How to Get a Real Estate License in Missouri (2026): Cost & Steps

By StartBusinessByState · Fees and requirements checked October 10, 2026

MISSOURI REAL ESTATE LICENSE

To get a Missouri real estate license you take a 48-hour course, pass the state and national exams, take a 24-hour practice course, get fingerprinted and apply with a sponsoring broker. The fees come to about $192.50: $40.50 for fingerprints, $52 for the exam and $100 for the application. The courses cost extra. Here are the steps in order, with every fee.

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What a Missouri real estate license costs

Fingerprints: $40.50
Exam: $52
License application: $100
Required fees, total: $192.50

Fee	Amount	Who you pay and when
48-hour pre-exam course	Set by the school	From a school the Real Estate Commission accredits. Compare schools on total price, retake policy and how long you get access.
Fingerprints	$40.50	IDEMIA. Of that, IDEMIA keeps $8.50, the state highway patrol gets $20 and the FBI gets $12. The Commission gets none of it. You get fingerprinted before you apply.
Exam, both parts	$52	PSI. The national part alone and the state part alone are also $52 each.
24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice course	Set by the school	Required before you submit your application.
License application	$100	Missouri Real Estate Commission, sent with your application. It is not refundable.
Renewal, every two years	$65	Missouri Real Estate Commission. You also need 12 hours of continuing education. A late renewal adds $50 for each month or part of a month, up to $200.
Brokerage, Realtor association and MLS	Set by each office and association	Get every joining and monthly fee in writing before you sign.

The state’s eligibility requirements list other ways to qualify, such as for lawyers and for people already licensed in another state.

Build your Missouri startup budget

Sources: Missouri Real Estate Commission: how to get a license (fingerprints, $40.50, six-month deadline); Missouri Real Estate Commission examination fees ($52 exam); Missouri Real Estate Commission examination and licensure eligibility requirements (18 and older, 48-hour course, 24-hour practice course); Missouri Real Estate Commission application for license ($100 salesperson fee, sponsoring broker section); Missouri Real Estate Commission renewal information ($65 salesperson renewal, late fee); Missouri Real Estate Commission continuing education (12 hours, 3 hours of core); PSI Missouri real estate candidate handbook ($52 exam, question counts, passing scores). Fees and rules checked October 10, 2026. Exam and background-check prices can change, so confirm the total when you book.

Who can get a Missouri salesperson license

Most people call it a real estate agent license. In Missouri it is a salesperson license, and it lets you work under a sponsoring broker. Opening your own brokerage is a separate broker license that needs experience first.

The Missouri Real Estate Commission says you need to be at least 18, be fingerprinted, finish a 48-hour pre-exam course, pass the exams and finish the 24-hour practice course before you submit your application. Every new applicant is fingerprinted for a state and FBI background check.

Already licensed in another state? Missouri has a route for you with a license history from the other state, so read the Commission’s eligibility requirements before you pay for a course.

The steps, in order

Take the 48-hour pre-exam course. Use a school the Commission accredits. You have six months from the day you finish it to submit your application.
Compare Missouri real estate courses and Colibri packages for the 72-hour education, current tuition and exam-support options.

Colibri Real Estate offers Missouri’s 72 hours of prelicensing education online. Compare packages for the 48-hour pre-exam course and 24-hour practice course, plus exam-prep options.
See Missouri real estate courses
We may earn a commission if you enroll through this link.
Pass the national and state exams with PSI. The exam costs $52 for both parts together. Bring photo ID and arrive early. The national part has 100 questions in 150 minutes and you need 70%. The Missouri part has 40 questions in 120 minutes and you need 75%.
Take the 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice course. You have to finish it before you submit your application. Take it after the 48-hour course.
Get fingerprinted. Contact IDEMIA to book before you apply. The fee is $40.50. Bring a driver’s license, military ID or passport.
Get a sponsoring broker to sign. Your sponsoring broker completes and signs a section of your application.
Submit your application with $100. Send it to the Commission within six months of finishing your 48-hour course. The state issues your license under your broker.

