Illinois real estate licensing
Illinois Real Estate Broker License (entry-level) requirements
A practical, source-checked guide to qualifying, passing the exam, applying, and keeping this license active.
By Gabriel Giner, Editor · Verified · RE License Guide Editorial Desk
- Required education
- 75-hour broker pre-license (60 topics + 15 applied principles); confirm live if an IDFPR packet still mentions 90
- Exam fee
- $58
- Published fees
- See fee table
- Typical timeline
- Typically 2–4 months after starting the 75-hour course if PSI seats and sponsorship cooperate
What to know first
Illinois retired the salesperson license. The first credential on the wall is a real estate broker license issued by IDFPR under the Real Estate License Act of 2000. Searching the Division for a "salesperson application" is how people waste a week. The supervising credential above this broker license is managing broker — that is the Illinois analog of a qualifying broker in Georgia or a broker-in-charge in North Carolina, not a second salesperson rung.
Pre-license education is the 75-hour broker curriculum the Division describes as 60 hours of topics plus 15 hours of applied real estate principles (interactive). A separate IDFPR "Requirements for License by Examination" packet has referred to 90 hours and to AMP as the vendor. This site does not pick a silent winner between 75 and 90. Confirm the live total with the Division or an IDFPR-approved school that reports completion electronically to PSI before you pay tuition. The PSI Illinois candidate bulletin (the document currently used to sit the test) describes the 165-hour managing-broker stack as including that 75-hour broker pre-license, which is the best evidence that 75 is the operative pre-license number for new brokers.
The exam is PSI, not Pearson VUE and not DRE. The bulletin prices the broker examination at $58. The national portion is 100 items; the state portion is 40; a scaled score of 75 is required on each. Time is 3.5 hours in commonly cited PSI materials. Candidates get four attempts; after the fourth failure you retake the 75-hour education and the entire exam. A sponsoring managing broker still holds the license for practice — the title says broker, the business model is still sponsored. First renewal is 45 hours of post-license education (three 15-hour courses with exams), which IDFPR's 2026 broker CE fact sheet still treats as the first-cycle obligation, including sexual-harassment-prevention training inside that curriculum. Later even-year renewals are 12 hours of CE (6 core / 6 elective on the 2026 sheet). Florida will mutually recognize an Illinois license for nonresidents who pass the 40-question Florida law exam; Illinois itself now wants endorsement ($150) rather than the old reciprocal list.
Your path to the license
Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.
-
Confirm the live pre-license hour total with IDFPR or an approved school
Operate on 75 hours (60+15) unless the Division tells you otherwise in writing.
-
Register with PSI so the school can report completion
Then sit PSI: 100 national + 40 state, scaled 75, $58.
-
Fingerprints through an IDFPR vendor; keep the TCN
Within 60 days of the application.
-
Apply on the IDFPR portal with sponsoring managing broker
By-examination fee cited in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1450.130 as $125; endorsement is $150. Pay the live checkout.
-
Complete 45-hour post-license by first renewal
Then 12-hour CE in later even-year cycles per the current fact sheet.
Education and eligibility
- Minimum age
- 18 years old
- Identification
- A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is accepted.
- Residency and identification
- Illinois residency is not required. Out-of-state applicants as of January 1, 2026 use licensure by endorsement, not the retired reciprocal list.
- Qualifying education
- Must be taken through an IDFPR-approved provider. The 15-hour applied-principles block is interactive. The school reports completion to PSI. A course final (commonly 75 percent) is separate from the PSI license exam.
- Education or filing deadline
- PSI and IDFPR publish attempt and validity windows in the candidate bulletin (commonly four attempts; passed exams have a limited application window). Read the live bulletin before you let a pass age out.
- After licensing
- 45 hours of broker post-license education by first renewal (IDFPR 2026 CE fact sheet), including sexual-harassment-prevention training inside that curriculum. Subsequent broker renewals: 12 hours CE.
- Character review
- IDFPR character and fitness review, including fingerprint-based ISP and FBI checks.
- Background process
- Live-scan fingerprints through an IDFPR-licensed vendor within 60 days of application. Online applicants enter the 16-digit Transaction Control Number from the receipt. Out-of-state applicants use a card-scan vendor from IDFPR's list.
- Experience
- No licensed experience is required for the entry broker license. A sponsoring managing broker is required to practice. Default minimum age in older packets is 21 with a waiver path for some 18-year-olds; confirm the live age rule on the application you actually file.
- Broker affiliation
- A managing broker must sponsor the entry-level broker for active practice. The license title is broker; it is not authority to open an office or sponsor others.
Documents to prepare
- IDFPR-approved 75-hour completion reported to PSI
- Fingerprint TCN
- Sponsoring managing broker information on the application
The licensing exam
PSI's Illinois broker exam: national portion (100 multiple-choice items) and Illinois state portion (40 items). Scaled passing score 75 on each portion. State items sample the Real Estate License Act of 2000, IDFPR rules, sponsoring-managing-broker relationships, escrow, and Illinois disclosure practice. This is not a Florida-only paper and not a DRE unified exam. Pretest items may be embedded and are not identified.
PSI (IDFPR testing vendor; older packets say AMP) · Fee: $58
| Part | Questions | Minutes | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 100 | 150 | Scaled score of 75 |
| Illinois state | 40 | 90 | Scaled score of 75 |
Four attempts in the PSI bulletin. After the fourth failure, retake the 75-hour pre-license education and the entire exam. Fee $58 per bulletin.
