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RE License Guide

New Jersey real estate licensing

New Jersey Real Estate Salesperson License requirements

A practical, source-checked guide to qualifying, passing the exam, applying, and keeping this license active.

Gabriel Giner

By Gabriel Giner, Editor  ·  Verified  ·  RE License Guide Editorial Desk

Source checked 7 official references Next review 2026-12-01
Required education
75 hours at a licensed New Jersey real estate school
Exam fee
$38
Published fees
$38
Typical timeline
75 hours plus PSI seating plus IdentoGO after you pass
01

What to know first

New Jersey is a 75-hour salesperson state, and the live NJREC Requirements for Licensure as a NJ Real Estate Salesperson or Broker page (nj.gov/dobi/division_rec/licensing/reclicrequire.htm, fetched 2026-09-02) is the hour bible: 18 years of age or older, high school education or equivalency, complete a 75-hour prelicensure course at a licensed school, and pass the license examination. After the course and the examination the applicant must apply for a license through a sponsoring real estate broker. The Commission must be satisfied as to honesty, trustworthiness, character and integrity. That 75 is not New York's 77, not Pennsylvania's 75 with a different vendor mix, and not Delaware's 99. New Jersey does not have reciprocity with any state — the live Requirements page prints that sentence without a partner chart.

PSI's New Jersey Real Estate Salesperson, Broker and Instructor Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (test-takers.psiexams.com/njre; (855) 579-4634; bulletin 1667, fetched 2026-09-02) is the sitting bible. The education provider provides eligibility electronically to PSI upon successful completion of the course. Eligibility expires one year to the day from the date it is issued. Candidates must pass the examination AND apply for licensure before that expiration date — the clock is the course date, not the pass date. Examination fee $38, not refundable or transferable. Examination Summary Table: Salesperson 110 questions (110 points), 70% (77 correct), 4 hours. This is a unified paper, not independently scored national and state portions: fail and you sit the whole 110 again. 5–10 experimental items may appear; they are not scored but they count against the four hours. Remote or in-person. In-person and remote exams schedule at the same PSI URL.

Upon passing, complete the fingerprint process, meet the employing broker, and forward everything simultaneously to the Licensing Services Bureau, Real Estate, within one year of the eligibility expiration date on the score report. Live fingerprint page (fetched 2026-09-02): IDEMIA Live Scan, Universal Form IDG_NJAPP_051719_V1, $66.05 paid to IDEMIA, schedule immediately after you pass. Fingerprints taken for another New Jersey purpose do not transfer. The $160.00 fee payable to the State Treasurer of New Jersey is License Fee $100.00 + Application Fee $50.00 + Guaranty Fund $10.00. Personal checks are not accepted. Do not send license material to PSI. Attorney review of residential contracts, the Pinelands Protection Act, Mount Laurel, the Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act, the Realty Transfer Fee, and the Law Against Discrimination are scored New Jersey items. A Pennsylvania 75 with a new title does not contain those.

02

Your path to the license

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

  1. Complete 75 hours at a licensed New Jersey school

    Verified live 2026-09-02 on the Requirements page. The school imports eligibility to PSI. A Pennsylvania 75 will not post.

  2. Sit PSI $38: unified 110 questions / 4 hours / 77 of 110 (70%)

    Do not call PSI before the school import. Eligibility one year from the course. Not a split retake.

  3. IDEMIA Live Scan $66.05 immediately after you pass (Universal Form IDG_NJAPP_051719_V1)

    Prints for another purpose do not transfer. Out-of-state beyond ten miles of the border: call the Bureau.

  4. Sponsoring broker signs the score report; send the $160 cart to the State Treasurer (not to PSI)

    $100 license + $50 application + $10 Guaranty Fund. No personal checks. Employment date cannot predate the exam. All materials simultaneous, inside the course-eligibility year.

  5. Calendar the two-year CE term (12 hours including 2 ethics + 1 Fair Housing/NJLAD + 1 agency)

    Current term on the live CE pages: July 1, 2025–June 30, 2027. Salespersons licensed in the second year of a term may be exempt from CE for that first renewal — read the live online-instructions CE note rather than inventing the cutover.

