Montana Real Estate Salesperson License requirements

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

1. 1

   Complete 70 hours with a Board-approved provider

   The certificate must be dated within 24 months of the license application. MCA 37-51-302 subjects: principles, law and ethics, finance, related topics, plus a course exam. A 60-hour course from a neighboring state does not count.

2. 2

   Schedule Pearson — $95 per portion

   National 80 scored / 150 min / 75% (+5 pretest) and state 40 scored / 90 min / 75% (+10 pretest). Both portions cost $190. Reserve at least 48 hours ahead. The name on your ID must match your registration.

3. 3

   Find a broker who holds the supervising-broker endorsement

   Ask to see the endorsement, not just a broker license. Brokers earn it with the 8-hour pre-endorsement course and keep it with 4 hours of "Supervising Broker" CE each year.

4. 4

   Apply within 12 months of the exam through the Accela/POL portal

   The current broker checklist URL is aca-prod.accela.com/POL; older materials still say ebiz.mt.gov/POL. Pay the $80 original fee (ARM 24.210.401). Attach the 70-hour certificate, both Pearson score reports, the supervising-broker certification, license verifications, and E&O proof. ARM 24.210.611(2): the Board will not accept the application until you pass the exam.

5. 5

   Keep up with annual CE and E&O

   12 hours between November 1 and October 31 (ARM 24.210.667). Renew during the September 1–October 31 window, $80 active. No CE carryover. Group E&O enrollment is on the Board homepage.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Montana residency is not required by statute. MCA 37-51-302: age 18 and two years of full curriculum study at an accredited high school or equivalent. ARM 24.210.611(4): if you currently hold or have ever held a real estate license in another jurisdiction, a license verification from that jurisdiction is required before a Montana license will issue. Verifications are required for every professional license of any type, not only real estate (salesperson application Part 3).

Qualifying education

ARM 24.210.611(8)(a) / MCA 37-51-302: 70 hours of Board-approved prelicensing education obtained within 24 months immediately preceding the date of the license application, covering real estate principles, law and ethics, finance, and related topics, taught by Board-approved instructors, with a passing course examination. The Board's homepage lists approved providers (including 70-hour in-person courses). Idaho Module 1+2, Wyoming Salesperson I/II/Law, and 60-hour courses from neighboring states do not count. Continuing education does not substitute.

Education or filing deadline

Education must be no more than 24 months old when you apply (ARM 24.210.611(8)(a)). Exam results must be no more than 12 months old when you apply (ARM 24.210.611(3)). Pearson's salesperson exam-authorization window is five years after the first required education course; that is Pearson eligibility, not the Board's application deadlines.

Character review

The Board licenses only individuals it considers of good repute and competent to transact business in a manner that safeguards the public (MCA 37-51-302(1)). The salesperson application's personal-history questions cover denials, surrenders, discipline, and related events; a "yes" answer triggers a document request, and the file is not complete until staff have the source paperwork. Failing to disclose is disqualifying on its own (MCA 37-1-105).

Background process

The current salesperson application (Part 4 personal history) and the 12/2025 broker checklist do not list a fingerprint vendor, FD-258 card, or fingerprint fee. ARM 24.210.611 does not require fingerprints. The background review is self-disclosure plus official license verification. Blogs that list a $30 fingerprint fee do not reflect the current application.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the salesperson license. The application must be accompanied by the recommendation of a licensed broker who holds a supervising-broker endorsement (MCA 37-51-302(4)(b); ARM 24.210.611(8)(b)).

Broker affiliation

MCA 37-51-302(4)(b): the application must be accompanied by the recommendation of a licensed broker with a supervising-broker endorsement who will employ or contract with the applicant and who certifies good repute and active supervision. A broker license is not the endorsement. To get the endorsement (Board page + ARM 24.210.604), a broker completes the 8-hour Supervising Broker Pre-Endorsement Course, then 4 hours of board-approved "Supervising Broker" CE each licensing year, counted within the 12-hour CE total. The endorsement cannot be placed inactive. If the broker misses the 4 hours, the endorsement lapses, expires, and terminates; a terminated endorsement cannot be reinstated, and the broker must retake the current pre-endorsement course. Changing supervising brokers costs $40 by mail and nothing online (ARM 24.210.401). Temporary supervising-broker transfer $45, late $90.

Pearson VUE (https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/mt/realestate.html; (888) 366-9520). Handbook #092700, January 2026. · Fee: $95

The handbook lists $95 for each portion, so taking both costs two fees ($190). Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable except under the 48-hour change/cancel policy. If you pass one part, retake only the failed part. You cannot book a retake at the test center. Pearson salesperson authorization lasts five years after the first required education course. ARM 24.210.611(3) still requires the license application within 12 months of the examination date; that Board rule, not Pearson's statement that "results are good" for 3 years, determines whether your score can be used for licensure. The name on your ID must match your registration exactly, or you forfeit the exam. Walk-ins are not available; reserve at least 48 hours ahead.

