How to Get a Texas Real Estate Broker License: What TREC Requires

The short answer

A broker license is the next step up from a sales agent license. This guide covers the individual broker license only. It is built from the TREC page titled Become an Individual Real Estate Broker, which we read on October 17, 2026.

A broker license is not required to start a career. A new agent works under a sponsoring broker. Our sponsoring broker guide explains that relationship.

The three parts TREC lists

The TREC page splits the broker path into education, experience and the exam. You need all three.

The mandatory qualifying courses

TREC lists seven mandatory courses, each 30 hours, inside the 270 hours.

• Principles of Real Estate I
• Principles of Real Estate II
• Law of Agency
• Law of Contracts
• Promulgated Contract Forms
• Real Estate Finance
• Real Estate Brokerage

A timing rule on one course

TREC says the Real Estate Brokerage course must be completed not more than two years before the application date. Plan that course for later in your path, not first.

The page says the 270 hours "include" the mandatory courses. We did not find on that page how the rest of the hours are filled, so ask TREC or a TREC approved school.

The 630 related hours

TREC says an additional 630 classroom hours of related qualifying courses acceptable to the Commission, or approved Continuing Education courses, are also required. The 630 hours must include the six-hour Broker Responsibility Course.

TREC also says a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution can satisfy up to 300 of the related hours. Check TREC for how your degree is reviewed.

The experience rule

TREC says applicants need at least four years of active experience as a licensed real estate sales agent or broker during the 60-month period before filing the application. The experience must total 720 points.

You must include a transaction identification list for each transaction claimed on the experience report. Keep clean records from your first deal.

Extra experience can replace some courses

TREC says that if you earn points above the minimum, you can substitute them for up to 300 hours of the 630 hours of related education. For every two points above 720, you get credit for one classroom hour.

Our example uses that ratio: 740 points is 20 points above the minimum, so that would be credit for 10 hours.

The exam

The exam is given by Pearson. TREC says you must pass both the State and National sections. It also says that if you fail the exam three times, additional education will be necessary.

Our guides on exam retake rules and where to take the exam cover the sales agent exam. Use the TREC broker page for the broker exam.

Timing of the application

TREC says an application expires one year after filing, and all license requirements must be met within that year. Application fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

What it costs

The TREC broker page does not list the fee amount. It links to the TREC fee schedule instead. The fee schedule page is titled Fee Schedule Effective September 1, 2026, and its table did not load as text for us on October 17, 2026.

So we do not state a dollar figure. Open the fee schedule on the TREC site before you budget. Our exam cost guide covers the sales agent side.

Do you need a broker license?

Not to start. A sales agent works under a sponsoring broker. A broker license matters if you want to sponsor other agents or run your own brokerage. TREC has other pages for business entity brokers, and we did not review them for this guide.

Our guide on realtor, agent and broker explains the titles in plain words.

A simple planning view

This list is our planning idea, not a TREC rule. It uses only the TREC numbers above.

• Get your sales agent license and a sponsoring broker.
• Count four years of active experience in the 60 months before you file.
• Keep a record of every deal for the transaction identification list.
• Add related courses over time, and plan the Broker Responsibility Course.
• Take the Real Estate Brokerage course within two years of filing.
• File the application and plan the Pearson exam within the year.

What we could not verify

We did not read the Texas Occupations Code or the TREC rules on broker licensing directly. We cite the TREC page as written. The page gave no effective date for its requirements and no fee amount.

We also did not find a TREC page that says how many agents move up to a broker license each year, so we make no claim there.

Common mistakes

These are our view of likely mistakes, not a TREC list.

• Taking the Real Estate Brokerage course too early and having it age out.
• Losing track of deals and having no transaction list.
• Counting years outside the 60-month window.
• Letting the application sit for more than a year.
• Assuming a degree covers all the related hours.

Questions to ask a brokerage

If you plan to go broker later, ask any brokerage you join. Ask for answers in writing.

• Do you keep a record of my transactions I can use for my experience report?
• Do you help agents plan toward a broker license?
• What happens to my deals if I leave?
• What support is included for continuing education?

If you are thinking about DFW

If you are licensed and looking at the Dallas and Fort Worth area, you can start a conversation with us on our site. Ask every brokerage for its agreement and fee list in writing.

Rules can change

Education only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm licensing rules with TREC.