Washington 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

   Complete 60-hour Fundamentals and 30-hour Practices

   DOL-approved providers. Fundamentals includes 3 hours fair housing (RCW 18.85.101). Register as a PSI student for Washington before the school posts your completions. Your two years to apply for and finish the exams start when you complete the courses.

2. 2

   Wait for the PSI eligibility email; sit both portions ($210)

   The school has up to 7 days to post. Pass national and state within six months of each other at scaled 70. Do not apply for the license until DOL emails that it has results.

3. 3

   Fingerprint at IdentoGO after passing

   $51 for Real Estate Broker on DOL's fee table ($18+$33). Out-of-state cards use ORI WA920100Z. Results can take up to 14 business days from WSP.

4. 4

   Apply for the original broker license within one year of passing

   $233 including $20 research. SAW online is faster. Affiliate with a firm / designated broker under Your To-Do's before practicing.

5. 5

   First active renewal: a separate 90 hours of CE

   30 Advanced Practices, 30 Real Estate Law (including 3 hours fair housing), 3 Current Issues, 27 other, started after first licensure. If you never took the 6-hour Fair Housing (reciprocity path), take it first; then 3-hour Fair Housing each cycle. Later renewals: 30 hours. Fee $233 including $20 research.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Washington residency is not independently required (RCW 18.85.101). Out-of-state applicants complete the same 90 hours unless they use DOL reciprocity: actively licensed in another state, in good standing, within the preceding 6 months, with a license-history document (agency heading, active dates inside 6 months, licensure level, expiration, discipline, how obtained, creation date — not a pocket-card photo or a website screenshot). Reciprocity applicants take only the Washington state exam. Military/spouse temporary licenses are a separate DOL path.

Qualifying education

RCW 18.85.101 and DOL Get-your-license: 60-hour Real Estate Fundamentals, which shall include three hours of instruction on fair housing and consumer-protection issues, plus 30-hour Real Estate Practices, from DOL-approved providers listed in Course Search. Each course must be completed within two years before applying for the broker examination and must include a director-approved course examination. These 90 hours make up the full Washington entry requirement; there is no salesperson course followed by a broker add-on, because there is no salesperson license. Your first active renewal later requires a separate 90 hours of CE (Advanced Practices, Real Estate Law including 3 hours fair housing, Current Issues, Fair Housing as specified). California's three courses or Oregon's 150-hour broker education do not count toward these 90 hours unless you qualify for reciprocity.

Education or filing deadline

Two years from course completion to apply for and finish the exams (RCW 18.85.101; DOL). Exam approval expires 2 years from the date you completed your courses. Six months between passing the two portions. One year from passing to apply for the license. Fingerprint results expire 6 years after DOL receives them.

Character review

Character and fitness are reviewed after IdentoGO posts. DOL fingerprint page: convictions are case-by-case (type, level, relationship to practice, time since, whether already disclosed). Failing to disclose is disqualifying on its own. Legal-background "yes" answers need documents uploaded with the SAW application.

Background process

IdentoGO / Idemia after passing both exam portions. DOL's fee table for Real Estate Broker/Managing Broker: $18 fingerprint + $33 state-and-national background check = $51. Out-of-state ink cards: ORI WA920100Z DIV OF REAL ESTATE OLYMPIA, WA, mailed to IdentoGO-WA Card Scan Operations, 100 Salem Ct., Tallahassee, FL 32301. Results can take up to 14 business days from Washington State Patrol. Fingerprint results expire 6 years after DOL receives them; expired prints block joining a firm, reactivation, and renewal. Apply for the license within one year of passing; after that, your score is no longer valid, so fingerprint promptly.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the entry broker license. Managing broker is a later credential (3 years full-time broker in the last 5, or named alternative qualifications, plus 90 hours of named managing-broker courses).

Broker affiliation

A newly licensed Washington broker practices under a firm's designated or managing broker (RCW 18.85.101(3): licensed to one firm at a time and supervised by a designated or managing broker). Independent practice as a one-person shop still requires the firm license ($304 original/renewal on DOL's fee table) and a designated-broker endorsement (no fee). Because there is no salesperson license, there is no salesperson affiliation. After issuance, a firm invites you in SAW; you accept under Your To-Do's to activate.

PSI Testing Excellence, under contract to the Washington State Department of Licensing (https://test-takers.psiexams.com/ware; (855) 746-8168). School posts completions; PSI emails the registration link (up to 7 days). · Fee: $210

DOL fee table and WAC 308-124A-775: examination $210, reexamination $210; not refundable. Pass both portions within six months of each other or retake both (DOL exam page). PSI will not let you schedule a retake more than 6 months after passing the other exam. Apply for the license within one year of passing; exam results are valid 1 year. Reciprocity: state exam only, 6 months from approval, retakes as scheduling allows, no extension. DOL does not offer same-day retests. Cancellation and rescheduling rules are set in the PSI bulletin. Walk-ins are not available.

