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

What a Tennessee real estate license costs

Exam

$63

License application

$91

Required fees, total

$154.00

The Commission sets no price for fingerprints, courses or E&O insurance, so budget for them separately.

Build your Tennessee startup budget

Sources: Tennessee Real Estate Commission: affiliate broker licensure (requirements, $91 application, fingerprints, E&O); Tennessee Real Estate Commission: fees ($91 application, $75 renewal); Tennessee Real Estate Commission: PSI and exam information ($63 exam, $37 national, $26 state); Tennessee Real Estate Commission: candidate information bulletin (exam rules); Tennessee Department of Commerce: continuing education questions (16 hours of continuing education). 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 Tennessee affiliate broker license

Most people call it a real estate agent license. In Tennessee the entry-level license is called an affiliate broker license, and it lets you work under a principal broker. Opening your own firm is a separate broker license that needs experience first.

The Tennessee Real Estate Commission says you need 60 hours of principles courses before the exam and the 30-hour Course for New Affiliates before your license is issued. With your application you send proof of E&O insurance, proof of high school graduation, your fingerprint receipt and the Commission’s eligibility verification form.

Already licensed in another state? We couldn’t confirm a list of states whose agents can skip any part of the Tennessee exam. Ask the Commission before you pay for courses.

The steps, in order

1. Take the 60-hour principles course. You can’t register for the exam until your school has sent PSI proof that you finished it.
2. Pass the PSI exam. PSI emails you how to pay and schedule. The full exam costs $63. If you pass one part and fail the other, you retake only the part you failed. A passing part is valid for six months or two retakes.
3. Take the 30-hour Course for New Affiliates. You need the certificate for your application.
4. Get electronically fingerprinted. Use IdentoGO with the agency code the Commission lists on its page, and keep the receipt.
5. Get E&O insurance and a principal broker. Your principal broker signs your application.
6. Apply online and pay $91. Use the state’s CORE site within one year of passing your first exam.

What Tennessee agents earn

Median pay, Tennessee agents on payroll

$46,250

Middle half earns

$36,210–$77,400

Top 10% earn over

$92,010

Tennessee agents on payroll

2,360

The bottom 10% of Tennessee payroll agents earn under $32,160. The national median is $52,830. Build continuous insurance and both education components into the budget. Use the principal broker's actual compensation agreement to work out net commission income, with ongoing office and client-development expenses shown separately.

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

Have the principal broker and E&O ready for the CORE application

The 60-hour principles course leads to the exam, while the 30-hour Course for New Affiliates is needed for the license application. Use that second stage to finalize your principal broker and insurance arrangement.

Ask the broker how a new affiliate practices the first consultation and gets an offer reviewed. The principal broker signs the application, so establish the paperwork handoff and compare the written split with office, mentor and referral charges. Put the complete packet together within the one-year application window.

Set up your Tennessee agent business

Register the business and organize payments

Set up your business administration while completing the new-affiliate course. Agree on the eligible entity and commission-payee details with your principal broker. The Tennessee LLC guide explains the LLC registration route; ZenBusiness can take on the filing once you have chosen that structure.

Arrange errors and omissions (E&O) insurance

Tennessee’s licensing route includes E&O, and active coverage needs to continue without a gap. Request E&O quotes from Simply Business, then confirm that the proposed policy meets the Commission’s requirements and your brokerage arrangement. Record its effective and renewal dates alongside your license so coverage stays part of normal business administration.

Keep business records from day one

Keep the principles-course certificate and new-affiliate certificate as separate records. Add insurance renewal, the two-year license renewal and continuing education to a single business calendar, with receipts organized by expense type.

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

Give your first contacts a useful reason to speak with you

Choose an area your principal broker knows well and prepare a buyer-cost discussion using actual listings. Ask the broker to check your explanation of the process and documents. Offer a specific consultation or supervised viewing, then record what the person needs next instead of sending a general sales pitch.

Resources for preparing client conversations

• what homeowners insurance costs by state
• the cost of renting versus owning
• state comparison of agent and brokerage businesses
• mortgage lock-in study
• Plan your first client conversations and follow-up

Renew every two years and keep your E&O coverage

Tennessee licenses renew every two years for $75. You need 16 hours of continuing education: 6 hours of the Commission’s required course and 10 hours of electives, finished by your license expiration date.

Active licensees must keep E&O insurance without a gap. A lapse carries a penalty of at least $200.

Tennessee agent questions