03

Education and eligibility

Minimum age
18 years old
Identification
A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.
Residency and identification
Live Requirements page: 18 or older, high school or equivalency, 75-hour course at a licensed school, examination, sponsoring broker. New Jersey residency is not independently required; if you do not live, work, or go to school in New Jersey and are not within ten miles of the border, fingerprinting follows a Bureau instruction rather than a walk-in IdentoGO (live fingerprint page). No reciprocity with any state. Disabled U.S. veterans who are New Jersey citizens may request education/experience waivers at (609) 292-7272 (Education Waiver Section). Salesperson education waiver fee $25 on the live fees page.
Qualifying education
Live Requirements page (fetched 2026-09-02): complete a 75-hour prelicensure course at a licensed school. Content is prescribed in N.J.A.C. 11:5. The school — not you — provides eligibility electronically to PSI upon successful completion. A Pennsylvania 75, a New York 77, or a 75-hour national blob is not this course. Disabled-veteran education waivers go through the Education Waiver Section, not a handshake at PSI. This hub does not freeze a school-blog 75% course-final cut the live Requirements page did not print — the Commission licenses the schools and the instructors; follow the school's required final.
Education or filing deadline
PSI bulletin: eligibility expires one year to the day from the date it is issued. Pass the examination AND apply for licensure before that date. The eligibility expiration date on the score report is one year from pre-licensure education course completion, NOT one year from passing (live fingerprint page).
Character review
Live Requirements page: honesty, trustworthiness, character and integrity. Conviction of a crime, or current parole or probation, may deny (N.J.S.A. 45:15-9, 45:15-12.1, 2A:168A-1 et seq.). Disclose. Non-disclosure is independently disqualifying.
Background process
IDEMIA Live Scan $66.05 after you pass, Universal Form IDG_NJAPP_051719_V1. Results to the Bureau. Fingerprints for another purpose do not transfer.
Experience
No licensed experience for salesperson. A sponsoring / employing broker is required to apply, not to sit PSI. Broker later: continually licensed and employed on a full-time basis as a New Jersey real estate salesperson for the three years immediately preceding application, plus 150 hours (90 general first, then two 30s).
Broker affiliation
Live Requirements page: apply for a license through a sponsoring real estate broker. PSI bulletin: meet with the candidate's employing broker; the PSI passing score report is completed, signed, and dated by the employing broker; employment date indicated by the employing broker cannot be prior to the examination date or after the eligibility expiration date. All materials submitted simultaneously to the Licensing Services Bureau. A salesperson practices only under that broker. Broker-salesperson is a different hanging for someone who already holds a broker license and chooses to work under another broker ($270 cart). Salesperson Referral is a $160 referral-only product; referral agents are not required to complete CE while renewing as referral (live CE FAQ).

Documents to prepare

  • 75-hour licensed-school certificate (school imports eligibility to PSI)
  • PSI unified 110 / 4 hours / 77 of 110 (70%) inside the one-year eligibility
  • IDEMIA Universal Form + payment receipt ($66.05)
  • Employing-broker-signed PSI score report (employment date on or after the exam, on or before eligibility expiration)
  • $160 payable to the State Treasurer of New Jersey (no personal checks)
04

The licensing exam

PSI New Jersey bulletin 1667 (fetched 2026-09-02). test-takers.psiexams.com/njre; (855) 579-4634. $38. Unified salesperson paper: 110 scored items (110 points), 4 hours, 70% = 77 correct. Not independently scored national/state portions and not a split retake. 5–10 experimental items count against time. Outline mixes national-style content (Property Ownership 10%, Land Use 5%, Valuation 8%, Financing 10%, Contracts 19%, Agency 13%, Disclosures 7%, Property Management 3%, Transfer of Title 6%, Practice 12%, Calculations 7%) with 30 New Jersey items: Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission 2; Licensing Requirements 3; Statutes and Rules Governing Licensee Activities 22 (advertising, broker/salesperson relationships, commissions and required accounting, agency/conflicts/disclosure, contracts and other documents including attorney review, trust funds, listings, place of business, escrow-account bookkeeping, inducements, buyer rebates, Farmland Reassessment Act, Pinelands Protection Act of 1979, Realty Transfer Fee, Mount Laurel Requirements, Municipal Land Use Law, Truth in Renting Act, Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act of 1987); Additional Requirements 3 (Real Estate Sales Full Disclosure Act, Law Against Discrimination, Real Estate Guaranty Fund, Real Estate Time Share Act — the outline lists four named additional statutes across those 3 scored items). Remote or in-person. Score on screen; emailed score report. School posts eligibility; do not call PSI before the school import. Eligibility one year from the course, not from the pass.

