Illinois Real Estate Broker License (entry-level) requirements

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

1. 1

   Confirm the current pre-license hour total with IDFPR or an approved school

   Plan on 75 hours (60+15) unless the Division tells you otherwise in writing.

2. 2

   Register with PSI so the school can report completion

   Then sit PSI: 100 national + 40 state, scaled 75, $58.

3. 3

   Fingerprints through an IDFPR vendor; keep the TCN

   Within 60 days of the application.

4. 4

   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 amount shown at checkout.

5. 5

   Complete 45-hour post-license by first renewal

   Then 12-hour CE in later even-year cycles per the current fact sheet.

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). Check the current bulletin so your passing score does not expire before you apply.

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. Older packets list a default minimum age of 21, with a waiver path for some 18-year-olds; confirm the current age rule on the application you 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.

PSI (IDFPR testing vendor; older packets say AMP) · Fee: $58

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.

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

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 the renewal fee on your IDFPR invoice; a verified renewal amount is not listed here.

• !

  Applying as a salesperson

  There is no form. Schools that still advertise an Illinois salesperson license are using an outdated title.

• !

  Using a pre-2026 reciprocity list

  Endorsement replaced reciprocity on January 1, 2026. Florida mutual recognition lets Illinois licensees get a Florida license; it does not mean Illinois offers the same in return.

• !

  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.

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.

Illinois 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.

Does Illinois issue a salesperson license?

No. Broker is the entry license. Managing broker is the supervising license. This guide covers the entry license; the managing broker license has its own guide.

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.