New Jersey · NJ
New Jersey Real Estate License Checklist (2026)
Every step, fee, and deadline on one page — designed to print cleanly to PDF and check off as you go.
Before you start
- You are at least 18 years old
- You hold a high school diploma or GED
- You can pass a criminal background check / fingerprinting
Education
75 hours at a licensed New Jersey real estate school. You must also have a high school diploma or equivalent — one of the few states with an explicit education prerequisite. Two deadlines matter: you have 1 year from course completion to pass the exam, and 1 year from passing the exam to submit your license application (via your broker).
- Confirm eligibility: 18 or older with a high school diploma or equivalency
- Complete the 75-hour salesperson pre-licensure course at a school licensed by the NJ Real Estate Commission
- Pass the school's final exam; the school electronically submits your exam eligibility to PSI
- Schedule and pass the PSI state licensing exam within 1 year of completing the course
Application & exam
- Pass the PSI exam and get your score report signed and dated by your employing broker
- Complete the fingerprint-based criminal background check through IdentoGO (about $66; use the NJ Universal Fingerprint Form with the real estate applicant codes)
- Join a brokerage — in New Jersey your license can ONLY be issued through a sponsoring broker; there is no unsponsored or inactive initial issuance
- Your broker submits the complete license application and $160 fee through the NJREC Online Licensing Services portal — partial submissions are rejected, everything goes in together
- Submit within 1 year of passing the exam or your exam result expires and you start over
- License issues to you at your broker's office; the initial license runs to the end of the current 2-year cycle (June 30 of odd-numbered years)
Budget
| Item | Estimate | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-licensing education (75 hours) | $300 – $700 | |
| PSI exam fee | $45 per attempt | |
| Fingerprinting (IdentoGO) | ~$66 | |
| License fee (2-year license, submitted by broker) | $160 | |
| Estimated total | $575 – $975 |
Key deadlines
- Two deadlines matter: you have 1 year from course completion to pass the exam, and 1 year from passing the exam to submit your license application (via your broker).
- 2-year cycle — all NJ licenses expire June 30 of odd-numbered years regardless of when issued.
- Requires 12 hours of continuing education per cycle, at least 6 of which must be in core topics (including ethics and fair housing), with CE due by April 30 before the June 30 renewal to avoid late fees.
- No post-licensing course requirement.
- Schedule and pass the PSI state licensing exam within 1 year of completing the course
- Submit within 1 year of passing the exam or your exam result expires and you start over
- License issues to you at your broker's office; the initial license runs to the end of the current 2-year cycle (June 30 of odd-numbered years)
- After passing the PSI exam, the fingerprinting through IdentoGO usually clears in days, but remember your broker has to package and submit your entire application; how fast you're licensed partly depends on how quickly your brokerage moves the paperwork.