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

WAC 308-124A-775 / DOL Fees: Real estate page: broker exam $210, retake $210, original $233 (includes $20 research), renewal $233 (includes $20 research), late renewal with penalty $273, reinstatement $100 in addition to renewal, printed license by mail $5, license history $40, transfer/activate/name/address no fee. The application and initialLicense amounts here are the same $233 original fee, not two charges. IdentoGO Real Estate Broker/Managing Broker: $18 fingerprint + $33 background = $51 (DOL Fingerprinting table). Firm original/renewal $304; assumed name $304 per name; branch original/renewal $288. Managing-broker fees are listed under that license. You must pay both the licensure fee and the $20 research fee; if you uncheck either in SAW, your license will not issue.

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  Filing as a salesperson

  Washington does not issue that license. Entry is broker. Managing broker is the later supervising license.

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  Fingerprinting before the exam, or reusing California Live Scan

  DOL requires IdentoGO fingerprints after you pass. The current fee is $51, not the retired $34.25 processing fee. Prints taken for another license on another date are not automatically reusable. Results expire in 6 years and will block renewal if you ignore the SAW to-do.

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  Letting six months pass between portions, or one year pass after the last pass

  National and state must both be passed within six months of each other or you retake both. Apply for the license within one year of passing. You also have two years from your courses to finish the exams, and reciprocity applicants have six months from approval to pass the state exam.

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  Using the prelicense 90 as first-renewal CE

  First active renewal is a different 90-hour package started after first licensure: Advanced Practices, Real Estate Law (with 3 hours fair housing), Current Issues. Reciprocity licensees who never took Washington Fundamentals still owe the 6-hour Fair Housing course before the 3-hour cycle begins.

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  Importing an Oregon principal-broker certificate as Washington entry without the license-history document

  Reciprocity requires an active license within the last 6 months plus an official license history (agency heading, dates, level, discipline, how obtained). Pocket-card photos and website screenshots are denied. You still sit the Washington state exam.

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  Unchecking the $20 research fee in SAW, or applying before DOL has exam results

  Original $233 includes the $20 research assessment; if you uncheck either fee, your license will not issue. Applying before the results-received email delays your application. The $304 firm license is separate from the individual $233 license.

Reciprocity recognizes your existing license, but it does not waive the state exam or convert a California salesperson license to a Washington broker license. Oregon principal-broker and Idaho salesperson credentials are not automatically Washington broker licenses. Reciprocity candidates still fingerprint after passing and still apply within one year. Military/spouse temporary licenses are a separate DOL path.

Washington 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 Washington issue a salesperson license?

No. RCW 18.85 and DOL issue a broker license as the entry credential and a managing broker license as the supervising credential. There is no "salesperson" application to file.

How many pre-licensing hours, and what is inside them?

90 clock hours: 60-hour Real Estate Fundamentals plus 30-hour Real Estate Practices, from DOL-approved providers. RCW 18.85.101 requires Fundamentals to include three hours of fair housing and consumer-protection issues. Each course needs a director-approved course exam and must be completed within two years before applying for the broker examination.

What is the exam shape and the cut score?

PSI, $210. National and Washington state portions. WAC 308-124A-760: minimum scaled score of 70 on each (a scaled score, not a raw percentage). Current PSI/school materials list about 100 scored national items and 30 scored state items, with 5–10 pretest items. Pass both within six months of each other. Check the current PSI bulletin before you sit.

When do I fingerprint, and what does it cost?

After passing both exam portions, through IdentoGO. DOL's fee table: $18 fingerprint + $33 state-and-national background = $51 for Real Estate Broker/Managing Broker. Fingerprints are not taken at PSI before the exam. Results expire 6 years after DOL receives them.

What does the original license cost?

DOL / WAC 308-124A-775: $233 including a mandatory $20 real estate research assessment. Exam is a separate $210. Pay both the license fee and the research fee in SAW, or your license will not issue.

Is the first-renewal 90 hours the same as prelicensing?

No. First active renewal (WAC 308-124A-785; RCW 18.85.101(2)) is 30 Advanced Practices + 30 Real Estate Law (including 3 hours fair housing) + 3 Current Issues + at least 27 other, all started after first licensure. If you never took the 6-hour Washington Real Estate Fair Housing course (typical reciprocity path), take it first; then the 3-hour Fair Housing each cycle. Subsequent renewals are 30 hours (WAC 308-124A-790).

Can I skip the national exam because I am already licensed in Oregon or Idaho?

Only on DOL reciprocity: actively licensed in good standing within the preceding 6 months, with a real license-history document (not a screenshot). Reciprocity applicants take only the Washington state exam, within six months of approval. Oregon principal-broker and Idaho salesperson licenses do not automatically exempt you from Washington content.

How long is a passing score good?

Apply for the license within 1 year of passing the final exam (DOL exam page). Separately, you must pass both portions within six months of each other, and you have two years from your courses to finish the exams. Keep track of all three deadlines.