Indiana Real Estate Broker License requirements

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

1. 1

   Complete the 90-hour Commission-approved broker course

   Your one-year window to pass the Pearson exam starts on the completion date. Indiana does not issue a salesperson license. This 90-hour course is not interchangeable with Ohio's 100 hours or Illinois's 75.

2. 2

   Take the Pearson VUE exam ($55): ReIN-Broker 145 questions, 240 minutes, scaled 75

   Not PSI, and not online through OnVUE. National 80 scored + 5 pretest; state 50 scored + 5–10 pretest. Endorsement candidates: ReIN-BrokerEnd, 60 questions, 90 minutes, $55, after PLA approval.

3. 3

   Apply at PLA in MyLicense One ($60), then get fingerprinted at IdentoGO

   Upload the 90-hour certificate and the original Pearson score report. A CBC dated before the application date is invalid. Do not get fingerprinted during class.

4. 4

   Affiliate with a managing broker to practice, then plan for the 30-hour postlicensing

   876 IAC 7-4: 30 hours in the first two years (6+6+10+5+1+2). Those 30 hours cover two CE years. After that, 12 hours every July 1–June 30. Managing broker later: 24-hour course plus three years plus the same ReIN-Broker exam.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Age 18 before applying (IC 25-34.1-3-4.1). High school diploma or GED. Indiana residency is not required. An SSN is mandatory (IC 4-1-8-1); the licensing-information page says the record cannot be processed without it. Endorsement candidates with a current out-of-state license take only the Pearson state portion (ReIN-BrokerEnd, 60 questions / 90 minutes / $55) rather than the full 145, and the 90-hour course is not required; PLA approval is required before that exam. Applications left incomplete expire after one year (IC 25-1).

Qualifying education

IC 25-34.1-3-4.1 and the handbook: successfully complete an approved 90-hour Broker pre-license course. Both Pearson portions must be passed within one year of the course-completion date. Because there is no salesperson license, this 90-hour course is the Indiana entry requirement. It is not the same as Ohio's 100 hours under HB 238, Illinois's 75-hour broker course, or Michigan's 40 hours. Attendance and final-exam rules are set by each school (for example, one school requires 80% attendance and 225 points across three 100-question exams); the Commission's requirement is 90 hours. After issuance, 876 IAC 7-4-3 divides the 30-hour postlicensing requirement into named topics: 6 hours Indiana real estate transactions (unauthorized practice of law, contracts, listing/purchase agreements, offers, closing); 6 hours financing (markets, mortgage fraud, loan types, GFE-era processing, credit scoring); 10 hours business planning / sales and marketing; 5 hours negotiating and counseling skills; 1 hour cultural diversity and fair housing; 2 hours construction. The 30 hours may be one course or several. They fully satisfy two CE years under 876 IAC 7-4-2(c).

Education or filing deadline

You have one year from completing the 90-hour course to pass both Pearson portions (handbook). Exam results are then good for one year from passing, during which you must complete licensure with PLA. Endorsement candidates follow the handbook's state-portion and PLA-approval timeline instead of the 90-hour course deadline. Postlicensing 30 hours: within the first two years after issuance (876 IAC 7-4-2). Incomplete PLA applications expire after one year.

Character review

Character and fitness are reviewed after your IdentoGO results post. Disclose convictions and out-of-state discipline with positive-response documentation (violation, location, date, disposition, court documents). A CBC taken before you applied does not count. IC 25-34.1 bars licensure for convictions that constitute a ground for discipline, that have a direct bearing on competent practice, or that indicate a propensity to endanger the public. Disclose everything rather than hoping the background check comes back clean.

Background process

IdentoGO after application, using the service code in the PLA email. Fingerprints taken before you apply are invalid. Confirm the current PLA service code and IdentoGO package price (cited at $38.20).

