Illinois FAQs for Continuing Education

How many hours of continuing education hours do I have to take?

To renew your license, you must complete 12 credit hours of continuing education every two years.

When does my continuing education need to be completed?

Salespersons: April 30th of odd number years
Brokers: April 30 of even number years

Are there any courses that are required?

Yes. You must take CORE A License Law & Escrow and CORE B Agency/Fair Housing. Each course is 3 hours for a total of 6 hours. The remaining 6 hours are electives.

What is required to complete the course?

To complete a continuing education course, you must score 70% or more on a proctored final exam. The proctor can be selected by you and is a disinterested 3rd party that is not related to you by blood, marriage, or any other relationship, which would negatively influence them from properly administering tests. In addition, the proctor can NOT be another Illinois Real Estate licensee.

What if I don’t pass the final examination?

If you don’t pass the final examination on your first attempt, you can retake the exam one more time.

I got my license last year; do I need continuing Education?

Salesperson licensees who have held their license for less than 1 year prior to the expiration date are exempt from continuing education on their first renewal.
Salesperson licensees who are renewing their license for the first time and have had their license for more than 12 months must complete 6 hours of core/mandatory continuing education prior to renewal.
Broker licensees who did not hold a sales license prior to obtaining their broker license follow the same rules for salespeople as stated above.