PSI Services (test-takers.psiexams.com/njre; (855) 579-4634; bulletin 1667). $38. Unified paper — not Pearson, not a split retake. Remote or in-person. · Fee: $38

Part Questions Minutes Pass
National-style content (inside unified 110) 80 240 Part of one 110-item / 4-hour / $38 paper. Cut is 77 of 110 overall (70%), not 56 of 80. Fail and you sit the whole 110 again. National-style weights: contracts 19%, agency 13%, practice 12%, financing 10%, ownership 10%
New Jersey content (inside unified 110) 30 240 Same sitting, not independently scored. Commission 2, licensing 3, statutes/rules 22 (attorney review, Pinelands, Mount Laurel, Freshwater Wetlands, Realty Transfer Fee, escrow bookkeeping, buyer rebates), additional 3 (Full Disclosure Act, Law Against Discrimination, Guaranty Fund, Time Share Act). 5–10 experimental count against the four hours

Unlimited attempts until the one-year eligibility expires. Each sitting $38, non-refundable, non-transferable. Because the paper is unified, a failed sitting is the whole 110 again — there is no national-only retake. Pass AND apply before the eligibility date (course clock, not pass clock). Remote or in-person.

What to study

  • 75-hour New Jersey salesperson prelicense (licensed school)

    NJREC-licensed school

    The certificate is what the school imports to PSI. A Pennsylvania 75 with a new title is not this 75.

  • PSI New Jersey Candidate Information Bulletin (id 1667)

    PSI / NJREC

    $38. 110/4 hours/70% = 77. Unified paper. $160 cart. State items: Pinelands, Mount Laurel, attorney review, Guaranty Fund, Law Against Discrimination.

  • N.J.S.A. 45:15-1 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 11:5

    New Jersey Legislature / NJREC

    License law, attorney review, escrow bookkeeping, buyer rebates. 22 of the 30 New Jersey items sit here.

  • New Jersey Law Against Discrimination / Fair Housing

    NJDCR / NJREC

    Scored additional topic and a named 1-hour CE core every term.

  • Modern Real Estate Practice / Mastering Real Estate Math (latest edition)

    Dearborn — national-style 80 inside the 110

    Contracts 19% of the national-style weights. Memorize 43,560 if the calculations bucket asks.

05

Application costs

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

Fee Amount
Application$50
Examination$38
Initial license$100
Renewal (every 2 years)$100
Fingerprints / background check$66.05

PSI bulletin 1667: salesperson $160.00 = License Fee $100.00 + Application Fee $50.00 + Guaranty Fund $10.00, payable to the State Treasurer of New Jersey, no personal checks. PSI exam $38, non-refundable. Live fingerprint page: IDEMIA $66.05. Live fees page (fetched 2026-09-02): salesperson initial $160, salesperson renewal $100, salesperson reinstatement of unrenewed $150, salesperson transfer $25. Broker/broker-salesperson initial $270 / renewal $200 / reinstatement $250. Disabled-veteran path can waive the $100 salesperson license fee (bulletin: remaining $60). Do not send any of this to PSI.

Commission

New Jersey Real Estate Commission (Department of Banking and Insurance)

(609) 292-7272

N.J.S.A. 45:15-1 et seq. (Real Estate License Act), including §45:15-9 (qualifications) and §45:15-12.1; N.J.A.C. 11:5 (including 11:5-2.1 prelicensure education, 11:5-12.3 / 11:5-12.4 continuing education). PSI New Jersey Real Estate Salesperson, Broker and Instructor Examination Candidate Information Bulletin at test-takers.psiexams.com/njre (bulletin 1667, fetched 2026-09-02). Email relic@dobi.nj.gov.
Pre-licensing

75 hours at a licensed New Jersey real estate school

Live Requirements page (fetched 2026-09-02): complete a 75-hour prelicensure course at a licensed school. Content is prescribed in N.J.A.C. 11:5. The school — not you — provides eligibility electronically to PSI upon successful completion. A Pennsylvania 75, a New York 77, or a 75-hour national blob is not this course. Disabled-veteran education waivers go through the Education Waiver Section, not a handshake at PSI. This hub does not freeze a school-blog 75% course-final cut the live Requirements page did not print — the Commission licenses the schools and the instructors; follow the school's required final.