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the entry broker license. Managing broker is a later Commission designation: a 24-hour managing-broker course, at least three years of active Indiana broker licensure, and the Pearson broker exam (ReIN-Broker), per PLA and the handbook table.

Broker affiliation

A newly licensed Indiana broker practices under a managing broker. The license can be issued as unassigned (or referral / inactive) without a company; you must affiliate with a licensed Indiana managing broker or broker company to go active. Practicing on your own still requires a licensed firm and a broker eligible to be its managing broker. There is no salesperson affiliation because there is no salesperson license. Transfers, status changes, and activations are handled in MyLicense One; the proposed employer must approve an active affiliation.

Pearson VUE (not PSI), https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/in/realestate.html, (800) 274-2717. Handbook series 091500, March 2025. Outlines #091501 effective March 1, 2025. Test centers only. · Fee: $55

Pearson charges $55 per exam (ReIN-Broker or ReIN-BrokerEnd). Both original portions must be passed within one year of completing the 90-hour course. If you pass one part and fail the other, retake only the failed part; both parts must still be passed within that one-year window. Exam results are then good for one year from passing to complete PLA licensure. Endorsement: state only, 60 questions / 90 minutes / $55, after PLA approval. Test centers only; walk-ins are not available; reservations 48 hours ahead. Pearson does not offer same-day retests. The PLA application and IdentoGO come after passing, not before. Managing broker candidates later take the same ReIN-Broker exam, not a new series.

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

PLA Real Estate Licensing Information fee table: Broker application $60.00; Broker Company $50.00; CE provider $50.00. Renewals every 3 years: Broker $60.00; Broker expired <3 years $60.00; Broker Company $50.00; Broker reassignment / transfer $10.00; Broker reinstatement expired >3 years $120.00; Instructor $10.00. Pearson handbook: $55 exam. IdentoGO CBC cited at $38.20; pay the current amount. The application and initialLicense amounts here are the same single $60 original fee, not two fees. Online processing fees apply and are extra. Managing-broker eligibility is a PLA action item plus the same $55 ReIN-Broker exam, unless PLA publishes a different fee.

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  Booking PSI

  Indiana has used Pearson VUE since March 3, 2025. Neighboring states use PSI, and those scores do not transfer. PLA will not accept a score from an Illinois PSI site near Hammond.

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  Getting fingerprinted before you apply

  PLA rejects a CBC dated before the application date. Wait for the IdentoGO service-code email. Fingerprints taken "just in case" during the 90-hour course are a common reason applicants must be fingerprinted again.

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  Filing as a salesperson

  That license does not exist. Entry is broker. Managing broker is a later designation on a broker license, not a salesperson upgrade.

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  Letting the 90-hour course age past one year before both Pearson portions are passed

  Handbook: both parts within one year of course completion. Then one year from passing to complete PLA licensure. There are two separate deadlines.

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  Skipping 30-hour postlicensing because "I already did 90"

  876 IAC 7-4-2: 30 hours in the first two years, or you face IC 25-1-4 action. The 90 is prelicense. The 30 is postlicense (6+6+10+5+1+2), and it covers your first two CE years.

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  Looking for a separate managing-broker exam

  PLA and the handbook table both point to ReIN-Broker, the same 145-question / $55 exam, plus a 24-hour course and three years. You do have to take the exam, but it is not a new series.

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  Treating scaled 75 as 75 of 80 or as Oklahoma's 70%

  Indiana reports a scaled 75. Oklahoma salesperson is 70% scaled. Maine is scaled 75 on 80/40. These cuts are not comparable. Failing candidates see a numeric scaled score; passing candidates see Pass.

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  Renewing inactive to skip CE, then expecting to activate without a review

  Inactive and referral licensees skip CE. Activating as part of a reassignment first moves you to referral; Commission staff then review eligibility and may require CE. Unassigned licensees still owe CE.

