How to become a real estate agent in Idaho

This page is independent of any school or brokerage. Requirements change (dopl.idaho.gov and legislature.idaho.gov refuse automated readers, so their pages come from Internet Archive captures dated in the sources; DOPL announced a fee holiday for the Commission from January 1, 2026, so the licence fee is not stated here, and Pearson VUE's handbook is its July 2024 edition), so each section names the official page it was read from and the date. If a figure below disagrees with the Commission's page today, the board is right and this page is stale: the date tells you how stale.

1Idaho real estate licence requirements

• Age and education: eighteen years of age or older, with proof of graduation from an accredited high school, its equivalent, or a GED certificate.
• Course: 90 hours of pre-licence education: Salesperson Prelicense Module 1 (45 hours, fundamentals) and Module 2 (45 hours, listing, selling, buying and closing), each passed with a 70% course exam and full attendance, completed within the three years before the application.
• Exam: a pass on both portions of the Pearson VUE salesperson exam, each with a passing scaled score of 70.
• Background: fingerprints submitted for a criminal history check, booked with Pearson VUE; results are valid for six months, and the statute bars applicants whose professional licence was surrendered or refused for fraud or dishonesty in the past five years.
• Insurance: satisfactory proof of the mandatory errors and omissions insurance under Idaho Code 54-2013.
• Term: a first licence of one year plus the months to your next birthday, at most two years, expiring on your birthday.

Source: Idaho Code 54-2012, Minimum requirements for an individual primary Idaho license (Idaho Legislature; Internet Archive capture of March 6, 2026), read September 9, 2026; DOPL Real Estate Commission, Education: Applicants (Internet Archive capture of May 15, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Pearson VUE, Idaho Real Estate Candidate Handbook, July 2024 (#091300), read September 9, 2026; Idaho Code 54-2018, License renewals (Internet Archive capture of January 10, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

2Steps to get your Idaho real estate licence, in order

1. Complete Modules 1 and 2, 90 hours

   Live, by Zoom or self-paced online, with 100% attendance and a 70% pass on each course exam; both must be within three years of the application.

2. Reserve the exam and a fingerprint appointment with Pearson VUE

   The exam fee is $83; fingerprint reservations are made through Pearson VUE, and the Commission asks candidates not to send fingerprint cards or fees to it.

3. Pass both portions

   The general portion is 150 minutes and the state portion 90 minutes, four hours in all; a scaled 70 passes each, a failed portion is retaken alone within one year of the passed one, and each retake costs the same as the first sitting.

4. Check fingerprint approval and apply to the Commission

   Approval shows in the Commission's online services with no notice sent; then submit the application forms and fees, with proof of errors and omissions insurance, under the Commission's fee schedule as affected by the 2026 fee holiday.

Source: DOPL Real Estate Commission, Education: Applicants (Internet Archive capture of May 15, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Pearson VUE, Idaho Real Estate Candidate Handbook, July 2024 (#091300), read September 9, 2026.

3How much a Idaho real estate licence costs

Pearson VUE's handbook gives the exam fee; the fingerprint fee is paid to Pearson VUE, the licence fee is subject to DOPL's 2026 fee holiday and was not read, and tuition is set by the schools.

Source: Pearson VUE, Idaho Real Estate Candidate Handbook, July 2024 (#091300), read September 9, 2026; DOPL Real Estate Commission home page, fee holiday notice (Internet Archive capture of August 14, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

4How long it takes to become a real estate agent in Idaho

The fixed parts are 90 course hours, one Pearson VUE sitting of four hours with fingerprints taken by appointment, fingerprint approval visible online, and the application; the Commission publishes no typical processing time on the pages read for this guide. Those parts come from the statute, the Commission's pages and the exam vendor's handbook, not a school's marketing:

• Modules: 45 plus 45 hours, live, remote or self-paced, within three years of applying.
• Exam and fingerprints: 150 minutes general and 90 minutes state at a Pearson VUE centre, with a fingerprint appointment.
• Application: after fingerprint approval, with insurance proof; no processing time is published.
• First term: one year plus the months to your next birthday, at most two years.

Source: DOPL Real Estate Commission, Education: Applicants (Internet Archive capture of May 15, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Pearson VUE, Idaho Real Estate Candidate Handbook, July 2024 (#091300), read September 9, 2026; Idaho Code 54-2018, License renewals (Internet Archive capture of January 10, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

5The Idaho real estate exam

The salesperson exam is a general portion and an Idaho state portion in 4 hours, general portion (150 minutes) and Idaho state portion (90 minutes), four hours in all, at a Pearson VUE test centre. You need a scaled score of 70 on each portion; numeric scores are reported only to failing candidates to pass. A passed portion stays valid for one year while the other is retaken. Retakes: a failed portion is retaken alone within one year of the passed portion, at the full $83 fee each time.