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

ARM 24.210.401 and the Board's salesperson page: original salesperson license $80, active renewal $80, inactive renewal $40, activate from inactive $40, change of supervising broker $40 by mail / no fee online, temporary supervising-broker transfer $45 (late $90). Pearson handbook #092700 January 2026: $95 per portion (national $95, state $95). The application and initialLicense amounts here are the same single $80 original fee, not two fees. The $150 application fee on the 2018 salesperson checklist is no longer listed. ARM 24.210.401 has no fingerprint fee. Examination fees are paid to Pearson, not the Board (24.210.401(3)). All Board fees are nonrefundable (24.210.401(2)).

• !

  Treating Pearson's $95 as a combined national-plus-state fee

  The handbook lists $95 for each portion: National Salesperson $95, State Salesperson $95. OnVUE instructs you to schedule the portions separately. Taking both costs $190. School materials that imply one $95 payment covers both portions are wrong.

• !

  Passing Pearson and applying 13 months later

  ARM 24.210.611(3) invalidates exam results if you do not apply for the license within 12 months. Pearson's handbook also says results are good for three years and salesperson authorization lasts five years after the first education course, but those Pearson windows do not extend the Board deadline. The 24-month education deadline also applies to the same application.

• !

  Affiliating with a broker who lacks the supervising-broker endorsement

  MCA 37-51-302(4)(b) specifically requires a licensed broker with a supervising-broker endorsement. The endorsement requires an 8-hour pre-endorsement course plus 4 hours of CE titled "Supervising Broker" each year. It cannot be placed inactive, and a terminated endorsement cannot be reinstated (ARM 24.210.604). Ask whether the broker holds the endorsement, not just whether they are a broker.

• !

  Using a 60-hour Idaho or Wyoming course as Montana's 70

  ARM 24.210.611(8)(a) requires 70 hours within 24 months of application. Other states' hour counts do not transfer. Waiver applicants with a current active out-of-state license still take the Montana state portion (611(7)).

• !

  Skipping E&O because there is no recovery fund

  ARM 24.210.401 has no recovery-fund assessment, but MCA 37-51-325 still requires continuous professional-liability insurance. The Board homepage features group-policy enrollment. The 12/2025 broker checklist lists E&O as a qualification, and the salesperson statute requires the same.

• !

  Trusting a 2018 $150 checklist or an FD-258 fingerprint blog

  The Board's salesperson page and ARM 24.210.401 list an $80 original fee. The current application uses personal-history questions and names no fingerprint vendor. The $150 PDF at Portals/133 is an old checklist; using it means overpaying and missing the attachments Accela now requires.

ARM 24.210.611 does not publish a list of reciprocal states. Waiver applicants must hold a current active license in good standing (611(6)) and must pass the Montana state examination (611(7)). Out-of-state salesperson applicants still need license verification from every jurisdiction where they have held any professional license. A 90-hour Idaho education record does not automatically satisfy Montana's 70 hours; read the current waiver checklist on the salesperson page. Experience, including transactions, must be presented on Board forms (611(5)); that requirement matters more on the broker application.

Montana 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 Montana require 60 hours, as some guides say?

No. ARM 24.210.611(8)(a) requires 70 hours, completed within 24 months of the license application. MCA 37-51-302 lets the Board set salesperson hours between 60 and 80; the Board has set 70. Idaho's 90 hours and Wyoming's named courses do not count as these 70.

What does Pearson charge, and what is the passing score?

Handbook #092700 (January 2026) lists $95 for each portion. National: 80 scored + 5 pretest, 150 minutes, 75. State: 40 scored + 10 pretest, 90 minutes, 75. Taking both costs $190. If you pass one, you retake only the failed part, for another $95.

Pearson says results are good for three years. Is that the deadline to apply?

No. ARM 24.210.611(3): apply for licensure within 12 months of the examination date, or the results are invalidated. Pearson also lists a 5-year salesperson authorization after the first required education course. These are three different deadlines, and the Board's 12-month application deadline is the one that determines whether your score can be used.

Can any Montana broker supervise me?

No. MCA 37-51-302(4)(b) requires a broker who holds a supervising-broker endorsement. According to the Board's endorsement page, that means an 8-hour pre-endorsement course, then 4 hours of "Supervising Broker" CE each licensing year within the 12-hour total. If the broker misses the 4 hours, the endorsement terminates, and a terminated endorsement cannot be reinstated (ARM 24.210.604). MCA 37-51-302(6)(b): there is no separate licensing fee for the endorsement.

Do I need fingerprints?

Not according to the current salesperson application or ARM 24.210.401. The application uses personal-history questions and official license verification from every jurisdiction where you have held any professional license. Older blog instructions based on the $150 checklist or FD-258 cards do not reflect the 2026 application.

When is CE due, and is the first year waived?

ARM 24.210.667 (as amended 9/7/2024): 12 hours every licensing year between November 1 and October 31, with no carryover. The current Cornell text of 24.210.667 no longer includes the old exemption for salespersons "licensed less than 12 months"; subsection (6) now covers individual course-credit applications. Association pages that still mention a first-year waiver are out of date. Renew September 1–October 31, $80 active.

Is E&O optional?

No. MCA 37-51-325 requires continuous professional liability / errors-and-omissions coverage. The Board homepage currently offers enrollment in the group policy. The broker checklist (updated 12/2025) lists proof of E&O as a qualification. ARM 24.210.401 has no recovery-fund fee.