South Carolina real estate licensing
South Carolina Real Estate Broker License requirements
A practical, source-checked guide to qualifying, passing the exam, applying, and keeping this license active.
By Gabriel Giner, Editor · Verified · RE License Guide Editorial Desk
- Required education
- Unit IIIA 30-hour Broker Management plus Unit IIIB 30-hour Brokerage Principles (60 hours), after five years of active associate licensure in seven
- Exam fee
- $67
- Published fees
- $25
- Typical timeline
- Five years in seven is the long pole
What to know first
South Carolina broker is not a second Unit I. S.C. Code Ann. § 40-57-320(A)(2)(a), as rewritten by 2024 Act 204 effective May 21, 2024, wants completion of sixty hours of commission-approved real estate classroom instruction — the thirty-hour Unit IIIA Broker Management course and the thirty-hour Unit IIIB Brokerage Principles course — and five years of active associate licensure within the past seven years. Age 21 (§ 40-57-310(1)). JD / law degree / real-estate baccalaureate or master’s may substitute for the 60 (§ 40-57-320(A)(2)(b)). The three-year clock some school catalogs still print is the pre-May 2024 statute.
PSI broker paper is a different sitting: National 75 questions (80 points) / 120 minutes; State 50 questions (50 points) / 80 minutes; both 130 points / 200 minutes. Number Correct table: Broker national 60, state 36. Same $67 / $59 fee table. National broker items may be scored up to two points. Apply to the Commission first, 48-hour PSI import, both portions inside one year of eligibility, license application within one year of passing. Live broker page: after you pass, Supervision Attestation (still a BIC hang unless you are becoming the BIC), then the invoiced initial license fee. Broker original on the Rev. 2/20 sheet is $125 biennial; BIC/PMIC $250. Renewal FAQ: broker $55, BIC $75 per office.
Broker-in-charge is a further designation (§ 40-57-330): ownership interest in the company or active engagement in operation and management. An active broker or associate must hang under a BIC and may not hang with more than one. North Carolina broker and Georgia broker are neighboring products; only those two states sit on South Carolina’s reciprocal list.
Your path to the license
Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.
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Bank five years of active associate licensure inside seven
May 21, 2024 statute. Inactive months do not count. Age 21.
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Complete Unit IIIA 30 (Broker Management) + Unit IIIB 30 (Brokerage Principles)
Not Unit I+II again. Completing them also covers that CE cycle as an associate.
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Commission application, prints after, PSI $67 broker paper (60/80-pt national + 36/50 state)
Attestation and invoiced $125 (broker) or $250 (BIC). Calendar 10-hour CE; BIC adds the 4-hour BIC course.
Education and eligibility
- Minimum age
- 21 years old
- Identification
- A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.
- Residency and identification
- Age 21. Five years of active associate licensure within the past seven years (applications on or after May 21, 2024). Reciprocal GA/NC brokers follow the live agreements. Other-state brokers with an active (or ≤6-month-expired) license sit the state portion only and still complete SC education unless a reciprocal agreement says otherwise.
- Qualifying education
- § 40-57-320(A)(2)(a). Not a second Unit I+II. Associates who complete IIIA+IIIB are CE-exempt for that renewal period even if they have not yet upgraded. JD / law / real-estate degree substitution exists. Course certificate 5 years first-time, 3 years if reapplying after failing both portions.
- Education or filing deadline
- One-year exam eligibility; one-year pass-to-licensure. Five-year / three-year course windows as in the FAQ.
- Character review
- Same SLED/FBI/SSN plus application questions. 24-month wait after denial.
- Background process
- After application, § 40-57-115. Every third renewal.
- Experience
- Five years of active associate licensure within the past seven years (§ 40-57-320(A)(2)(a), effective May 21, 2024). Inactive time does not count. The pre-2024 three-year clock is dead for new applications.
- Broker affiliation
- An active broker who is not the BIC still hangs under a BIC (§ 40-57-330(B)). BIC designation requires ownership interest or active operation/management (§ 40-57-330(A)). One supervised license at a time. Disassociating from the registered office: BIC notifies the Commission within five days; the BIC designation is removed and the license deactivates (§ 40-57-330(C)).