License by endorsement: current out-of-state credential and the Pearson Indiana state portion only (ReIN-BrokerEnd, 60 questions, 90 minutes, $55) after PLA / Commission review. PLA warns that endorsement review takes time: the file is assigned to a Commission member, then voted on by the full Commission. If you are not approved, you may switch to licensure by examination (the full 145). The exam is not waived, and a salesperson license does not convert. Illinois endorsement and Ohio or Kentucky salesperson licenses are separate processes in those states.

Indiana 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 Indiana issue a salesperson license?

No. The official entry title is broker (IC 25-34.1). Managing broker is a later designation (24-hour course plus three years plus the Pearson broker exam). This guide lists Indiana's entry broker license under "salesperson" so it lines up with other states; the license itself is a broker license.

Is the exam given by PSI?

No. Indiana uses Pearson VUE (handbook series 091500); the vendor changed on March 3, 2025. Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan use PSI. A PSI exam will not produce an Indiana score. Walk-ins are not available, and the exam is not offered online through OnVUE.

What is the passing score and exam format?

Scaled 75 on ReIN-Broker: 145 questions, 240 minutes, $55. National 80 scored + 5 pretest; state 50 scored + 5–10 pretest. The endorsement exam is ReIN-BrokerEnd: 60 questions, 90 minutes, $55. A scaled 75 is not a raw percentage, and it is not comparable to Iowa's 56/28.

How many prelicense hours?

Ninety hours of Commission-approved broker prelicensing. You must pass both Pearson portions within one year of completing the course. After issuance, you need 30 hours of named postlicensing education in the first two years (876 IAC 7-4).

When do I get fingerprinted?

After your PLA application is on file. Wait for the email with the IdentoGO service code. A CBC completed before the application date is invalid. The package has been cited at $38.20; pay the current amount.

What does the original license cost?

PLA charges $60 for the broker application (the same as the three-year renewal). Pearson charges $55. IdentoGO has been cited at about $38.20. The application and initialLicense amounts here are the same single $60, not two fees. A company original license is $50.

Is there a second exam for managing broker?

PLA requires a 24-hour managing-broker course, three years of active Indiana broker licensure, and passing an examination through Pearson VUE: "This is the Broker Exam." The handbook table lists Real Estate Managing Broker as ReIN-Broker, 145 questions, 240 minutes, $55. It is the same exam, not a new series, but you do have to take it.

What CE applies after I am licensed?

First two years: 30-hour postlicensing (6 transactions, 6 financing, 10 business planning, 5 negotiating, 1 cultural diversity/fair housing, 2 construction). Those 30 hours satisfy two CE years; the CE year of initial licensure does not count. After that: 12 hours every July 1–June 30. Active and unassigned licensees must complete CE to renew; inactive and referral licensees do not. Managing brokers: 4 of the 12 must be managing-broker CE. Renewal is $60 every three years. The current example cycle on the PLA page runs through June 30, 2026.

Can I apply as a nonresident?

Yes. Endorsement candidates take the 60-question state exam after Commission review. Nonresidents applying by examination take the full 145 after the 90-hour course. An SSN is mandatory. Incomplete applications expire after one year.

Do I need a sponsoring broker to get the license issued?

Not for unassigned status. Active or referral status requires managing-broker or company information, and the proposed employer must approve. You cannot practice on an unassigned license the way a Florida active sales associate can.

What if my license expires?

Expired less than 3 years: $60 renewal per the PLA table. Expired 3–8 years: 36 hours of CE plus ReIN-BrokerEnd (state only) after a PLA letter. Expired 9 or more years: the 90-hour course and the full ReIN-Broker exam. The reinstatement fee for a license expired more than 3 years is $120 per the PLA table.

Where do I take the exam?

At Pearson centers nationwide; book at pearsonvue.com/us/en/in/realestate.html or (800) 274-2717, at least 48 hours ahead. A PSI site in Illinois or Ohio will not work. Spanish handbooks and outlines exist; confirm whether the broker exam itself is offered in Spanish at your center.