How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Maryland

Checked against Maryland Real Estate Commission (MREC), Maryland Department of Labor · Verified 2026-10-11

Exam: Required
Training: Required
Term: 2 years
State fee: Original salesperson license: $98, which includes a $20 Guaranty Fund payment (fee schedule effective April 27, 2026). Checks are deposited before the application is processed.
Licensed by: Maryland Real Estate Commission (MREC), Maryland Department of Labor

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Who can apply

Be at least 18 years old.
Be of good character and reputation; a felony or misdemeanor conviction is weighed case by case and does not automatically disqualify you.
Complete the Commission-approved 60-hour basic real estate course, including a 3-hour Maryland real estate ethics course.
Get a commitment from a licensed Maryland real estate broker that you will affiliate with that broker once licensed (or apply on inactive status).

Step by step

Complete the 60-hour salesperson pre-licensing course, including 3 hours of ethics, with an MREC-approved education provider.
Your school sends your eligibility to PSI; watch for PSI's email with instructions to pay the $44 fee and schedule the exam.
Pass both the national and Maryland state portions within 1 year of completing the course.
Wait for the Commission's email (within 5–7 business days of passing) with your registration number and online application steps.
Apply online for the original salesperson license within 1 year of the exam, pay the $98 fee, and affiliate with your supervising broker to be active right away.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: A Commission-approved basic real estate course of 60 clock hours that includes a 3-clock-hour Maryland real estate ethics course, taken with an MREC-approved education provider. College real estate courses may be accepted if the Commission approves them, but they must still include the 3-hour ethics course. You must pass both exam portions within 1 year of finishing the course.

Exam: Given by PSI at centers in Baltimore, College Park, Crofton, Hagerstown and Lanham, plus Brainseed Testing Services, Monday through Friday. Salesperson exam: national portion 80 questions in 90 minutes and Maryland state portion 30 questions in 30 minutes (110 questions, 2 hours in total). You must score at least 70% on each portion (56 of 80 national, 21 of 30 state). Fee: $44, paid to PSI. You retake only a failed portion; a passing score on a portion is valid until the deadline tied to your course completion date. You cannot rebook on the same day you test.

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What it costs in Maryland

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

60-hour pre-licensing course tuition (includes 3-hour ethics)$
PSI exam fee$44
Original salesperson license fee (includes $20 Guaranty Fund)$98

Estimated total in Maryland$142Plus 1 item with no state-set price. Add your quotes above to complete the total.

Cost details from the state

PSI exam fee: $44.
60-hour pre-licensing course tuition: set by each provider; not stated by the Commission.
Certificate of License History, if you hold or held another license: $28 (5-year) or $84 (full history).

Pay in Maryland

Maryland adds a local income tax on top of the state rate, so look up the local rate for your area before you budget.

How long it takes

The Commission says you get an email with your registration number and online application steps within 5 to 7 business days after passing both exam portions.

What other sites get wrong about Maryland

Myth: The Maryland salesperson license application fee is $90.

Fact: Under the MREC fee schedule effective April 27, 2026, the original salesperson license costs $98, including a $20 Guaranty Fund payment. source

After you're licensed

Renewal: Licenses renew for 2-year terms; the salesperson renewal fee is $78. You need 15 hours of approved CE, completed during the license term and at least 30 days before you submit the renewal. If you were licensed on or after October 1, 2023, your first renewal requires these mandatory topics: Contracts (3 hours), Principles of Brokerage Relationships and Disclosure (3), Principles of Real Estate Practice (3), Property Management and Landlord and Tenant Laws (3), Professionalism (1.5) and Real Estate Financing (1.5). Later renewals require Legal and Legislative Update (3), Fair Housing (2), Maryland Ethics (3), Brokerage Relationships and Disclosure (3) and 4 elective hours. Maryland does not recognize post-licensing education. A license can be expired or inactive for no more than 3 years before you must retest.

Good to know in Maryland

Supervising broker: To be active right away, you must affiliate with a broker immediately; the broker's firm name appears on your license. If you apply and place the license on inactive status, you have 3 years to affiliate with a broker.

Reciprocity: Maryland offers reciprocal licenses only to licensees originally licensed in Pennsylvania or Oklahoma. Licensees from other states may qualify through out-of-state license recognition.

Residential vs. commercial: A residential license lets you handle both residential and commercial transactions; a commercial license is limited to commercial transactions.

Late and reinstatement fees: MREC charges a $75 CE late fee and a $168 license reinstatement fee (fee schedule effective April 27, 2026).

Commercial-only licensees: CE topics differ for commercial-only salespersons: the first renewal uses Principles of Brokerage Relationships and Disclosure/Commercial Agency, and later renewals take Federal ADA (2 hours) instead of Fair Housing, plus the Commercial Agency version of the brokerage relationships course.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Fees and rules change — confirm with Maryland Real Estate Commission (MREC), Maryland Department of Labor before you apply.