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

What a Delaware real estate license costs

Exam, per attempt

$88

Application

$149

Guaranty fund fee

$25

Required fees, total

$262.00

The Division doesn’t post a renewal fee. It tells you the amount when you renew. The salesperson application requirements don’t list a routine fingerprint step or fee, so none is in the totals.

Build your Delaware startup budget

Sources: Delaware Division of Professional Regulation: salesperson licensure (99 hours, new-licensee modules); Delaware Division of Professional Regulation: fee schedule ($149 and $25); Delaware continuing education and audit information (21 hours, first renewal chart); Pearson VUE Delaware candidate handbook ($88 exam). 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 Delaware salesperson license

Most people call it a real estate agent license. In Delaware it is a salesperson license, and it lets you work under a broker of record. Opening your own brokerage is a separate broker license.

The Delaware Real Estate Commission says you finish the 99-hour salesperson course, pass the general and Delaware law exams, and apply online with a Statement of Broker of Record form from your employing broker. If the office is in Delaware, it needs an active office permit.

Already licensed in another state? Delaware accepts applications by reciprocity if you hold an active salesperson license elsewhere. You still pass the Delaware law exam and submit proof of education or three years of licensure, so read the Division’s page.

The steps, in order

1. Take the 99-hour course.
2. Pass the Pearson VUE exams. You need a passing score on the general part and on the Delaware law part. The fee is $88 per attempt.
3. Apply online in DELPROS. Pay $149 plus the $25 guaranty fund fee. You have six months to finish an application once you start it.
4. Get a broker of record to sign. Your employing broker signs the Statement of Broker of Record form.
5. Finish the new-agent modules within 90 days. That is four 3-hour courses.

What Delaware agents earn

Median pay, Delaware agents on payroll

$47,180

Middle half earns

$36,950–$58,240

Top 10% earn over

$103,140

Delaware agents on payroll

900

The bottom 10% of Delaware payroll agents earn under $34,220. The national median is $52,830. Budget the new-agent modules as part of entry, even though they occur after licensing. To assess an office's economics, compare your share of a sample completed transaction with its recurring fees and the support you receive.

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

Arrange the broker signature and your first 90 days

Your employing broker signs the Statement of Broker of Record, so choose the office before treating the DELPROS application as finished. Ask who will guide your first buyer or seller appointment and review documents before you send them.

Reserve time for all four new-agent modules in the first 90 days. A useful onboarding schedule combines those classes with supervised client work. Have the office spell out its split, transaction charges and training fees, then agree how you will receive and follow up on any office-supplied leads.

Set up your Delaware agent business

Register the business and organize payments

Put your business registration and financial records on the same setup checklist as DELPROS. Confirm the allowable entity and commission-payee details with the broker of record. The Delaware LLC guide explains the LLC registration route, and ZenBusiness can prepare the filing once you have selected it.

Arrange errors and omissions (E&O) insurance

Ask about professional liability coverage before your first supervised transaction. Use E&O quotes from Simply Business to compare E&O terms for your services with the office’s insurance arrangement. Check the deductible and claim-reporting contact, then save the coverage documents beside your brokerage agreement.

Keep business records from day one

Track tuition for the four modules separately from the initial 99-hour course. Add their dates to your appointment calendar early so the first 90 days include both building a client base and completing the required training.

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

Start with a repeatable showing and follow-up routine

Pick a small group of communities you can serve well and tour properties with the broker’s guidance. For each one, practice explaining price, ongoing ownership costs and the information still needed from the seller. After a supervised appointment, send a useful recap and a specific next step instead of a generic sales message.

Resources for preparing client conversations

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

Finish your new-agent modules and renew every two years

Delaware salesperson licenses renew every two years, and the Division tells you the fee at renewal. Late renewals add 50% of the fee.

A full two-year cycle needs 21 hours of continuing education. Your first renewal needs fewer hours (from 0 to 21) depending on when your license was issued, plus your four new-agent modules.

Delaware agent questions