Wisconsin 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

   Practice as a Wisconsin salesperson under a supervising broker for 2 years in the last 4

   Log 40 points on Form 3036. Referrals do not count. Use a separate form for each supervising broker.

2. 2

   Complete Board-approved broker education (or 6-hour / 13-hour out-of-state path)

   Applicants with a current IL/IN broker license use verification instead of the 40-point grid.

3. 3

   Sit the Pearson broker exam ($65, 3.25 hours, 100 scored, scaled 75)

   Then apply in LicensE. You owe 18 hours of CE with no first-biennium exemption, due December 14 of even years.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Two years of salesperson practice in Wisconsin (or as DSPS counts it) within the last four, plus 40 points — unless you are on the IL/IN reciprocal broker path or the two-year-out-of-state-broker endorsement path on Form 3036.

Qualifying education

Per the DSPS broker page: a Board-approved 72-hour pre-license program for Brokers within four years (REEB 25.023), OR 20 academic semester credits in real estate or real-estate-related law, OR evidence you are licensed to practice law in Wisconsin. Handbook #095000 also describes the out-of-state path: 6 hours of Wisconsin broker education, plus 13 hours of salesperson education if you do not already hold a Wisconsin salesperson license. Applicants with a current IL/IN broker license request verification to DSPS (Form 3036). Salesperson education applied under § 452.09(2)(c)1. may not be reapplied to the broker business-management requirement under (2)(c)2. Check the current REEB 25 rules rather than relying on a school flyer's total.

Character review

Same Act 288 / Form 2252 review, plus fitness to supervise and hold trust funds.

Background process

As DSPS currently specifies in LicensE.

Experience

licensed salesperson under a supervising broker for at least 2 years within the last 4 years, plus at least 40 experience points on Form 3036 (residential close 5, commercial close 10, timeshare 1, property management 0.5/month; referrals do not count). Applicants with a current IL/IN broker license use verification instead. Out-of-state broker endorsement: licensed as a broker at least 2 years within the last 4.

Broker affiliation

A Wisconsin broker may supervise salespersons and qualify a firm. Trust-account Form 814 and bookkeeping Form 2358 apply when you hold funds. Firm association remains a DSPS filing.

Pearson VUE, handbook 095000 · Fee: $65

$65 per sitting. Scaled 75. 3.25 hours. Not offered on OnVUE. Apply within one year of passing. The reciprocal IL/IN path may still require verification even if the Pearson exam is waived; confirm with DSPS rather than assuming the exam is waived.

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

Pearson handbook: broker exam $65. DSPS Initial Fee Changes PDF: Real Estate Broker (90) initial $60; confirm in LicensE. RDAF PDF: broker renewal $75, or $100 late, due December 14 of even years. CE is 18 hours (12+6) with no first-cycle exemption for brokers since December 2016.

• !

  Counting referrals as points

  They do not count. Closed transactions and property-management months do. A residential closing is worth 5 points, not 1.

• !

  Using one Form 3036 for two supervising brokers

  DSPS requires a separate form for each supervising broker, uploaded against your PAR.

• !

  Assuming a first-December CE skip like some new salespersons

  According to the DSPS broker page, there are no CE exemptions for brokers. 18 hours are due in the biennium you receive the credential.

• !

  Treating an Indiana managing-broker designation as a Wisconsin broker license

  Indiana has no salesperson license. Form 3036's IN box is for a current Indiana broker license plus verification, not a 24-hour managing-broker course.

• !

  Reusing salesperson hours as broker business-management hours

  § 452.09(2)(c)2.: no educational programs applied to satisfy salesperson education may be applied to the broker business-management requirement.

• !

  Skipping the salesperson exam on the way to broker

  § 452.09(3)(d): unless a reciprocal agreement or the § 452.12(2) business-entity path applies, the applicant must pass the salesperson examination AND the broker examination.

• !

  Treating WB forms as optional NAR contract trivia

  Agency contracts (WB-1/4/36) and offers (WB-11/13/14/40/41/44/46) are scored exam categories. Illinois PSI materials do not cover them.

Form 3036: a reciprocal applicant with a current broker license in Illinois or Indiana requests license verification to DSPS. Endorsement requires licensure as a broker in another state for at least 2 years within the last 4. Neither path waives Wisconsin law, trust-account rules, or December 14 CE.

Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin issue a salesperson license?

Yes. Broker is a separate license under § 452.09(4): 2 years in the last 4, 40 points, broker education, and the Pearson 100-scored-item exam. Under § 452.09(3)(d), the board may not grant a broker license unless the applicant passes the salesperson examination and the broker examination and meets the experience requirements, except as provided under § 452.12(2) or a reciprocal agreement.

Do referrals count toward 40 points?

No. Per Form 3036 / § 452.09(4)(a)2.: closed residential 5, commercial 10, timeshare 1, property management 0.5 per month. Referrals do not count. Use a separate form for each supervising broker.

I hold an Illinois broker license. Do I need 40 points?

Form 3036 has a reciprocal box for a current Illinois or Indiana broker license with verification to DSPS. Confirm with DSPS; it does not waive Wisconsin CE, trust-account Form 814, or the December 14 renewal.

Are brokers exempt from CE their first December 14?

No. According to the DSPS broker page, all Real Estate Brokers must satisfy CE during the biennium in which they receive the credential; there are no CE exemptions for brokers (change effective October 1, 2015). 18 hours (12+6).

How many broker pre-license hours?

Per the DSPS broker page: a Board-approved 72-hour broker program within four years (REEB 25.023), or 20 semester credits, or a license to practice law in Wisconsin. Endorsement applicants without reciprocity take the 6-hour broker course, plus the 13-hour salesperson course if they do not hold a WI salesperson license.

What does original/renewal cost?

Pearson charges $65. The DSPS Initial Fee Changes PDF lists the broker original at $60 (confirm in LicensE). The RDAF PDF lists renewal at $75, or $100 late, due December 14 of even years. $10 of each renewal fee goes to the UW System under § 452.12(5)(a).