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

What a Arkansas real estate license costs

Application

$50

Exam, both parts

$75

Original license

$50

Recovery fund fee

$25

Required fees, total

$200.00

The Commission’s page for new applicants lists the steps and forms. We couldn’t confirm what the background check costs, so budget for it separately.

Build your Arkansas startup budget

Sources: Arkansas Real Estate Commission: new applicants (requirements); Arkansas real estate rules ($50 application, $50 license, $25 recovery fund); Pearson VUE Arkansas candidate handbook ($75 exam, passing score of 70, 90-day deadline); Arkansas Real Estate Commission: education (post-license course). 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 Arkansas salesperson license

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

The Arkansas Real Estate Commission says you need to be at least 18, finish 60 approved hours (30 of them in basic principles), apply with your background check acknowledgment and pass the two-part Pearson VUE exam. Send your score report and license fees within 90 days after you pass.

Already licensed in another state? Arkansas’s handbook describes a route for people licensed elsewhere whose state has a passing score no lower than Arkansas’s. Read it and ask the Commission before you pay for a course.

The steps, in order

1. Take the 60-hour course. Use a school the Commission approves.

   Compare Arkansas real estate courses and Colibri packages for the 60-hour education, current tuition and exam-support options.

   Complete your 60-hour Arkansas prelicensing course online with Colibri Real Estate. Compare course packages and current prices, including options with extra exam preparation.

   See Arkansas real estate courses

   We may earn a commission if you enroll through this link.

2. Apply to the Commission. Pay the $50 application fee and acknowledge the background check.
3. Pass the Pearson VUE exam. Both parts cost $75. You need a passing score of 70.
4. Send your license fees within 90 days of passing. That is $50 for the license and $25 for the recovery fund, along with your score report.
5. Finish the 18-hour post-license course. The Commission says it is due within six months of your first license.

What Arkansas agents earn

Median pay, Arkansas agents on payroll

$38,180

Middle half earns

$30,640–$86,260

Top 10% earn over

$100,800

Arkansas agents on payroll

1,640

The bottom 10% of Arkansas payroll agents earn under $24,600. The national median is $52,830. Include post-license tuition in the opening budget, because that bill arrives during your first six months. Estimate income using the office's actual split and transaction charges, with personal living costs kept as a separate budget line.

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

Pick a principal broker who will train you through your first six months

The 18-hour post-license course is due within six months of your first license. When comparing offices, ask the principal broker how that education fits with new-agent meetings, supervised appointments and your first transaction.

Agree on who reviews contracts and who covers questions when your usual mentor is unavailable. Ask for the total charge on a transaction you find yourself and one supplied by the office; referral or mentoring fees can make those two arrangements different. Have the broker choice ready when you send the license fees after passing.

Set up your Arkansas agent business

Register the business and organize payments

Organize your business before the first client file becomes a pile of personal receipts. Confirm with the principal broker how your business may be registered and paid, then follow the Arkansas LLC guide. For an LLC setup, ZenBusiness provides a filing route alongside your license and brokerage onboarding.

Arrange errors and omissions (E&O) insurance

Choose a clear E&O arrangement with the office so you know how a covered client claim would be handled. Ask for E&O quotes from Simply Business with your planned services and compare the deductible, coverage limits and named insureds. Keep the policy contact with the broker’s transaction-support contacts.

Keep business records from day one

Reserve time and tuition for the 18-hour course in the first six months. Track license fees, course costs and each brokerage deduction separately; that makes it easier to see the margin on your early transactions.

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

Use your first files as practical training

Ask to observe an experienced agent’s buyer consultation, inspection discussion and closing preparation in the area you plan to serve. Write down the questions clients ask repeatedly and rehearse the answers with your principal broker. Use those questions to shape your first useful local posts and personal follow-ups.

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

Finish your post-license course and renew

New salespeople complete an 18-hour post-license course within six months of their first license.

After that you renew on the Commission’s schedule. We didn’t confirm the current renewal fee and continuing education hours, so read the Commission’s renewal notice before you budget.

Arkansas agent questions