Kentucky Real Estate Sales Associate License requirements

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

1. 1

   Finish 96 classroom hours or 6 college real-estate credits

   Complete this before your PSI reservation. Use the school code from the bulletin.

2. 2

   Request the FBI Identification Records Check

   Do this before you schedule PSI. The report is valid 90 days. Use IdentoGO or KSP.

3. 3

   Sit PSI: 80 national + 50 state at 75%, $100

   Both portions together take 240 minutes. Reciprocity candidates book the reciprocity exam and bring their license.

4. 4

   File the application PSI prints within 60 days

   Include E&O, your principal broker, Document #407 if you are a nonresident, and the 90-day license history if you were ever licensed elsewhere. After 60 days the exam is void.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Kentucky residency is not required. Nonresidents attach Consent to Service of Jurisdiction (KREC Document #407). Anyone who has ever held a license in another state, active or canceled, attaches a Certification of License History valid 90 days.

Qualifying education

KREC's Education page (static_id=190) and Requirements page (static_id=201) require ninety-six (96) hours of Commission-approved pre-license instruction OR six (6) academic credit hours in real estate courses at an accredited college or university. The PSI bulletin lists the same 6-credit / 96-classroom options plus a high school diploma/GED (or 28 post-secondary academic credits in place of the diploma). You must finish your education before making the PSI reservation. After licensure, KREC's PLE page (static_id=213) and 201 KAR 11:170 require sales associates licensed after January 1, 2016 to complete 48 hours of post-license education within two years of obtaining an active license: 32 mandatory + 16 elective. The mandatory courses are Commission Compliance 3, Agency 6, Contracts 6, Finance 3, Advertising 3, Disclosure 3, Fair Housing 3, Technology & Data Security 3, and Risk Management 2. FORM E113 lists the prescribed topics. Course providers report your credit; you do not track it yourself. Tennessee's 60-hour affiliate broker course and Indiana's 90-hour broker-entry course do not count toward the 96.

Education or filing deadline

Apply within 60 days of passing both portions or the entire exam is voided. If you pass only one portion, the four-month window to pass the other starts on the date of that first pass.

Character review

KREC reviews your FBI record. The bulletin's printed standard is no felony charges or convictions at any time and no misdemeanor charges or convictions within the past five years. Disclose anyway; failing to disclose is disqualifying on its own. If KREC offers a preliminary determination, details are on krec.ky.gov.

Background process

Start the FBI Criminal Background report before PSI (KREC Candidate Testing page). Under 201 KAR 11:210 the report is valid 90 days; get it from the FBI under 28 C.F.R. 16.30–16.33 or through KSP for FBI submission. Form 209 is the fallback if your prints are rejected. KREC's Fee Schedule does not list a fingerprint vendor fee.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the sales associate license. You need a principal broker and E&O for the license to be issued, but not to sit PSI once your education is done and the FBI check is requested.

Broker affiliation

A Kentucky sales associate practices under a principal broker. E&O coverage (RISC group policy or private-carrier certification) is required for the license to be issued; it is not optional NAR insurance. Confirm the principal-broker affiliation fields on the passing score report and license application PSI gives you at the test center.

PSI Services LLC (test-takers.psiexams.com/kyre), after you finish education and request the FBI check · Fee: $100

$100 for each sitting, one portion or both. If you fail one portion, retake only that portion, but you must pass both within four months of passing the first; after four months, you retake both. Once both are passed, you have 60 days to apply or the entire exam is voided. You cannot rebook for the same day, but if you fail on a Wednesday you can retest on Friday. Reciprocity candidates take a different PSI exam.

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

KREC's Fee Schedule (static_ID=199) lists: Initial Sales Associate License Application Fee $130 if becoming an Active Agent / $120 if going directly into Inactive Status. Renewals (March 31 of every even-numbered year) $130 active / $120 inactive. Initial Broker Application Fee (upgrading from sales associate) $60. Examination (Not paid to KREC) $100. Late Renewal Fee $200. Continuing Education/CORE late $1,000. Affiliation change $10; commence inactive $10; terminating inactive $30; broker education review $10; license history $10. The application and initial license fees shown here are the same $130 active fee, not two separate charges. 201 KAR 11:210 and KRS 324.287 still print a $60 original license fee plus a $60 recovery-fund fee; the Fee Schedule charges $130/$120, and this guide uses the Fee Schedule amounts. PSI charges $100 whether you take one portion or both (per KREC's Candidate Testing page and the bulletin). RISC group E&O is billed separately. You cannot pay by phone.

• !

  Booking PSI before starting the FBI Criminal Background report

  KREC's Candidate Testing page: scores are voided if you sit before you are eligible. Under 201 KAR 11:210 the report is valid 90 days. Request it before the exam, not after you get your score.

• !

  Waiting 61 days after passing to apply

  Per KREC's Requirements page, after 60 days the entire exam is voided. Kentucky does not give you the one year that Virginia and Maryland allow.

• !

  Letting four months pass with only one portion passed

  Under KREC's Testing Changes Effective July 1, 2015, you must retake both portions.

• !