PSI bulletin: eligibility expires one year to the day from the date it is issued. Pass the examination AND apply for licensure before that date. The eligibility expiration date on the score report is one year from pre-licensure education course completion, NOT one year from passing (live fingerprint page).
Sponsoring broker

Live Requirements page: apply for a license through a sponsoring real estate broker. PSI bulletin: meet with the candidate's employing broker; the PSI passing score report is completed, signed, and dated by the employing broker; employment date indicated by the employing broker cannot be prior to the examination date or after the eligibility expiration date. All materials submitted simultaneously to the Licensing Services Bureau. A salesperson practices only under that broker. Broker-salesperson is a different hanging for someone who already holds a broker license and chooses to work under another broker ($270 cart). Salesperson Referral is a $160 referral-only product; referral agents are not required to complete CE while renewing as referral (live CE FAQ).
Fingerprints

Live NJREC fingerprint page (fetched 2026-09-02): IDEMIA Live Scan after you pass. Download Universal Form IDG_NJAPP_051719_V1 (salesperson/broker/referral version), complete it before scheduling, present it at the appointment with a single government photo ID that includes name, address, and date of birth. Schedule at uenroll.identogo.com or 1-877-503-5981. Total cost $66.05 paid to IDEMIA at scheduling (Visa/MC/Amex/Discover/prepaid/ACH). If you live, work, or go to school in New Jersey you MUST print in person at an IDEMIA site; out-of-state beyond ten miles of the border call Licensing Services or relic@dobi.nj.gov. Fingerprints taken for another New Jersey purpose do not transfer (reason-fingerprinted field). Evidence with the license application: copy of the completed Universal Form plus the IDEMIA payment receipt. Schedule immediately after passing so the one-year course-eligibility clock still has room for the Bureau to process. Cancellation/no-show/wrong-form/wrong-ID: $12 plus tax ($12.80).
CE / renewal

Live CE FAQ and breakdown page (fetched 2026-09-02): 12 credit hours per license term. At least 6 in core topics specified at N.J.A.C. 11:5-12.4, including at least 2 ethics, at least 1 Fair Housing & NJ Law Against Discrimination, and at least 1 agency. Remaining 6 any combination of core and elective. Ethics/Fair Housing/agency may substitute for core and electives; core and electives may not substitute for those named hours. Successful completion of one or more broker pre-licensure courses fulfills CE for the term during which the course was completed (live online-instructions CE page). Referral agents renewing as referral do not owe CE. Salespersons licensed in the FIRST year of a term owe CE to renew; those licensed in the SECOND year of a term shall not be required to fulfill CE to renew at the end of that term (live online-instructions example uses the July 1, 2025–June 30, 2027 term). Keep certificates; PSI tracks CE.

Live fees page: reinstatement of unrenewed salesperson license $150 (not the $100 renewal row). Complete the 12-hour CE applicable to the license type. Broker submits Hire / Reinstate online; out-of-state companies may need paper.
Recovery fund

New Jersey Real Estate Guaranty Fund. PSI bulletin $160 salesperson cart itemizes $10.00 Guaranty Fund ($20.00 inside the $270 broker cart). It is a scored Additional Requirements topic. Not E&O. Live About-the-Commission page: the fund protects consumers against embezzlement or conversion of property by licensees.
06

Mistakes that delay applicants

  • Calling PSI before the school has imported eligibility

    If PSI does not have your record, contact the school, not a walk-in. Eligibility is electronic.

  • Treating eligibility as one year from the pass date

    Live fingerprint page: it is one year from course completion. Pass AND apply before that date.

