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

What a Illinois real estate license costs

Exam

$58

License application

$150

Required fees, total

$208.00

The state’s published broker application instructions don’t list a routine fingerprint step or fee, so none is in the totals. They do require you to disclose criminal history and send supporting documents where it applies. The state’s fee rule also lists a $75 late fee if you renew after your license expires.

Build your Illinois startup budget

Sources: Illinois Division of Real Estate licensing and education brochure ($150 broker license fee); PSI Illinois real estate candidate information bulletin ($58 exam, 75-hour course, 75% passing score, one-year deadline to apply); Illinois administrative code, Part 1450, fees ($150 application, $200 renewal); Illinois 2026 continuing education fact sheet, broker renewal (12 hours of continuing education, 45-hour postlicense course); Illinois fee rule for real estate licenses (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1450.130) ($150 broker license, $200 renewal, $75 late fee). 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 Illinois broker license

Most people call it a real estate agent license. In Illinois the first license you get is a broker license, and it lets you work under a managing broker. A managing broker license, which lets you run an office, needs more courses and experience.

The state’s exam bulletin says you need to be at least 18, have graduated from high school or earned a GED, and finish 75 class hours at a school the state approves. Your education is good for two years after you finish it, so book your exam in that window.

Already licensed in another state? Illinois has an endorsement route for brokers licensed elsewhere, with its own 30-hour course. Read the exam bulletin’s endorsement section before you decide.

The steps, in order

1. Take the 75-hour course. That is 60 hours of broker topics plus 15 interactive hours of applied real estate principles. Your education is good for two years.
2. Book the exam with PSI and pay $58. Book at PSI’s Illinois page. You need a score of at least 75%. Arrive 30 minutes early and bring valid ID.
3. Apply for your license. Apply through the state’s online licensing system and pay $150. You have one year after you pass the exam to apply and meet every requirement, or your score is lost.
4. Get sponsored by a managing broker. Ask each office what you must submit and when, and line up your broker before you apply.
5. Finish your postlicense course. A broker first licensed on or after November 1, 2025 has a license that expires April 30, 2028, and has to finish 45 hours of postlicense education by then.

What Illinois agents earn

Median pay, Illinois agents on payroll

$59,220

Middle half earns

$38,060–$61,790

Top 10% earn over

$79,750

Illinois agents on payroll

6,030

The bottom 10% of Illinois payroll agents earn under $35,830. The national median is $52,830. Set aside a first-term education budget as well as your initial application and exam costs. When comparing offices, work through the take-home amount on a sample transaction after the split, mentoring charges and other fees.

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

Join a managing broker with a clear first-term training plan

The entry license is called a broker license in Illinois, but a new licensee still needs sponsorship by a managing broker. During the 75-hour course, ask offices to demonstrate how they teach a buyer meeting, contract preparation and the first closing.

For the licensing cohort described above, the first term runs to April 30, 2028 and includes 45 hours of postlicense education. Ask how the office will help you fit that coursework around appointments. Put the commission split, recurring fees and any paid mentoring into one written comparison before selecting the sponsor.

Set up your Illinois agent business

Register the business and organize payments

Agree on how your sales business will be organized and paid before registering an entity. Your managing broker should confirm the structure permitted for your work. Review the Illinois LLC guide for the LLC filing requirements, then use ZenBusiness if you want the registration handled for you.

Arrange errors and omissions (E&O) insurance

Arrange E&O alongside the managing-broker agreement. Obtain E&O quotes from Simply Business for your planned services and compare it with any office policy, checking the insured parties, claim limits and deductible. This gives you a defined response to a covered professional-error claim as you begin handling client files.

Keep business records from day one

Track the 45-hour postlicense program as its own first-term commitment. Keep tuition, licensing and marketing spending separate from the broker’s deductions so you can measure what the business retains from each closing.

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

Use applied coursework to prepare for real appointments

Take an exercise from the interactive portion of your course and ask the managing broker how it would work in an actual local file. Practice the client explanation, not just completing the form. Build your first outreach around a neighborhood and property type the office can help you serve confidently.

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 45-hour postlicense course and plan your renewals

Illinois broker licenses expire on April 30 of even-numbered years. The state’s 2026 fact sheet says a broker first licensed on or after November 1, 2025 has a license that expires April 30, 2028, and has to finish 45 hours of postlicense education by then. That course includes 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention training. The state’s fee rule says a person licensed in the first renewal period doesn’t pay the first renewal fee.

Later renewals cost $200 and need 12 hours of continuing education: a 6-hour core course and 6 hours of electives, including sexual harassment prevention training. Check the state’s continuing education fact sheet for the current year’s rules. A late renewal within two years adds $75.

Illinois agent questions