Real Estate Agent License Renewal in Connecticut
Connecticut salespersons renew by May 31 of even years for $578, but the 12 hours of CE are due three months earlier, at the end of February.
| Renewal cycle | Every 2 years |
|---|---|
| CE hours required | 12 hours 12 credit hours per two-year cycle for both salespersons and brokers: one approved three-hour mandatory course on current real estate and fair housing legislation, licensing law and regulations, plus nine hours of electives. The completion deadline falls three months before the licence expires, so a salesperson's window closes at the end of February and a broker's at the end of August. A licensee may skip the coursework entirely by passing the 40-question Connecticut CE Examination through PSI during the cycle. No CE is due at the end of the first cycle after passing a Connecticut licensing exam, but a licensee admitted by reciprocity owes it from the first cycle. Late completion carries a $315 or $625 fee depending on how late. |
| Renewal fee | $578.00 |
| Mandatory CE topics | Commission-approved mandatory course on current real estate and fair housing legislation, licensing laws and regulations, 3 hours, Real estate elective courses, 9 hours |
| Licensing board | Connecticut Real Estate Commission, Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) |
Sourced from Connecticut Real Estate Commission, Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), verified July 25, 2026. Requirements change. Confirm with your board before relying on this.
Connecticut moves the education deadline away from the renewal deadline on purpose. A salesperson licence expires May 31 of an even-numbered year, but the twelve hours of continuing education have to be finished by the end of February, three months earlier. Miss the February date and the renewal in May is still there waiting for you, along with a late fee that runs several times the cost of the courses.
Twelve hours, three of them mandatory
Both salespersons and brokers owe 12 credit hours per two-year cycle, split the same way:
- 3 hours in a Commission-approved mandatory course covering current real estate and fair housing legislation, licensing law and regulations
- 9 hours of real estate electives
There is more than one mandatory course in circulation at a time, and you take one of them, not all of them. Any course flagged as mandatory for the cycle satisfies the requirement; take a second and it counts toward the nine elective hours instead. Renewal is done by attestation, but the Department can audit, so keep certificates for four years.
You can sit an exam instead of taking any courses
This is the part of Connecticut’s system that has no equivalent in most states. A licensee may skip the twelve hours entirely by passing the 40-question Connecticut CE Examination, administered by PSI, at any point during the cycle. Both the salesperson and broker pages present it as a straight alternative to coursework, not as a remedial option or a make-up path.
If you book it, say the “40 question” exam when scheduling. PSI runs more than one Connecticut real estate exam.
Brokers and salespersons run on different calendars
Two licence types, two clocks, both biennial, both landing in even-numbered years:
| Licence | Expires | CE window closes | Renewal fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salesperson | May 31 | Last day of February | $578 |
| Broker | November 30 | August 31 | $758 |
A salesperson who upgrades to broker changes deadline as well as fee, which matters if the upgrade lands mid-cycle.
Missing the education deadline is expensive on its own
Late completion is priced separately from late renewal. Finish the hours within two months of the deadline and the Department charges $315. Finish them two to four months late and it is $625. Those are nonrefundable, sit on top of the ordinary renewal fee, and a shortfall can also draw civil fines or action against the licence. The ordinary late-renewal fee is comparatively small: $57 for a salesperson, $75 for a broker. The costly mistake here is not paying late, it is studying late.
Inactive is not a parking space for salespersons
The Department states plainly that salespersons holding an inactive licence are not eligible to renew, and advises securing a sponsoring broker before the renewal cycle opens. That is the reverse of the arrangement in states where inactive status is the cheap way to hold a licence you are not using. If a licence does lapse, the statute allows reinstatement at the Department’s discretion, and a reinstated salesperson licence expires on the next May 31 rather than restarting a fresh two years.
The first cycle is free, unless you came in by reciprocity
A licensee who passed a Connecticut licensing exam during the cycle owes no continuing education at the end of that first cycle. Someone admitted by reciprocity does owe it from the first cycle onward, and only Connecticut-approved courses count. The Department is explicit that reciprocity applies to getting a licence, not to keeping one.
The fee
The statute sets the biennial salesperson renewal at $570 and the broker renewal at $750, with six dollars of each going to the Real Estate Guaranty Fund. The Department’s renewal page bills $578 and $758. Take the Department’s figures as what you will actually pay.
Either way this is one of the most expensive real estate licences in the country, and the gap is not close.
How this compares
The hour count is ordinary and the price is not. Twelve hours over two years matches Massachusetts exactly and sits under Virginia’s 16 and Wisconsin’s 18. The fee is the outlier: $578 against Massachusetts at $103, Virginia at $100, Wisconsin at $75 and Texas at $110. Put another way, a Connecticut salesperson pays more than five times what a Virginia salesperson pays and takes four fewer hours for it. The offset education deadline is unusual too, since most states let the coursework run right up to the renewal date.
Add your renewal deadline to your calendar
Enter your expiration date and download a calendar file. Your own calendar will remind you at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days out. We don't ask for your email, we store nothing, and the date never leaves your device.
Works with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook. This is a convenience, not a compliance service. Confirm your exact deadline with the Connecticut Real Estate Commission, Department of Consumer Protection (DCP).
How many CE hours do you have left?
Connecticut requires 12 CE hours this cycle. Enter what you've completed and see what's left. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.
Hours alone aren't the whole requirement. Some must be these specific topics:
- Commission-approved mandatory course on current real estate and fair housing legislation, licensing laws and regulations, 3 hours
- Real estate elective courses, 9 hours
A convenience, not a compliance service. Confirm your exact requirement with the Connecticut Real Estate Commission, Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). This is not legal advice.
Continuing education hours per renewal cycle
Connecticut asks for 12 hours. That is below the median of 18 across the 51 states that set a flat hour count, which run from 7 to 45. Ranked lowest to highest, Connecticut is 5 of 51.
Renewal fee
Connecticut charges $578. The median across the 48 states that publish a figure is $115, running from $0 to $578. Ranked cheapest to dearest, Connecticut is 48 of 48.
Each mark is one state. The taller line is the median, the filled dot is Connecticut. States that set no flat hour count, or publish no fee, are left out of that comparison rather than counted as zero.
What will this renewal cost?
Connecticut's renewal fee is filled in from the board below. Add what you expect to spend on CE courses, plus a late fee if you're past due, for a running total. Nothing you type is stored.
The renewal fee is from the Connecticut Real Estate Commission, Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) and dated on this page; the CE and late-fee figures are your own estimates. A convenience, not a compliance service, and not legal advice. Confirm fees with your board.