  • Expecting a split national/state retake, or treating 70% as 56 of 80

    Unified 110. Cut is 77 of 110. Fail and you sit the whole paper again. $38 each sitting.

  • Sending the $160 package to PSI

    Bulletin: it will be returned. Payable to the State Treasurer of New Jersey. No personal checks.

  • Fingerprinting before you pass, or recycling prints from another New Jersey agency

    Schedule after you pass. Reason-fingerprinted field blocks reuse. Wrong Universal Form is a $12.80 turn-away.

  • Dating employment before the exam, or applying without a sponsoring broker

    Employment date cannot predate the exam or postdate eligibility expiration. The score report is signed by the employing broker.

  • Expecting Pennsylvania or New York reciprocity

    Live Requirements page: New Jersey does not have reciprocity with any state.

  • Studying a 40-question PSI state outline and skipping Pinelands, Mount Laurel, attorney review, and the Realty Transfer Fee

    22 statutes-and-rules items plus 3 additional. This paper cannot be renamed to another state.

  • Renewing on 12 generic electives without 2 ethics + 1 Fair Housing/NJLAD + 1 agency

    Those named hours are not optional. Core and electives do not substitute for them.

  • Banking the first-renewal CE exemption without checking which year of the term you were licensed

    Second-year-of-term initial licensees may skip CE for that first renewal; first-year-of-term initial licensees do not. Read the live online-instructions CE note.

07

Reciprocity and recognition

Partner / path Accepted exam Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity is published for this credential.

Live Requirements page (fetched 2026-09-02): New Jersey does not have reciprocity with any state. Out-of-state brokers who have been continuously licensed as a broker in another state for 3 years still complete the two 30-hour broker courses and submit a current certification of license status and history with the School Certificate (PSI bulletin waiver block) — that is a broker-education path, not salesperson reciprocity. Salesperson education waiver is a $25 Commission product, not a compact. Disabled U.S. veterans who are New Jersey citizens: Education Waiver Section at (609) 292-7272.

08

Renewal and staying active

Live CE FAQ and breakdown page (fetched 2026-09-02): 12 credit hours per license term. At least 6 in core topics specified at N.J.A.C. 11:5-12.4, including at least 2 ethics, at least 1 Fair Housing & NJ Law Against Discrimination, and at least 1 agency. Remaining 6 any combination of core and elective. Ethics/Fair Housing/agency may substitute for core and electives; core and electives may not substitute for those named hours. Successful completion of one or more broker pre-licensure courses fulfills CE for the term during which the course was completed (live online-instructions CE page). Referral agents renewing as referral do not owe CE. Salespersons licensed in the FIRST year of a term owe CE to renew; those licensed in the SECOND year of a term shall not be required to fulfill CE to renew at the end of that term (live online-instructions example uses the July 1, 2025–June 30, 2027 term). Keep certificates; PSI tracks CE.

Late renewal: Live fees page: reinstatement of unrenewed salesperson license $150 (not the $100 renewal row). Complete the 12-hour CE applicable to the license type. Broker submits Hire / Reinstate online; out-of-state companies may need paper.

Current CE/reinstatement pages describe a July 1 odd-year to June 30 next-odd-year term (2025–2027 in the live examples). Confirm the live term dates rather than inventing a calendar year. Transfer $25.

Applicant checklist

  • Age 18; high school or GED; 75 hours at a licensed New Jersey school (school imports PSI eligibility)
  • PSI $38: unified 110 / 4 hours / 77 of 110 (70%) inside the one-year course-eligibility clock
  • IDEMIA Live Scan $66.05 after you pass (Universal Form IDG_NJAPP_051719_V1 + receipt)
  • Sponsoring broker signs the score report; $160 to the State Treasurer ($100+$50+$10 Guaranty Fund); all materials simultaneous; do not mail to PSI
  • Calendar the two-year 12-hour CE term (2 ethics + 1 Fair Housing/NJLAD + 1 agency inside 6 core)
09

How New Jersey is different

New York: 77 hours, eAccessNY, Pearson. Pennsylvania: 75 hours, different vendor mix, reciprocal agreements. Delaware: 99 hours, Pearson. New Jersey: 75 hours at a licensed school, PSI $38 unified 110/4 hours at 70% (77/110), no reciprocity with any state, IDEMIA $66.05 after you pass, $160 cart ($100+$50+$10 Guaranty Fund), eligibility one year from the course, attorney review / Pinelands / Mount Laurel on the state items.