Pass rate

Neither the Commission nor Pearson VUE publishes a pass rate for the Idaho salesperson exam on the pages or handbook read for this guide, so none is shown here.

Source: Pearson VUE, Idaho Real Estate Candidate Handbook, July 2024 (#091300), read September 9, 2026.

6Reciprocity: already licensed in another state?

Not read. The statute lets the Commission waive or modify qualifications for good cause and refers to section 54-2015 for licensees of other jurisdictions, and the Commission's home page offers exam waiver requests; the terms themselves were not on the pages readable for this guide, so no reciprocity claim is made here.

Source: Idaho Code 54-2012, Minimum requirements for an individual primary Idaho license (Idaho Legislature; Internet Archive capture of March 6, 2026), read September 9, 2026; DOPL Real Estate Commission home page, fee holiday notice (Internet Archive capture of August 14, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

7Renewal and continuing education

The licence runs two years, expiring on your birthday, after a first licence of one to two years. To renew you complete 12 clock hours of approved continuing education within the licence period.

First renewal: two different Idaho Commission Core courses plus 12 hours of post-licence education: Post License Fundamentals (8 hours) and one 4-hour course on pricing and marketing, professionalism and closing, or commercial real estate.

Later renewals: two different Idaho Commission Core courses not previously taken plus 12 elective hours per term to renew active; an inactive renewal needs no education until the licence is activated, and the renewal fee is subject to the 2026 fee holiday.

Source: DOPL Real Estate Commission, Education: Licensees, CE requirements (Internet Archive capture of April 16, 2026), read September 9, 2026; DOPL Real Estate Commission home page, fee holiday notice (Internet Archive capture of August 14, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

8How much real estate agents make in Idaho

The only independent, dated wage figure for agents is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' occupational survey. For Idaho, release May 2025:

BLS counts agents paid as employees and reports wages, not the commissions of self-employed agents, so these are a floor for the occupation rather than what a typical commissioned agent takes home.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Real Estate Sales Agents (41-9022), Idaho, read September 8, 2026.

9After the licence: choosing a brokerage in Idaho

A new salesperson licence is only usable under a broker, so the next decision is which brokerage. On September 5, 2026, 2,275 Idaho agents had a published brokerage profile; the largest single company was Keller Williams with 507 of them, and the largest brand was Keller Williams with 507. Realty Census, which counts those profiles, also compares the brokerages a new Idaho agent can join, including which ones publish their commission split: see which Idaho brokerages publish their pay plan.

Source: Realty Census, Idaho count and brokerage ranking, September 5, 2026 (realtycensus.com/idaho/), read September 9, 2026.

10Pre-licence schools in Idaho

The Commission certifies the pre-licence and continuing education courses and providers, with an Education Council advising it; Modules 1 and 2 and the Core courses must come from certified providers. The list is at the Commission's education page for applicants.

This page carries no affiliate links. If a schools page for Idaho is added with affiliate links, it will say so at the top, and schools will be ordered by what the state publishes or alphabetically, never by commission.

Source: DOPL Real Estate Commission, Education: Applicants (Internet Archive capture of May 15, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

Questions people ask about becoming an agent in Idaho

How long does it take to become a real estate agent in Idaho?

The fixed parts are 90 course hours, one Pearson VUE sitting of four hours with fingerprints taken by appointment, fingerprint approval visible online, and the application; the Commission publishes no typical processing time on the pages read for this guide. The two modules are 90 hours at the school's pace; the exam is one four-hour sitting with fingerprints by appointment; approval shows online; and the application follows. The Commission publishes no typical processing time, and the first licence expires on your birthday one to two years later.

How much does it cost to get a real estate licence in Idaho?

$83 to the state and its vendors ($83 exam), plus tuition for the pre-licence course, the fingerprint fee, the errors and omissions premium, the Commission's licence fee under its fee holiday, and tuition for the 90 hours, which the schools set.

What is the pass rate for the Idaho real estate exam?

Neither the Commission nor Pearson VUE publishes a pass rate for the Idaho salesperson exam on the pages or handbook read for this guide, so none is shown here.

How much do real estate agents make in Idaho?

The BLS May 2025 median for real estate sales agents in Idaho is $39,820 a year, with the middle half earning between $30,280 and $54,690. BLS counts agents paid as employees and reports wages, not the commissions of self-employed agents, so these are a floor for the occupation rather than what a typical commissioned agent takes home.

Does Idaho have real estate licence reciprocity?

This guide does not say. The Commission handles exam and education waiver requests for out-of-state licensees, but the terms were not on the pages readable when this guide was built.

Sources and dates