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

What a Maryland real estate license costs

Exam

$44

Original license, including a $20 guaranty fund payment

$98

Required fees, total

$142.00

The Commission’s own fee page lists the license and renewal fees. The exam fee is paid to PSI, and the fingerprint check is billed by whichever provider you use.

Build your Maryland startup budget

Sources: Maryland OneStop: salesperson license (60 hours, 15 hours of continuing education); Maryland Real Estate Commission: forms and fees ($98 original license, $78 renewal); Maryland Real Estate Commission: taking the exam ($44 exam, 70% passing grade); Maryland Real Estate Commission: education questions (reciprocity with Pennsylvania and Oklahoma, 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 Maryland salesperson license

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

The Maryland Real Estate Commission says you need to be at least 18, finish a 60-hour approved course, pass the exam, complete a fingerprint criminal history check and be affiliated with a broker.

Already licensed in another state? Maryland has reciprocal agreements with Pennsylvania and Oklahoma only. Agents licensed in other states can start by sending a certified license history, and the Commission reviews each case.

The steps, in order

1. Take the 60-hour course. Use a school the Commission approves.
2. Pass the PSI exam. It costs $44 and you need 70% on both the national and Maryland parts.
3. Get fingerprinted. Maryland needs a state and national criminal history check.
4. Apply to the Commission and pay $98. The fee covers your original license and a guaranty fund payment.
5. Join a sponsoring broker. Your license is activated once a broker affiliates with you.

What Maryland agents earn

Median pay, Maryland agents on payroll

$52,630

Middle half earns

$43,070–$77,990

Maryland agents on payroll

2,940

The bottom 10% of Maryland payroll agents earn under $37,370. The national median is $52,830. Compare brokerage options on the costs of becoming active and staying active. Your share of a commission after office deductions is the useful starting point for a business budget; payroll pay alone does not tell you that amount.

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

Choose a sponsoring broker before activating your business

During the 60-hour course, meet offices in the market you intend to serve. Ask each sponsoring broker to explain the support for your first consultation, offer and inspection negotiation. Find out whether that help is included in the split or charged through a mentor or transaction fee.

Coordinate the affiliation with your application and background-check work. Once the broker activates the license, confirm your status and agree on the first supervised assignments. Put the 15-hour continuing-education cycle into the calendar at the same time as the office’s onboarding schedule.

Set up your Maryland agent business

Register the business and organize payments

Settle the legal structure and commission-payee details with your sponsoring broker before registering the business. The Maryland LLC guide lays out the Maryland LLC route; ZenBusiness can handle the filing if you select that structure. Then organize banking and receipts around the approved business name.

Arrange errors and omissions (E&O) insurance

Make E&O part of choosing the office, so the insurance cost is included in your business comparison. Obtain E&O quotes from Simply Business and review the professional services covered, deductible and insured parties against the brokerage’s arrangement. Keep the policy and claim contact with your transaction procedures.

Keep business records from day one

Track license and background-check payments separately from prospecting costs. Keep continuing-education certificates for the current term and plan the required hours before renewal; unused extra hours do not carry into the next term under the rules above.

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

Keep your first service area practical

Choose an area where you can make appointments reliably and where the office can give you close supervision. Review local listings with the broker and practice a buyer-cost discussion using actual property details. Build the first client conversations around that knowledge, then expand your coverage as experience and support allow.

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 keep your continuing education

Maryland salesperson licenses renew every two years for $78. You need 15 hours of continuing education before you renew, and extra hours don’t roll over to the next term.

If you hold licenses in more than one state, ask the Commission whether an out-of-state course can count as an elective.

Maryland agent questions