Massachusetts 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

   Hold a Massachusetts salesperson license and log 3 years at 25 hours/week under an active MA broker

   Employing Broker Certification Form, original, no copies, dates as month/day/year. Clock no more than two years old. No grandfathering after June 1, 2011.

2. 2

   Complete 40 additional broker hours and obtain the Educational Certificate; buy the original $5,000 surety bond on the Board form

   The salesperson 40 is not this 40. A copy of the bond is not acceptable.

3. 3

   eLIPSE then PSI $106: 75 items/80 points/150 min at 70% of 80 points + 40/90 min pass 28

   Do not sit the salesperson 80/40 paper. Cut is 60 of 80 points, not 56 of 75 items.

4. 4

   Pay the prorated broker license fee within 30 days; renew $142 with 12-hour CE and a current bond

   Inactive brokers still need the bond to reinstate (live FAQ). Attorney-brokers of the Commonwealth are CE-exempt.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Live prepare page and CIB: currently hold a Massachusetts salesperson license (active or inactive at the time of the examination); three years affiliated with a Massachusetts broker at 25 hours/week, current or no more than two years old; 40 additional hours; original $5,000 bond. Resident broker applicants have a one-year Massachusetts abode rule in §87SS; attorneys of the Commonwealth are exempt from the exam and that rule. Reciprocity brokers from the named 254 CMR 2.00 list skip the exam on that live product and still post the bond.

Qualifying education

Live FAQ and CIB: forty (40) hours of pre-licensure broker education in addition to the salesperson education, at a Board-approved school, with a Board Educational Certificate. Prelicensure hours do not count as CE. Apply and pass within two years of completing the broker education. The salesperson 40 is not this 40.

Education or filing deadline

Two years from broker-course completion to apply and pass. Experience must be current or no more than two years old when the examination is taken. Same 30-day license-fee clock after passing.

Character review

Same CORI plus three endorsements plus the Board's Good Moral Character policy. Currently on probation or parole: CIB says the Board does not currently license.

Background process

Notarized CORI via eLIPSE plus the original bond. No fingerprint dollar on the live pages.

Experience

Live prepare page: at least 3 years working for an active Massachusetts broker at a minimum of 25 hours per week, documented on the Employing Broker Certification Form (original; copies not permitted; month/day/year dates; any date beyond the broker's signature date will not be accepted). Live FAQ: current or completed no more than two years prior; prior salesperson experience may be used so long as it is not over two years old and/or there has not been a two-year gap. Multiple brokers: additional original forms or signed letters on letterhead with all features of the Certification. No grandfathering for pre-June 1, 2011 candidates.

Broker affiliation

A Massachusetts broker may qualify an office, hold salespersons, and is the only party who may control escrow. Broker of Record reports affiliations on eLIPSE. Salespersons with a bond they did not need still cannot. Mandatory Consumer Disclosure remains a first-meeting duty.

PSI Services LLC after Board approval in eLIPSE (test-takers.psiexams.com/mare; (855) 340-3704; CIB Updated 06/12/2025). Live Mass.gov broker candidate $106; CIB application $52 + exam $52; retake $54. · Fee: $106

Same two-year Educational Certificate window, $54 retake, 2-day cancel, no same-day retake, 30-day license-fee clock. Mass.gov $106 is the CIB $52 application + $52 exam package on a first sitting. Do not sit the salesperson 80-item national paper.

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

Live Mass.gov broker candidate $106 = CIB application $52 + examination $52 on a first sitting; retake $54. Live renew page broker $142. Reciprocal broker application $52 plus prorated initial $142–$200 (live reciprocity page). Original $5,000 surety bond is a policy premium, not a Board fee. Confirm live eLIPSE carts. Attorney-broker is a separate product.

• !

  Counting the salesperson 40 twice

  Broker is 40 additional hours.

• !

  Sitting the salesperson 80-item national paper

  Broker national is 75 items carrying 80 points. Cut is 60 of 80 points.

• !

  Submitting a photocopy of the $5,000 bond

  Live prepare page: a copy is not acceptable.

• !

  A two-year gap in the Massachusetts salesperson clock

  Live FAQ: experience must be current or no more than two years old; a two-year gap kills the prior years.

• !

  Assuming pre-2011 salesperson years skip the three-year affiliation

  Live FAQ: no exceptions and no grandfathering on or after June 1, 2011.

• !

  Skipping the bond on an inactive or reinstatement filing

  Live FAQ: all brokers, active or inactive, must obtain a bond prior to submitting the reinstatement application.

Same live named list as salesperson. Brokers still post the original $5,000 bond. Educational-waiver candidates who are not on the list still sit the Massachusetts broker paper. Attorneys of the Commonwealth use the attorney-broker product, not this exam path.

Does the salesperson 40 count as the broker 40?

No. Live FAQ: forty (40) hours of pre-licensure broker education in addition to the salesperson education.

How much experience, and can I use old salesperson years?

Three years at 25 hours/week under an active Massachusetts broker, current or no more than two years old, on the Employing Broker Certification Form. Prior salesperson experience may be used if it is not over two years old and there has not been a two-year gap (live FAQ). No grandfathering after June 1, 2011.

Is the national paper still 80 items?

No. Broker general is 75 items carrying 80 points in 150 minutes. Cut is 70% of 80 points (60), not 56 of 75 items. State remains 40 / 90 minutes at 70%.

Is a copy of the $5,000 bond acceptable?

No. Live prepare page and CIB: the original enclosed form, signed by the insurance agent and the candidate, witnessed. Copies fail. All brokers, active or inactive, need a bond to reinstate (live FAQ).

Do attorneys skip the exam?

Licensed Massachusetts attorneys in good standing may be licensed without examination on the attorney-broker product (§87SS). That is not reciprocity and not a waiver of the bond. They are the statutory CE exemption.

What CE do brokers take?

Same 12 hours to renew active as salespersons (live FAQ), unless you are a Massachusetts attorney-broker in good standing. Bond remains a reinstatement exhibit for all brokers.