What to study
-
PSI Illinois Real Estate Candidate Bulletin
PSI / IDFPR
Exam fees, attempts, and the 165-hour managing-broker education stack that includes the 75-hour broker pre-license.
-
2026 Broker CE fact sheet
IDFPR
Post-license versus 12-hour CE by original issue date.
Application costs
These are commission or testing-vendor amounts we can cite. School tuition and optional preparation products are private-market prices.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application | $125 |
| Examination | $58 |
| Initial license | $125 |
68 Ill. Adm. Code 1450.130 has listed $125 for broker by examination. Endorsement applications list $150. PSI exam $58 in the current bulletin. Fingerprints vendor-priced. Confirm renewal dollars on the live IDFPR invoice (this page does not invent an unverified renewal total).
| Commission | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Real Estate Real Estate License Act of 2000, 225 ILCS 454; 68 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1450 |
|---|---|
| Pre-licensing | 75-hour broker pre-license (60 topics + 15 applied principles); confirm live if an IDFPR packet still mentions 90 Must be taken through an IDFPR-approved provider. The 15-hour applied-principles block is interactive. The school reports completion to PSI. A course final (commonly 75 percent) is separate from the PSI license exam. PSI and IDFPR publish attempt and validity windows in the candidate bulletin (commonly four attempts; passed exams have a limited application window). Read the live bulletin before you let a pass age out. |
| Post-license education | 45 hours of broker post-license education by first renewal (IDFPR 2026 CE fact sheet), including sexual-harassment-prevention training inside that curriculum. Subsequent broker renewals: 12 hours CE. |
| Sponsoring broker | A managing broker must sponsor the entry-level broker for active practice. The license title is broker; it is not authority to open an office or sponsor others. |
| Fingerprints | IDFPR-licensed live-scan vendor, ISP + FBI, within 60 days of application. Vendor-priced. Keep the TCN. |
| CE / renewal | First cycle: 45-hour post-license. Later broker cycles: 12 hours CE per the 2026 fact sheet (6 core / 6 elective including sexual-harassment-prevention training). Broker licenses renew in even years; managing brokers in odd years. |
| Recovery fund | Illinois maintains real-estate recovery provisions under the License Act. Confirm current claim mechanics in 225 ILCS 454 rather than a prep-book dollar figure. |
Mistakes that delay applicants
-
Applying as a salesperson
There is no form. Schools still advertising Illinois salesperson are using dead vocabulary.
-
Using a pre-2026 reciprocity list
Endorsement replaced reciprocity on January 1, 2026. Florida mutual recognition is a Florida inbound path, not an Illinois outbound compact you can assume is mirrored.
-
Skipping post-license because the title already says broker
45 hours by first renewal is still required. The title does not waive first-cycle education.
Reciprocity and recognition
| Partner / path | Accepted exam | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Florida 40-question law exam (30 to pass) if using FREC mutual recognition the other direction | Florida will consider an Illinois licensee under mutual recognition if the applicant is not a Florida resident. Illinois itself now uses endorsement ($150) for inbound out-of-state brokers rather than a reciprocal list. These are not mirror images. |
As of January 1, 2026, inbound out-of-state brokers and managing brokers apply by endorsement. Endorsement fees IDFPR publishes: $150 broker, $175 managing broker. Do not use a pre-2026 "Illinois reciprocity states" chart.
Renewal and staying active
First cycle: 45-hour post-license. Later broker cycles: 12 hours CE per the 2026 fact sheet (6 core / 6 elective including sexual-harassment-prevention training). Broker licenses renew in even years; managing brokers in odd years.
Applicant checklist
- Enroll in an IDFPR-approved 75-hour broker course that reports to PSI
- Create the PSI account before the school finishes reporting
- Pass national and state at scaled 75
- Live-scan and save the TCN
- Apply with a sponsoring managing broker
- Start the 45-hour post-license immediately
How Illinois is different
Illinois is the only launch-set state besides North Carolina that refuses the salesperson title, and even North Carolina still uses "provisional broker" for new people. Everyone else in this set — California, Texas (sales agent), Florida (sales associate), New York, Georgia, Pennsylvania — still has an entry license that is not allowed to run an office. Illinois lets you be called broker on day one and still forbids you from operating without a managing broker. Education (75 hours) matches Georgia/Pennsylvania/North Carolina's hour count more than Florida's 63 or Texas's 180. Reciprocity: Florida lists Illinois for mutual recognition; Illinois no longer lists Florida for old-style reciprocity — endorsement is the 2026 path.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Illinois issue a salesperson license?
- No. Broker is the entry license. Managing broker is the supervising license. This page is the entry credential; the companion page is managing broker.
- Is it 75 hours or 90?
- The statute-based IDFPR curriculum and the PSI bulletin's 165-hour managing-broker stack use 75 hours for broker pre-license. An older examination-instruction packet says 90. Confirm with the Division before you enroll.
Primary Sources
Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.
- IDFPR — Real Estate Brokerage
- 225 ILCS 454 — Real Estate License Act of 2000
- IDFPR — 2026 Broker CE / post-license fact sheet
- PSI Illinois real estate candidate bulletin
- IDFPR endorsement application (fees)
Verified 2026-09-02 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-01