Texas real estate licensing
Texas Individual 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
- 270 qualifying hours plus 630 related hours (900 total, with published substitutions)
- Exam fee
- $39
- Published fees
- $384
- Typical timeline
- Four years of qualifying experience is the binding constraint
What to know first
A Texas broker license is the credential that lets you operate without a sponsor and sponsor sales agents. It is not simply the sales-agent checklist with a harder exam; its requirements come from Occupations Code § 1101.356 and 22 TAC § 535.56, as summarized on TREC's individual-broker page. Applications filed on or after January 1, 2026 are graded under the 2026 point and education rules, which doubled the experience-point minimum from 360 to 720 and capped a bachelor's degree at 300 hours of the related-education bucket. Older guides that list 360 points describe the rules before 2026.
Education is 270 classroom hours of qualifying courses (the six sales-agent courses plus a 30-hour Real Estate Brokerage course completed not more than two years before the application date), plus 630 related hours that must include the six-hour Broker Responsibility course. A bachelor's degree satisfies up to 300 of those 630 hours. Extra experience points above 720 can buy related-education credit at two points per classroom hour, up to 300 hours, but both the minimum points and the substitution points must fall inside the same five-year window. California's broker substitution is based on a real-estate major or minor, not a point table.
Experience is four years of active licensure as a sales agent or broker during the 60 months before filing, at least one qualifying transaction in four of those five years, and 720 points documented on Supplement A with a transaction identification list, certified by the sponsoring broker. REALM does not total the points for you. Residential, farm-and-ranch, and commercial deals carry different point values.
The broker exam is Pearson VUE: 85 administered national questions (150 minutes) and 60 administered state questions (90 minutes), $39 per appointment. The Candidate Handbook's passing raw scores are 60 correct on national and 38 correct on state. Fail three times and additional education is required. Original individual-broker application total on the December 15, 2025 schedule is $308. If TREC does not already have your fingerprints on file for a TREC license, you need TREC-specific fingerprints. Broker CE is 18 hours including Legal Update I and II and, for brokers who sponsor, Broker Responsibility.
Your path to the license
Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.
-
Tally 720 points on Supplement A inside the 60-month window
REALM will not auto-count transactions. Extra points can offset related education but cannot replace the 720 minimum.
-
Finish 270 qualifying hours including a fresh Brokerage course
Brokerage must be not more than two years old at filing. Add Broker Responsibility inside the related 630.
-
File the individual broker application in REALM ($308)
Upload education and experience. One year to complete remaining requirements.
-
Fingerprints if needed, then Pearson VUE
Pass 60 national and 38 state. $39 exam fee.
-
Set up sponsorship capacity and CE
18-hour broker CE including Legal Update and, if you will sponsor, Broker Responsibility.
How long the 900-hour course takes
Coursework is usually the longest step you control. Weeks below are classroom or online hours only; add application processing, fingerprint clearance, and exam scheduling from the roadmap above.
- Part-time
- 90 weeksabout 10 hrs/week
- Steady
- 45 weeksabout 20 hrs/week
- Full-time
- 23 weeksabout 40 hrs/week
Overall estimate from our source review: Four years of qualifying experience is the binding constraint; after the file is complete, exam and issuance usually fit inside the one-year window
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
- U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted alien. Out-of-state individual broker application uses the same $308 total on the current fee schedule.
- Qualifying education
- Qualifying: six sales-agent 30-hour courses plus Real Estate Brokerage (30 hours, not more than two years before application). Related: 630 hours including the six-hour Broker Responsibility course. A bachelor's degree satisfies up to 300 of the 630. Additional points above 720 may substitute for up to 300 related hours at two points per hour.
- Character review
- Honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity. Fitness Determination is available before filing ($54 online on the current schedule).
- Background process
- TREC-specific DPS fingerprints if not already on file for TREC. IDEMIA fee $37 when new prints are required.
- Experience
- four years of active experience as a licensed sales agent or broker during the 60 months before filing, totaling 720 points, with at least one qualifying transaction in four of those five years
- Broker affiliation
- An individual broker license authorizes independent practice and sponsorship of sales agents. A business-entity broker license is a separate TREC credential.
Documents to prepare
- Supplement A with transaction identification list, certified by the sponsoring broker
- Course completion documents in REALM
- College transcript if claiming the 300-hour degree credit
The licensing exam
Pearson VUE administers a national portion (85 questions, 150 minutes) and a Texas state portion (60 questions, 90 minutes) for brokers. Combined appointment: 145 questions, 240 minutes, $39. Passing raw scores in the Texas Candidate Handbook: 60 national, 38 state. The state outline for brokers is heavier on supervision, trust accounts, and rules for brokers who sponsor sales agents. Questions on promulgated forms still appear.
Pearson VUE · Fee: $39
| Part | Questions | Minutes | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| National / general | 85 | 150 | See note |
| Texas state law | 60 | 90 | See note |
Scoring details from the candidate handbook
- National / general: 60 correct (Pearson VUE Texas Candidate Handbook)
- Texas state law: 38 correct (Pearson VUE Texas Candidate Handbook)
Three failures trigger additional education. $39 per Pearson VUE appointment.
What to study
-
TREC individual broker page and rule 535.56
Texas Real Estate Commission
Point table, degree cap, and Brokerage-course recency.
-
Pearson VUE Texas Candidate Handbook
Pearson VUE
Broker administered counts and 60/38 raw passing scores.
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 | $308 |
| Examination | $39 |
| Renewal (every 2 years) | $218 |
| Fingerprints / background check | $37 |
TREC schedule effective December 15, 2025. Individual broker original $308; renewal $218; late <90 days $254; late >90 days $290. Exam $39 to Pearson VUE.