Track your deadlines

Submit your complete application within six months of finishing your 48-hour course. Missouri salesperson licenses expire September 30 of every even-numbered year, so ask the Commission when your first renewal is due.

What Missouri agents earn

Median pay, Missouri agents on payroll: $43,960
Middle half earns: $37,180–$63,600
Top 10% earn over: $104,770
Missouri agents on payroll: 1,590

The bottom 10% of Missouri payroll agents earn under $30,160. The national median is $52,830. Budget both course components and the office's startup charges before committing to a start date. To compare earning arrangements, ask for a commission breakdown on a self-generated transaction and one referred by the brokerage.

Source: U.S. Labor Department pay survey, May 2025, Missouri real estate sales agents. Covers agents on a payroll only. Checked October 10, 2026.

Select a sponsoring broker before the six-month course clock runs out

Missouri’s application deadline runs from completion of the 48-hour course, not simply from the exam date. Use the pre-exam and 24-hour Practice courses to meet brokers and settle the sponsorship decision early.

The sponsoring broker signs part of the application. Ask the office to walk you through a transaction review and show how a new salesperson gets help with a time-sensitive offer. Put the full commission agreement and recurring fees in writing before assembling the final application packet.

Set up your Missouri agent business

Register the business and organize payments

Plan your business registration while completing the Practice course and application. Confirm with the sponsoring broker which entity can be used and how commissions will be paid. Review the Missouri LLC guide; ZenBusiness can prepare the LLC filing after you have agreed on the business structure.

Arrange errors and omissions (E&O) insurance

Make E&O one of the costs you compare between sponsoring offices. Request E&O quotes from Simply Business for real estate services, then review the coverage and deductible alongside the broker’s plan. Have the claim-reporting route clear before your first contract goes out to a client.

Keep business records from day one

Keep the finish date of the 48-hour course visible beside the Practice-course certificate and fingerprint receipt. Maintain a separate business ledger for those startup payments and the expenses deducted from your later commissions.

See Missouri business registration and tax requirements for the wider registration and tax checklist.

Turn the Practice course into a supervised appointment

Take a sample buyer or seller situation from the course to your sponsoring broker and work through it using a property in your intended area. Practice explaining the documents and next decisions without reading a script. Use the exercise to prepare for an open house or consultation where an experienced agent can support you.

Resources for preparing client conversations

Renew every two years and keep up your continuing education

Missouri salesperson licenses expire on September 30 of every even-numbered year. Renewal costs $65. A late renewal adds a $50 fee for each month or part of a month, up to $200.

The Commission requires 12 hours of continuing education during each two-year license period, and at least 3 hours have to be in a core course. See the Commission’s continuing education page for current topics.

Missouri agent questions

How much does it cost to get a Missouri real estate license?

The fees come to about $192.50: $40.50 for fingerprints, $52 for the exam and $100 for the application. The 48-hour and 24-hour courses are extra.

How many questions are on the Missouri exam?

The national part has 100 questions and you get 150 minutes, and you need 70%. The Missouri part has 40 questions and you get 120 minutes, and you need 75%.

How long are the Missouri courses?

A 48-hour pre-exam course and a 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice course.

Do I need fingerprints in Missouri?

Yes. Every new applicant is fingerprinted for a state and FBI background check before applying. The fee is $40.50.

Can I work with clients as soon as I pass?

No. You still need to finish the 24-hour practice course, apply with your sponsoring broker’s signature and be issued a license.

How long does a Missouri license last?

Salesperson licenses expire September 30 of every even-numbered year. Renewal costs $65 and needs 12 hours of continuing education.

I’m licensed in another state. Do I retake the exam?

Maybe not all of it. Missouri has a route for people licensed elsewhere, and it requires a license history from the other state. Read the Commission’s eligibility requirements.

Does this cover opening a brokerage?

No. This guide is for a salesperson working under a sponsoring broker. A broker license needs experience first.

Your first move in Missouri

Choose the 48-hour course and mark its completion date as the start of the six-month application period. Plan the Practice course, fingerprints and sponsoring-broker signature around that date rather than leaving them until after the exam.

State resource: Missouri licensing and education information.