Illinois Frequently Ask Questions Real Estate License

You must take the 75-hour pre-license broker course. The course is broken into two modules, the Broker Pre-license Topics of 60 hours and a Broker Pre-license Applied Real Estate Principles of 15 hours. You must take the course from an approved education provider.

You must take the 75-hour pre-license broker course to receive your Illinois broker license. The course has 60 hours in Pre-license Topics and 15 hours in Applied Real Estate Principles. Choose your school from the state's list of approved education providers.

You can take your pre-license education from any of the state's list of approved education providers. Some of these providers offer in-person classes, While others are online course providers. Remember that online courses are more flexible and more affordable than in-person classroom learning.

Yes, you can take the course online depending on which state-approved education provider you select. Online courses are the most convenient and affordable way to meet your state education requirement.

While there are no stipulations that you have to have graduated high school to take the 75-hour pre-license course, remember you do need to have a high school diploma or general education diploma by the time you apply for your broker license. Your state exam is only good for one year.

If you are a qualified attorney, you can earn an Illinois broker license under the attorney qualification. You'll still need to register for the state examination using the registration form and by providing a photocopy of your current Illinois attorney registration pocket card certificate by mail to PSI.

No, Illinois will not apply your college credits to the Illinois pre-license course.

Yes, you must pass a course final exam in order to complete the course and receive your course completion certificate. The minimum passing score is 75%. Your course provider will tell you more about the final exam content and the number of questions.

Earning your pre-license course completion certificate requires you to be present for the 75 hours and to pass a required final exam. This exam’s minimum passing score is 75%. Once you have passed, RealEstateU students can find their course completion certificate by logging into their account.

Your course administrator will let you know how many questions are on the various in-course section quizzes and the comprehensive final.

RealEstateU students Will have their course completion certificate available to them after passing the final exam. Simply log into your account and find the information about the course.

Illinois publishes a list of approved education providers on its Department website.

The state's testing vendor PSI will need proof of your course completion from your course provider. You can’t schedule and take an exam without this course completion certificate. Visit this link to register as a student with PSI so your course provider can submit your course completion certificate.

No, but it will notify the testing vendor PSI. You can't schedule your state licensing exam without your course completion certificate.

Illinois Real Estate Commission gives you two years after finishing the pre-license course to apply for the Illinois State licensing exam.

You first must be at least 18 years of age. You must also have a high school diploma or a GED diploma. Make sure you successfully finish the pre-license course and pass the state licensing exam. You need to be hired by a licensed Illinois managing broker before you can submit your license application with the IREC.

To apply for an Illinois broker license, you must use the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations Online Services Portal. You will start by creating an account. You use this portal to upload any required documentation and to pay your $125 initial application fee.

Yes! In fact, you are required to apply for your real estate broker license online using the state’s Online Services Portal.

The Illinois real estate broker initial license application fee is $125, payable by credit card through the Online Services Portal.

You need your official score report from PSI, verification of any professional license held in any regulated profession in any United States. If you had any positive answers to the screening form, you may also need to upload Court documentation and sworn statements.

You have up to one year after passing the broker State licensing exam to file your license application with the IREC. After that, you'll need to start the process again.

No, you must work for a licensed managing broker in order to hold an Illinois real estate broker license.

An active license allows you to transact real estate for others and earn a commission for your efforts. An inactive license says that you have met the state's licensing requirements, but you are not currently authorized to earn a commission for assisting with real estate transactions.

Log in to the online services portal to place your license on inactive status. If you leave your license on inactive status for five years or longer, you may need to submit a restoring application and additional documentation.

You receive an active Illinois real estate broker license by completing all the steps required by the IREC. This includes completing pre-license education, passing the state exam, and meeting the general requirements.

To reactivate an inactive broker license, you will need to go to the online services portal. Follow the directions and make sure you indicate a managing broker. Depending on how long you have been on inactive status, you may need to submit a paper application for the reinstatement of your broker license.

A managing broker license enables you to open and manage an independent brokerage. You can hire brokers to work under you.

Use the Online Services Portal to see where your broker license application stands and if you have been approved.

The IDFPR will no longer provide traditional paper licenses. Licensees may get a copy of their license(s) by going to https://www.idfpr.com/getmylicense.

