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

What a Connecticut real estate license costs

Application

$80

Exam

$59

License fee, to activate

$590

Required fees, total

$729.00

Connecticut’s $590 license fee comes after you pass the exam, so plan for it. The exam fee is paid to PSI.

Build your Connecticut startup budget

Sources: Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: real estate salesperson, initial and exam ($80 application, $59 exam, $590 license); Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: renewal ($578 renewal, $57 late fee); Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: continuing education (12 hours). 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 Connecticut salesperson license

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

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection says you need to be at least 18, finish the 60-hour Principles and Practices course, apply with your completion certificate, pass the PSI exam and be supervised by a Connecticut broker to activate your license.

Already licensed in another state? The Department has a separate reciprocal application. Read it before you pay for a course.

The steps, in order

1. Take the 60-hour course. Use a Connecticut-approved school.
2. Apply to the Department and pay $80. Send your course certificate with the application.
3. Schedule the PSI exam and pay $59. You do this after the Department approves your application.
4. Find a supervising broker. You need one to activate your license.
5. Pay the $590 license fee. It activates your license under your broker.

What real estate agents earn

National median pay, agents on payroll

$52,830

Middle half earns

$40,040–$82,020

Top 10% earn over

$123,590

Agents on payroll nationwide

193,370

The U.S. Labor Department does not publish a Connecticut pay figure we can trust: the head count is withheld or the numbers don’t add up. So we show national figures instead. Ask a few Connecticut brokers what new agents in your area really make.

The $590 activation fee is a distinct planning milestone. Budget it together with your office's joining costs, then assess potential commission income after the broker's split, recurring charges and your own client-acquisition expenses.

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

Choose your sponsoring broker before paying to activate

Connecticut separates the $80 application, $59 exam and $590 license fee. Use that sequence to plan broker meetings: begin while studying, then settle the sponsorship and onboarding costs before the final activation payment.

Ask the broker to show what your first month in the office would contain. Look for contract review, supervised appointments and a named person for questions. Compare the total first-year office cost with the training included, and get the agreed commission split and any referral charges in writing.

Set up your Connecticut agent business

Register the business and organize payments

Make business setup part of the activation budget rather than an unexplained extra. Establish with your sponsoring broker which business form can receive your commissions, then review the Connecticut LLC guide for the LLC route. ZenBusiness can take care of the state filing when you have chosen that structure.

Arrange errors and omissions (E&O) insurance

Settle E&O at the same time as the sponsorship agreement. Ask for E&O quotes from Simply Business using the services you intend to provide, and compare the premium and deductible with the office’s coverage arrangement. You want to know who handles a professional-error claim before a transaction is underway.

Keep business records from day one

Keep the application, exam and license payments as separate expense entries. Add brokerage charges and the next renewal to the same budget so the cost of getting active is distinct from the cost of keeping the business running.

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

Prepare for a buyer consultation, not just the exam

Choose an area you can visit consistently and ask your sponsoring broker to help you compare a few actual listings there. Practice explaining the buyer’s next three decisions: total monthly cost, the investigation period and the steps to closing. Use real property-specific figures when speaking with clients; statewide averages are only background.

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

Renew every two years and finish your continuing education

Connecticut salesperson licenses renew every two years for $578. A late fee of $57 applies if the Department hasn’t received your renewal by the expiration date. You need a sponsoring broker to renew.

Each two-year cycle needs 12 hours of continuing education, including a three-hour mandatory course on Connecticut license law plus nine elective hours. You can instead pass the Department’s 40-question continuing education exam.

Connecticut agent questions