Published state fees
$384
Application, exam, initial-license, and fingerprint amounts cited above. Excludes school tuition.
| Commission | Texas Real Estate Commission 512.936.3000 Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1101 (The Real Estate License Act); 22 TAC Chapter 535 |
|---|---|
| Pre-licensing | 270 qualifying hours plus 630 related hours (900 total, with published substitutions) Qualifying: six sales-agent 30-hour courses plus Real Estate Brokerage (30 hours, not more than two years before application). Related: 630 hours including the six-hour Broker Responsibility course. A bachelor's degree satisfies up to 300 of the 630. Additional points above 720 may substitute for up to 300 related hours at two points per hour. |
| Sponsoring broker | An individual broker license authorizes independent practice and sponsorship of sales agents. A business-entity broker license is a separate TREC credential. |
| Fingerprints | Required if TREC does not already have TREC-purpose prints. Same IdentoGO path as sales agents. |
| CE / renewal | 18 hours including TREC Legal Update I and II. Brokers who sponsor also complete the 6-hour Broker Responsibility course as part of that 18. Late <90 days $254; late >90 days $290 on the current individual-broker schedule. |
| Recovery fund | Original individual-broker application includes a $10 Recovery Trust Account fee. The A&M Research Center fee on a broker original is $140, versus $40 on a sales-agent original. |
Mistakes that delay applicants
-
Counting pre-2026 360-point advice
The 720-point minimum applies to applications filed on or after January 1, 2026. An application built on the older 360-point advice will fall short.
-
Stale Brokerage course
The 30-hour Real Estate Brokerage course must be completed not more than two years before the application date. SAE Brokerage taken three years ago does not satisfy that recency rule.
-
Degree over-credit
A bachelor's degree no longer wipes out the entire 630 related hours. Cap is 300, and you still need Broker Responsibility within the related hours.
Reciprocity and recognition
| Partner / path | Accepted exam | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| No formal bilateral reciprocity is published for this credential. | ||
Texas offers no blanket mutual-recognition shortcut. Out-of-state brokers still document education and experience to TREC and typically pass the Texas exam. TREC lists a separate Out of State broker application total of $308.
Renewal and staying active
18 hours including TREC Legal Update I and II. Brokers who sponsor also complete the 6-hour Broker Responsibility course as part of that 18.
Late renewal: Late <90 days $254; late >90 days $290 on the current individual-broker schedule.
Applicant checklist
- Confirm every claimed transaction is inside the 60-month window and on Supplement A
- Retake Real Estate Brokerage if the certificate is older than two years
- Include Broker Responsibility in the related hours
- File in REALM with $308 and wait for the Pearson VUE notice
- Pass 60/38 raw scores
How Texas is different
Texas's 2026 broker experience floor (four years, 720 points) is among the strictest time-in-grade rules. California asks for two years full-time in five years. Florida asks for 24 months active in five years. New York asks for two years as a salesperson or three years general real estate. Pennsylvania asks for three years as a salesperson plus 240 hours. Georgia asks for three of the last five years active plus 60 prelicense hours. Illinois uses managing broker (two of the last three years plus 45 hours). North Carolina's full-broker status is postlicensing, not a second license exam. Brokers from California or New York cannot use reciprocity to get a Texas license.
Texas vs neighboring states
| Jurisdiction | License title | Pre-license hours | Exam vendor | Exam questions | Exam fee | Published state fees | Renewal cycle | Min. age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas (this guide) | Broker | 900 | Pearson VUE | 145 | $39 | $384 | 2 yr | 18 |
| Arkansas | Broker | 60 | Pearson VUE | 120 | $75 | $195 | 1 yr | 18 |
| Louisiana | Broker | 150 | Pearson VUE | 135 | $81 | $381.75 | 1 yr | 18 |
| New Mexico | Qualifying Broker | 46 | PSI | 125 | $95 | $694 | 3 yr | 18 |
| Oklahoma | Broker | 90 | Pearson VUE | 130 | $90 | $480 | 3 yr | 18 |
| California | Broker | 360 | California DRE | 200 | $150 | $799 | 4 yr | 18 |
| Florida | Broker | 72 | Pearson VUE | 100 | $36.75 | $200.50 | 2 yr | 18 |
| Georgia | Broker | 60 | PSI | Not published | See handbook | $340 | 4 yr | 21 |
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.
Frequently asked questions
- Did TREC change broker requirements in 2026?
- Yes. Applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026 need 720 experience points (was 360) and a bachelor's degree counts toward at most 300 related hours. Extra points can still buy up to 300 related hours. Files submitted before that date were reviewed under the old rule.
- Does a Texas sales agent license automatically become a broker license after SAE?
- No. SAE is first-renewal education for sales agents. The broker license is a separate application, exam, and $308 fee.
Related reading
- Salesperson vs Broker vs REALTOR
The wall license is a state product. REALTOR® is a membership mark. Illinois and North Carolina do not even issue a salesperson title.
- What the State Real Estate Exam Actually Tests
A national outline will not save you on California disclosures, Texas promulgated forms, BRRETA, or NCREC broker-in-charge rules.
- Your First Real Estate License Renewal Is Different
New licensees often plan for ordinary continuing education and miss the larger first-cycle requirement. In Florida, that mistake can make the license null and void.
Primary Sources
Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.
- TREC — Become an Individual Real Estate Broker
- TREC — What changed for Texas brokers in 2026
- TREC — Fee Schedule (effective December 15, 2025)
- Pearson VUE — Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook
Verified 2026-09-02 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-01
Update history
- Rewrote the guide text for readability and added state comparison tables. No requirements, fees, or deadlines changed.
- Requirements, fees, and deadlines checked against the primary sources cited on this page.
Spotted something out of date? Send a correction.