10

Frequently asked questions

How many prelicense hours?
Seventy-five hours at a licensed New Jersey school. Live Requirements page, fetched 2026-09-02. Not New York 77, not a generic 75 from Pennsylvania.
What is the sitting?
PSI $38. Unified 110 scored items in 4 hours. 70% = 77 correct. Not independently scored national/state portions. Fail and you sit the whole 110 again. 5–10 experimental items count against time. Remote or in-person.
When does eligibility expire?
One year to the day from the date the school issues eligibility (course completion). Live fingerprint page: that date is NOT one year from passing. Pass AND apply before it.
Does New Jersey have reciprocity?
No. Live Requirements page: New Jersey does not have reciprocity with any state. A Pennsylvania or New York license is not a waiver of the 75.
How much is IdentoGO?
Live fingerprint page: $66.05 to IDEMIA. Universal Form IDG_NJAPP_051719_V1. Schedule after you pass. Prints for another purpose do not transfer.
What does original cost?
PSI bulletin: $160 = $100 license + $50 application + $10 Guaranty Fund, payable to the State Treasurer, no personal checks. Plus $38 PSI plus $66.05 IDEMIA. Do not send the $160 to PSI.
When do I renew, and what CE applies?
Two-year term. Live fees page: salesperson renewal $100. Live CE FAQ: 12 hours, at least 6 in core topics including 2 ethics, 1 Fair Housing & NJ Law Against Discrimination, and 1 agency; remaining 6 any combination of core and elective. Referral agents renewing as referral do not owe CE. Salespersons first licensed in the second year of a term may be exempt from CE for that first renewal — confirm the live online-instructions CE note (current example: licensed July 1, 2026 or after, renewing by June 30, 2027).
Is the Guaranty Fund E&O?
No. $10 inside the $160 salesperson cart. Scored Additional Requirements topic. It is a consumer-recovery instrument, not optional NAR insurance.
Can I fingerprint before class?
The Department suggests scheduling immediately AFTER you pass. The license application will not be accepted without the Universal Form and IDEMIA receipt. Wrong-form/wrong-ID no-shows cost $12.80.
What New Jersey statutes actually show up on the 30 items?
Attorney review of contracts, Pinelands Protection Act of 1979, Mount Laurel, Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act of 1987, Realty Transfer Fee, Farmland Reassessment, Municipal Land Use Law, Truth in Renting, Full Disclosure Act, Law Against Discrimination, Guaranty Fund, Time Share Act. A national 80-item outline will not save you here.
Can prelicense be online?
The live Requirements page says a 75-hour prelicensure course at a licensed school. Delivery (classroom vs distance) is whatever that licensed school is approved to offer — this hub does not freeze a school-blog online claim the Requirements page did not print. The school still has to import eligibility to PSI.
Do I have to live in New Jersey?
Age 18, high school or GED, 75 hours, exam, sponsoring broker. If you do not live, work, or go to school in New Jersey and are not within ten miles of the border, call the Bureau for fingerprint instructions rather than walking into IdentoGO.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

  1. NJREC Requirements for Licensure (salesperson 75 hours; broker 150 as 90 + two 30s; 3 years full-time; no reciprocity)
  2. NJREC Real Estate License Fees ($160 salesperson initial / $100 renewal; $270 broker initial / $200 renewal)
  3. NJREC fingerprinting (IDEMIA Live Scan $66.05; Universal Form IDG_NJAPP_051719_V1; course-clock not pass-clock)
  4. NJREC CE FAQ (12 hours; 6 core including 2 ethics + 1 Fair Housing/NJLAD + 1 agency)
  5. NJREC CE hour breakdown
  6. PSI New Jersey Real Estate (schedule)
  7. PSI New Jersey Candidate Information Bulletin (id 1667; $38; 110/4 hours/70% = 77; $160 cart)

Verified 2026-09-02  ·  Next scheduled review 2026-12-01