Documents to prepare
- Five years active associate in seven (license history)
- Unit IIIA and IIIB certificates (or JD/law/real-estate degree)
- Commission application $25; SLED/FBI/SSN after
- PSI broker passing results (60/80-point national and 36/50 state)
- Supervision Attestation; invoiced broker/BIC fee
The licensing exam
Same PSI bulletin updated 8/27/2026. Broker National 75 questions / 80 points / 120 minutes (scenario items up to two points). Broker State 50 questions / 50 points / 80 minutes. Combined 200 minutes. Pass 60 national and 36 state. State broker buckets scale up: Commission/licensing 10, statutes governing licensees 16, agency 13, additional statutes 7, closings 4. $67 both / $59 one. Time Sharing Plan Act is broker-only on the state outline. Do not sit the associate 80/40 as a broker candidate.
PSI after Commission broker eligibility. Same SCRE bulletin. $67 both / $59 one. 60 and 36 to pass. · Fee: $67
| Part | Questions | Minutes | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker National | 75 | 120 | 75 questions / 80 points / 120 minutes; 60 correct to pass. Scenario items up to two points. Not the 80-item associate national |
| Broker South Carolina State | 50 | 80 | 50 questions / 50 points / 80 minutes; 36 correct to pass (bulletin). Combined both 200 minutes. Time Sharing Plan Act is broker-only |
Same $67 / $59 table, one-year payment window, one-year eligibility, one-year pass-to-licensure. Do not book the associate 80/40.
What to study
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Unit IIIA Broker Management + Unit IIIB Brokerage Principles
Commission-approved provider
60 hours after five years in seven. Also a CE exemption for that associate cycle.
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PSI broker rows (75/80-point national, 50 state, 60/36 to pass)
PSI / SCREC
Time Sharing Plan Act is broker-only. Combined 200 minutes.
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§ 40-57-135 BIC duties and § 40-57-136 trust accounts
South Carolina Legislature
48-hour trust deposits, five-year records, office policy, team advertising. BIC state paper, not the associate 40.
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 | $25 |
| Examination | $67 |
| Initial license | $125 |
| Renewal (every 2 years) | $55 |
Rev. 2/20 sheet: broker/property manager new license $125 biennial; BIC/PMIC $250. Renewal FAQ: broker $55; BIC $75 per office; late $15/month. PSI $67/$59. Application $25. Application and initialLicense are sequential. Confirm the live invoice rather than mailing the sheet’s dollar.
| Commission | South Carolina Real Estate Commission (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) (803) 896-4400 S.C. Code Ann. Title 40, Chapter 57 (Real Estate Brokers, Brokers-in-Charge, Associates, and Property Managers), as rewritten by 2024 Act No. 204 (H.4754, effective May 21, 2024) substituting “associate” for “salesperson”; especially §§ 40-57-30 (definitions), 40-57-115 (SLED/FBI/SSN background checks), 40-57-310 (qualifications), 40-57-320 (Unit I 60 + Unit II 30; broker Unit IIIA + IIIB and five years in seven), 40-57-340 (10-hour CE; background check every third renewal). PSI South Carolina Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (copyright 2026, updated 8/27/2026) at test-takers.psiexams.com/scre. |
|---|---|
| Pre-licensing | Unit IIIA 30-hour Broker Management plus Unit IIIB 30-hour Brokerage Principles (60 hours), after five years of active associate licensure in seven § 40-57-320(A)(2)(a). Not a second Unit I+II. Associates who complete IIIA+IIIB are CE-exempt for that renewal period even if they have not yet upgraded. JD / law / real-estate degree substitution exists. Course certificate 5 years first-time, 3 years if reapplying after failing both portions. One-year exam eligibility; one-year pass-to-licensure. Five-year / three-year course windows as in the FAQ. |
| Sponsoring broker | An active broker who is not the BIC still hangs under a BIC (§ 40-57-330(B)). BIC designation requires ownership interest or active operation/management (§ 40-57-330(A)). One supervised license at a time. Disassociating from the registered office: BIC notifies the Commission within five days; the BIC designation is removed and the license deactivates (§ 40-57-330(C)). |
| Fingerprints | Original broker applicants submit to the same § 40-57-115 SLED/FBI/SSN packet after the application, not before. Every third renewal repeats it. |
| CE / renewal | Broker: 10 hours (4 core + 6 elective), same machine as associate. BIC: 4-hour BIC Duties + 4-hour core + 2 elective. Partial waiver still requires BIC course if you are the BIC. Print every third renewal. $15 per month July 1–December 31; then reapply. 24-month lapse-to-cancel. Affiliated associates cannot stay active under a lapsed BIC. |
| Recovery fund | Same honest-none as associate: Education and Research Fund up to $10 of a renewal, not a recovery payout. Confirm live. |
Mistakes that delay applicants
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Applying at three years because a 2023 catalog said so
Five years in seven as of May 21, 2024. Age 21. The old three-year clock is dead.