The IDFPR says that more than 95% of applicants in the real estate profession with a prior conviction who accurately completed their application disclosing the conviction obtained a license.

The IDFPR will more closely consider any convictions related to conspiracy to defraud, embezzlement, extortion, forgery, larceny, obtaining money under false pretenses, or a felony involving moral turpitude. It may also consider misdemeanors involving dishonesty or fraud.

You should fully and honestly disclose any prior criminal activity when you make your application for your broker license. There is a screening form I will ask about your criminal history and for any supporting documentation to be uploaded.

Disclose your prior criminal activity to the IREC when you make your broker license application. Make sure you upload any additional information. The IREC may contact you to request additional information or to ask to discuss your prior conviction.

No, getting fingerprinted and having a background check ran is not required to have your Illinois broker license.

You must complete the following steps to earn your IL Broker’s license:
1) Show proof of education, such as completing 75-Hour IL Pre-license Broker Course
2) Pass the IL broker state exam
3) Find a sponsoring managing broker
4) Submit a broker license application with the required paperwork

It can cost as little as $479 to earn your Illinois real estate broker license. These costs are spread out over the entire licensing process and not paid all upfront.

Earn your IL broker license in approx. 3 months.
1) Complete the 75-hour pre-license course online: 2-4 weeks.
2) Schedule and pass the IL state exam: 1-3 weeks.
3) Find a sponsoring broker: 4-12 weeks.
4) Apply for your license. Track your application progress online.

During the pre-license course, you will take a final exam. You must pass this test with a minimum score of 75% to successfully complete the course. You also take a state licensing exam that has a national and state section. It is essential to pass this test to receive your broker license.

Actually, you are required to apply for your Illinois broker license online. Visit the online services portal to start your broker application.

You must be at least 18 years of age before you can apply for an Illinois real estate license.

Yes, you do need to have a high school diploma or a general education development diploma before you can earn your Illinois broker license.

You can get an Illinois broker license if you are not a state resident. However, you must have a Social Security number or an individual taxpayer ID number.

You can find the rules regarding real estate in the Illinois General Assembly under Professions, Occupations, and Business Operations (225 ILCS 454) Real Estate License Act of 2000. The administrative code is found under title 16, chapter 8, subchapter B, part 1450.

To renew your Illinois broker license, you will use the online services portal. Real estate broker renewals occur in even-numbered years.

The real estate broker renewal fee is $150 made payable through the online portal to the IREC.

In Illinois, real estate broker licenses renew in even-numbered years, such as 2020, 2022, 2024, and so on. Therefore, your renewal happens every two years.

For your first-time license renewal, you must complete a required 45-hour post-education course prior to the April 30th deadline in your even-numbered year. Depending on when you received your license, such as near the end of the two-year cycle, you may have some additional time. Check with the IREC.

You must still fulfill all of the continuing education requirements as an active licensee. This will be the 45-hour post-licensing course for your initial renewal or the 12 hours continuing education or your continuing renewals.

After your first-time renewal, you'll be required to take 12 hours of continuing education each two-year cycle. There will be a 6-hour core continuing education requirement. The IREC will indicate what classes are part of the core continuing education hours.

The process for renewing an inactive license is the same as an active license. The online license renewal portal opens 90 days before your renewal deadline. You'll receive an email with renewal information and your unique pin number.

Your online license renewal portal will open 90 days before the renewal deadline. License deadlines are April 30th in even-numbered years. You will receive an email before the renewal deadline with renewal information and a unique pin number essential to complete your renewal application.

If you fail to complete your license renewal, you will be unable to practice real estate after the renewal deadline. Practicing real estate without an active license may lead to discipline by the IDFPR.

You must make an application for the reinstatement of your broker license. You'll need to make sure you have a designated managing broker, update your continuing education, and pay any required fees. The fees will be paid to the IDFPR using a check or money order. The fee is $200.

Holding an Illinois broker license enables you to transact real estate on the behalf of clients. You can assist with the purchase, sale, or leasing of residential and Commercial Real Estate. You must work under the supervision of a licensed managing broker.

An Illinois broker license is required anytime you wish to assist with the purchase or sale of real estate and be financially compensated for your work.

Anytime you wish to transfer managing brokers, you need to go to the online services portal. Indicate you are making a change and pay the transfer fee.