  Mixing up the PSI bulletin reciprocity list and KREC's Reciprocal License page

  KREC's page lists Florida, Illinois, Tennessee. The bulletin (10/1/2023) lists Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, or Florida. Confirm the current agreement with KREC and book the reciprocity exam if you are on that path.

• !

  Skipping E&O

  Your license will not be issued without RISC group coverage or Form 203 private-carrier certification. ERP coverage is required to deactivate.

• !

  Treating the 48-hour PLE as optional NAR onboarding

  If you were licensed after January 1, 2016, you must complete 48 hours (32 named + 16 elective) within two years of an active license, or the license cancels the next day (201 KAR 11:210 §14).

• !

  Assuming a 38/50 raw passing score because 75% of 50 is 37.5

  The bulletin prints 75% correct, not a raw passing score, for the 50-item state portion.

KREC's Reciprocal License page names Florida, Illinois, and Tennessee. The PSI bulletin (updated 10/1/2023) still lists Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, or Florida and requires the License Reciprocity exam plus a license or certificate at the test center. The reciprocal path under 201 KAR 11:210 calls for a 90-day certification of licensure, 6 academic credits or equivalent, the Kentucky-law portion of the exam, Form 205 if you are a nonresident, and, as the KAR still prints, a $60 original fee + $60 recovery fund fee. Because the bulletin list and KREC's page do not match, confirm current agreements on KREC's Reciprocal License page and confirm the exam you book at PSI.

Kentucky 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.

Is it salesperson or sales associate?

Sales associate, per KREC's Requirements page. KREC does not use salesperson forms, so look for sales associate forms instead.

How many pre-license hours?

Ninety-six (96) classroom hours of Commission-approved pre-license instruction, or six (6) academic credit hours in real estate at an accredited college or university, according to KREC's Education and Requirements pages.

Do I sit PSI before the FBI report is in motion?

No. KREC's Candidate Testing page says to start the FBI Criminal Background report process before scheduling. Under 201 KAR 11:210, the national criminal history check is valid 90 days. Sitting before you are eligible voids your scores.

What are the exam fee, length, time limits, and passing score?

PSI charges $100 whether you take one portion or both (per KREC's Candidate Testing page and the bulletin). National: 80 items (80 points) in 150 minutes. Kentucky: 50 items (50 points) in 90 minutes. Combined: 130 items in 240 minutes. You need 75% correct on each portion. The bulletin does not print a raw passing score for the 50-item state portion (75% of 50 is 37.5), so neither 37 nor 38 is an official cut.

Can I bank a passed national section?

Yes, for four months from passing the first portion (KREC Requirements page, "Testing Changes Effective July 1, 2015," and the PSI bulletin). After four months, you retake both portions. Once both are passed, you have 60 days to apply or the entire exam is voided.

What does the original license cost?

KREC's Fee Schedule: $130 if becoming an Active Agent, $120 if going directly into Inactive Status. 201 KAR 11:210 and KRS 324.287 still print $60 original + $60 recovery fund, but use the Fee Schedule amounts. PSI is a separate $100 paid to the vendor.

What CE and post-license apply?

PLE (licensed after January 1, 2016): 48 hours within two years of an active license. That is 32 named mandatory hours (Commission Compliance 3, Agency 6, Contracts 6, Finance 3, Advertising 3, Disclosure 3, Fair Housing 3, Technology & Data Security 3, Risk Management 2) plus 16 elective (KREC PLE page). After that, you need 6 hours of CE each calendar year by December 31 (3 in law), and the Kentucky Core Course once every four years, with no substitute. Under 201 KAR 11:210, the first two full education cycles after initial issuance are CE-exempt (those are the PLE years).

Does an Indiana broker license waive Kentucky's 96 hours?

Not automatically. KREC's Reciprocal License page names Florida, Illinois, and Tennessee. The PSI bulletin (10/1/2023) still lists Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, or Florida. Confirm the current agreement with KREC before you skip the 96 hours.

Where is the Commission and who seats the exam?

500 Mero Street 2NE09, Frankfort, KY 40601. (502) 564-7760. [email protected]. PSI (855) 746-8176, test-takers.psiexams.com/kyre. Testing sites listed on KREC's Candidate Testing page: Bowling Green, Lexington, Louisville, Maysville, Paducah, Somerset, plus Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Knoxville, Nashville.

Which Kentucky-specific topics are tested?

Seller Disclosure of Property Condition, condominium seller certificates, stigmatizing-factor disclosure, Education, Research, and Recovery Fund administration, escrow, unlicensed assistants, team/group management (broker only), and the Kentucky Core Course. Prep for Tennessee's affiliate broker exam or Indiana's 90-hour broker-entry license will not cover these.

What if I fail three times?

Under 201 KAR 11:210, after failing any required portion three times, you must wait at least 30 calendar days from the third failure before retaking, or the score is void. This 30-day wait comes from the KAR; KREC's Candidate Testing page does not mention it.

Inactive vs active?

KREC's Fee Schedule: inactive original $120, active $130. Terminating inactive status costs $30. Inactive licensees who want to reactivate and have not taken Core in four years must take Core (201 KAR 11:210). ERP (extended reporting period) coverage is required to deactivate (KRS 324.395; tested on the state outline).