-hour module) plus two Core courses. Later renewals are 2 new Core courses + 12 electives.

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  Skipping the $20 recovery-fund fee because of the fee holiday

  § 54-2070 still requires the $20. Check how the 2026 holiday treats it on the Fees page. The $135 original fee is not waived.

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  Counting on a passed national section for more than one year

  You must pass the failed section and submit the completed application within one year of the first passed section, or take both again. This differs from Wyoming's six-month and 90-day deadlines.

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  Showing up at Pearson as a walk-in, or booking fingerprints at Nampa

  Walk-ins are not available. Nampa does not fingerprint. For electronic prints, use Boise / Pocatello / Spokane Valley.

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  Having the broker activate you from inactive before post-license is posted

  IREC's education-licensees page: if you have not completed post-license, do not have your license placed on active status. An inactive renewal itself needs no CE; activation does.

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  Treating a Washington 90-hour or Utah sales agent certificate as Module 1 + Module 2

  Active out-of-state licensees use the waiver form (national portion + modules waived; Idaho portion still required). You cannot simply submit transcripts.

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  Reading scaled 70 as 70 of 80, or confusing the salesperson and broker passing scores

  Scores are equated on a 0–100 scale. Salesperson passing is 70; broker is 75. Passing candidates see only "Pass."

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  Forgetting E&O because the Fees table does not list it

  The handbook forms directory requires Rice or independent coverage on REE141. E&O is separate from the $20 recovery fund.

Idaho does not list reciprocity partner states. Active out-of-state licensees may request an exam waiver that removes the national portion and prelicense modules; they still take the Idaho portion (exam-waiver form at dopl.idaho.gov/rec). Create your Pearson account first. For other waivers, email a request under the Special Consideration Policy with the suggested documentation; incomplete requests are not considered. A Nevada 120-hour or Utah sales agent certificate does not count as Module 1 + Module 2 without that waiver. CE earned in another jurisdiction can be submitted through DOPL Online Services (online courses must be ARELLO-certified; processing takes up to 60 days).

Idaho vs neighboring states

Hours are the pre-license total printed in each guide; states that count credits or named courses show “See guide.” Published state fees add the application, exam, initial-license, and fingerprint amounts the guide can cite — tuition is not included.

What are Module 1 and Module 2?

The two 45-hour salesperson prelicense courses listed on IREC's education-applicants page. Module 1 covers real estate concepts; Module 2 covers listing, selling, buying, and closing. You need 100% attendance and 70% on each final, and both must be within three years of your application. You can take them live, by Zoom, or self-paced.

How many prelicense hours?

90: 45 + 45, per dopl.idaho.gov/rec/rec-education-applicants/. Not 60 or 120, and unlike Wyoming, Idaho states a total hour requirement rather than only naming courses.

How much is the exam?

Per Pearson handbook #091300 (July 2024), $83 for the 4-hour appointment (General 150 minutes, State 90 minutes). A retake costs the same, even for one section. Payment is not accepted at the test center. National: 80 scored + 5 pretest items; state: 40 scored + 5–10 pretest items; scaled 70 to pass.

Does a Nevada or Utah certificate count?

Not as Module 1 + Module 2. Active out-of-state licensees may request a waiver of the national portion and the modules; they still take the Idaho portion. Create your Pearson account first so IREC can apply the waiver.

When do fingerprints come back?

In one to twelve weeks. Results are valid six months. IREC does not mail a clearance notice, so check it yourself before applying. Nampa centers do not fingerprint.

What is first-renewal CE?

Two different Commission Core courses plus 12 hours of named post-license education: 8-hour Post License Fundamentals and one 4-hour module (Pricing/Marketing/Advertising, Professionalism/Negotiation/Closing, or Intro to Commercial). Later renewals: two Core courses you have not taken plus 12 electives. An inactive renewal requires no education at renewal, but you must complete it before the broker activates your license.

Is there a recovery fund?

Yes. $20 on the original license and each two-year renewal under § 54-2070, keeping a $20,000 minimum balance in the fund. Check how the 2026 holiday treats that $20 on a $0 renewal.

What does the original license cost in 2026?

IREC Fees page: individual broker/salesperson initial $135. Renewal is $0 during the holiday, but original license fees are not waived. Add the $20 recovery fund, the $83 Pearson exam, the fingerprint vendor fee, and E&O.

Can I go self-paced?

Salesperson modules: yes (live, Zoom, or self-paced). Broker prelicense: live or Zoom only, not self-paced. Either way, 100% attendance is required. Zoom students sign the Student Engagement Terms.

When do I renew?

By the last day of your birth month, on a two-year cycle. The renewal window opens 60 days before. The 2026 holiday sets the IREC renewal fee to $0, but reinstatement fees after a missed deadline are not waived.

Do I have to live in Idaho?

No, but you must affiliate with an Idaho designated broker to practice. Active out-of-state licensees use the waiver form; they cannot simply submit transcripts.

Is E&O required?

Yes. Per the handbook forms directory, use Rice group coverage (risceo.com) or independent coverage on form REE141. Entities other than sole proprietorships need separate firm E&O.

Where do I take the exam?

Boise, Coeur d'Alene, Nampa, Pocatello, Twin Falls, plus Spokane, Las Vegas, Reno, Draper, Ogden. Check current locations with Pearson. Fingerprinting is not available at Nampa. Walk-ins are not accepted.

What is scaled 70?

A 0–100 equated score set after a Commission/Pearson study. It does not mean 70 of 80 items, and it is not a raw percent. If you pass, you see "Pass"; if you fail, you see a number. The broker passing score is 75, not 70.