Yes, Illinois does have reciprocity with Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.

In order to be approved for a reciprocal broker license, you will need certification from each state of licensure. You also need to contact the IDFPR to receive a reciprocity application. You will only need to take the Illinois State supplemental exam to complete the reciprocity process.

If your state does not have reciprocity with Illinois, you must still apply for licensure on the basis of examination.

You must follow all of the steps of a regular licensee in order to earn your Illinois real estate broker license. If at any point you establish a residence in Illinois, make sure you notify the IDFPR of your new address.

Yes, RealEstateU is a recently approved pre-license course provider. We offer the 75-hour course for $299.

No. The IREC’s testing vendor PSI requires you to register as a student before you finish the pre-license course. It must receive your course completion information from your real estate school in order to finish the exam scheduling process.

You have up to two years after finishing your pre-license education to schedule your Illinois State licensing exam.

The easiest way to schedule your state licensing exam is through online scheduling. Visit http://schedule.psiexams.com and follow the steps to register for your state exam. You can also register by calling 855-340-3893.

The IL broker exam fee is $58 paid directly to PSI.

You will directly pay PSI, the state’s exam provider, using a credit card. PSI accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover cards. You can also mail a check, money order, or cashier’s check. Payment must be received in advance of the exam.

Registering for the exam is easy and can be done within 30 minutes by visiting https://schedule.psiexams.com. Follow the step-by-step instructions to set up your account and find the next exam appointment available near you.

Please visit http://schedule.psiexams.com for a complete listing of available Test Centers. You can also run a zipcode search visiting PSI.

If you are licensed in another state, chances are you will still need to take the Illinois section of the state licensing exam. It all depends on if your state has reciprocity or not.

You can change or cancel your Illinois State licensing exam date by calling PSI at 855-340-3893. You need to do so 48 hours before your exam appointment, or you will forfeit your examination fee. Voice mails and emails do not count as canceling the state licensing exam.

The Illinois Broker Pre-licensure Exam consists of two sections. The National section will ask 100 multiple-choice questions. The State section will ask 40 multiple-choice questions. A passing score is a scaled score of 75 points.

You will be tested on national and state real estate-related content. Topics include property ownership, land use controls, financing, market analysis, principles of agency, and contracts. State-specific questions ask about the licensing, regulatory requirements, statutes on licensees, and disclosures.

You do not need to bring a calculator to your state licensing exam, but you can. If you do opt to bring your own calculator, you must be silent, non-programmable, lacking alphabetic keypads, and have no printing capabilities. It must be a stand-alone calculator.

You will need to bring (2) forms of identification. One must be state or federal government-issued, like a driver’s license or passport. The secondary form can be another primary ID or something which contains your signature, like a credit or debit card.

PSI can accommodate testing modifications in accordance with the ADA. Anyone requesting accommodations must submit the accommodations request form and documentation from a medical authority or specialist about their limitations.

Only wallets and keys are allowed in the testing center. Anything else, stay in your vehicle. You may take breaks, but you won't get any extra make-up time. No food or drink is permitted in the testing center.

Yes, you do not need to be hired by an Illinois managing broker before taking the state licensing exam.

Yes, your Illinois State licensing exam results are good for one year from the date you pass the exam. You must apply for your broker license within this one year.

Now that you have passed your Illinois broker real estate exam your next step should be to find a managing broker to work under. Once you have been hired by an Illinois license broker, you can submit your license application.

You must submit your PSI official score report to the IREC as part of your Illinois broker license application.

You can take your Illinois broker license exam up to four times within one year, starting with the first date you attempt to pass the test. If you cannot pass the Illinois broker license exam after taking it four times, you'll need to retake the pre-license course.

You will receive your score report at the testing center. You will know how you did before you leave.

Yes, you can take the Illinois real estate broker exam up to four times within one year, starting with your first exam attempt. If you cannot pass both sections of the exam within one year, you must retake the pre-license course.

To retake your Illinois state exam, follow the instructions on your score report. It contains reapplication instructions. If you feel just one section, you can just take that section of the exam. You'll need to wait 24 hours before you log on to psi to set the next exam appointment.

Every time you need to retake the Illinois State broker exam, you must pay the $58 fee.

No, you can just retake the one section that you failed. However, you still need to pay the full broker exam fee of $58.