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Sitting the associate 80/40 as a broker candidate
Different item counts, different cuts (60 and 36), same $67. Wrong series.
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Treating Unit I+II as broker education
Broker is IIIA+IIIB. The 60+30 associate package is already on the wall hanging you are upgrading.
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Opening an office as an associate, or as a broker who never filed BIC
§ 40-57-135(C): no office without an active BIC registered for that location. Ownership or operational control is a BIC eligibility, not a business-card title.
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Skipping the 4-hour BIC CE because you already sat 10 hours of electives
BIC is 4 core + 4 BIC + 2 elective. Partial 25-year waiver still wants core + BIC course.
Reciprocity and recognition
| Partner / path | Accepted exam | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | — | Live broker page: GA and NC only. Follow the SC & GA Reciprocity Agreement. |
| North Carolina | — | Live broker page: SC & NC Licensing Agreement. Not a universal NC-broker conversion. |
Same two-state list as associate. Non-GA/NC: state portion only if the other license is active or expired ≤6 months, plus SC education.
Renewal and staying active
Broker: 10 hours (4 core + 6 elective), same machine as associate. BIC: 4-hour BIC Duties + 4-hour core + 2 elective. Partial waiver still requires BIC course if you are the BIC. Print every third renewal.
Late renewal: $15 per month July 1–December 31; then reapply. 24-month lapse-to-cancel. Affiliated associates cannot stay active under a lapsed BIC.
BIC original/renewal is a different cart ($250 / $75 per office). Notify the Commission within five days if you disassociate as BIC or the designation drops and the license deactivates.
Applicant checklist
- Age 21; five years active associate licensure in the past seven
- Unit IIIA 30 + Unit IIIB 30 (or JD/law/real-estate degree)
- Commission application $25; SLED/FBI/SSN after the application
- PSI $67 broker paper: 60/80-point national + 36/50 state inside one year of eligibility
- Supervision Attestation; invoiced $125 (broker) or $250 (BIC); calendar 10-hour CE
How South Carolina is different
North Carolina broker: different experience clock, still BIC. Georgia broker: GREC, reciprocal with SC. South Carolina broker: age 21, five years active associate in seven, Unit IIIA 30 + IIIB 30, PSI 75/80-point national + 50 state at 60/36, $67, then a BIC designation to run an office.
Frequently asked questions
- Is it still three years to broker?
- No. 2024 Act 204: five years of active associate licensure within the past seven, for applications on or after May 21, 2024. Age 21. School catalogs that still print three years are stale.
- Do I retake Unit I and II?
- No. Broker education is Unit IIIA 30 + Unit IIIB 30. Completing them as an associate also exempts that CE cycle.
- Is the broker exam the 80/40 associate paper?
- No. 75 questions / 80 points national (60 to pass) plus 50 state (36 to pass) in 200 minutes. Same $67. Wrong series if you book associate.
- What is broker versus broker-in-charge?
- Broker is the license. BIC is the designated person with ownership or operational control, responsible for the trust account and supervised licensees (§ 40-57-30(7), § 40-57-330). BIC CE is 4 core + 4 BIC + 2 elective. BIC original $250 / renewal $75 per office.
- Can I run an office on an associate license while I finish the five years?
- No. BIC is a broker product. Associates hang under a BIC. One supervised license at a time.
Primary Sources
Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.
- SCLLR Real Estate Broker
- S.C. Code § 40-57-320(A)(2) (Unit IIIA+IIIB; five years in seven)
- PSI SC bulletin (broker 75/80 pts + 50 state; 60/36 to pass)
- SCLLR CE (BIC 4+4+2)
Verified 2026-09-02 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-01