How To Renew Your Texas Real Estate License

Your Texas real estate license expires every two years, and TREC will not renew it automatically. Somewhere between the paperwork, the fee, and the education requirement, it is easy to lose track of exactly what you owe and when. That confusion gets worse if this is your first renewal, since the rules are genuinely different for agents renewing for the first time versus everyone after them.

This guide breaks down both paths. You will find the standard 18-hour continuing education requirement, the first-time Sales Apprentice Education (SAE) requirement most guides skip over, the Broker Responsibility Course rule that changed at the start of 2026, current fees, and a clear step-by-step process for getting it done.

Texas Real Estate License Renewal Requirements at a Glance

Every active license, sales agent or broker, renews every two years through the Texas Real Estate Commission. What you owe TREC depends on where you are in your career:

• First-time renewal (sales agents only): 270 total qualifying education hours, which breaks down to your original 180-hour pre-license course plus 90 hours of SAE and 8 hours of Legal Update I and II.
• Every renewal after that: 18 hours of continuing education, split between Legal Update, contracts, and electives.
• Brokers, every renewal: the same 18-hour CE requirement, but as of January 1, 2026, every renewing broker must also complete the 6-hour Broker Responsibility Course, regardless of whether they sponsor agents.
• Fees: a $110 total renewal fee for sales agents and $218 for brokers, based on TREC's fee schedule effective December 15, 2025142 Node. Miss your deadline and a $200 CE deferral fee buys you 60 extra days, or late fees apply automatically.

If any of those categories sound unfamiliar, the sections below walk through exactly which one applies to you. And if you are earlier in the process and still working toward your original license, our guide on how to get your Texas real estate licenseTexas How To Get Texas Real Estate License Career Center and what a Texas license actually costsTexas Cost Of Texas Real Estate License Career Center cover that ground.

First-Time Real Estate License Renewal in Texas: The SAE Requirement

If this is your first renewal since getting licensed, congratulations on making it two years. Also, a heads-up: you do not take the standard 18-hour CE course. TREC calls your first renewal period Sales Apprentice Education, or SAE, and it asks for a lot more than 18 hours.

To renew for the first time, active or inactive, TREC requires a total of 270 qualifying education hours posted to your license record before you submit your renewal. Since your original 180-hour pre-license course already counts toward that total, what is actually left to complete is 90 hours of SAE coursework plus 4 hours each of Legal Update I and Legal Update II, for 98 new hours in total.

Of those 90 SAE hours, 30 are non-negotiable: TREC requires a Real Estate Brokerage course, a rule that has been in place since October 2023. The remaining 60 hours can come from any TREC-approved SAE elective, covering topics like real estate marketing, property management, or real estate law. One restriction worth knowing: you cannot get SAE credit for a course that covers substantially the same material as one you already took for your pre-license education.

A few things that make first-time renewal different from every renewal after it:

• SAE hours cannot be deferred. The standard CE deferral option that lets other agents pay a fee for extra time does not apply here. If your SAE is not complete by your expiration date, your license lapses.
• You must submit proof early. Course completion documents need to reach TREC by email at least 10 business days before you renew, so budget for processing time, not just study time.
• The two-year window feels longer than it is. Ninety hours of coursework is a real time commitment, and agents who wait until the 90-day renewal notice arrives often find themselves cramming. Starting your Texas SAE coursesTexas Salesperson Apprentice Education Real Estate Continuing Education within your first year gives you far more breathing room.

Not sure whether SAE or standard CE applies to your specific renewal, or how the two actually differ course by course? Our breakdown of Texas CE versus SAE requirementsWhat Are Differences Between Texas Ce And Texas Sae Courses Blog lays out the distinction in more detail.

Once you clear this first renewal, you move onto the standard 18-hour CE cycle for every renewal after, and you never touch SAE again.

Texas Post-Licensing Real Estate: How the Standard 18-Hour CE Renewal Works

For every renewal after your first, TREC's requirement simplifies considerably. You will need 18 hours of continuing education, broken down as:

• 4 hours of Legal Update I (laws, rules, and forms)
• 4 hours of Legal Update II (agency, ethics, and current issues)
• 3 hours of a TREC-approved contracts-related course
• 7 hours of elective coursework, chosen from any TREC-approved topic

That structure has been in place since TREC's contracts-related requirement took effect in February 2021Search Contracts Related Ce Courses Article, and it has not changed for standard renewals. You can spread these hours across your full two-year license period, though completing them well before your renewal window gives you a buffer if a course takes longer than expected or you need to swap electives. If you want more background on why the contracts hour exists in the first place, we cover that in our guide to the Texas contracts-related CE requirementWhat Contracts Course Trec Now Requires Ce Blog.

If your CE is not fully posted to your license record when you submit your renewal, TREC will charge a $200 CE Deferral Fee for an additional 60 days to finish, or you can renew in inactive status instead. Either way, you cannot skip the hours; you can only delay them.

Sales agents and brokers who want a shortcut to compare packages can look at AceableAgent's Texas continuing education coursesTexas Real Estate Continuing Education, which bundle Legal Update I and II, the contracts requirement, and electives into a single 18-hour package. Brokers specifically can find the Broker Responsibility Course folded into the 18-hour Texas CE packageTexas Agent Package Real Estate Continuing Education, rather than needing to buy it as a separate add-on.

The Broker Responsibility Course: What Changed for 2026

This is the part of Texas renewal rules that shifted most recently, and it is worth getting exactly right.

For years, the 6-hour Broker Responsibility Course was conditional. Only brokers who sponsored sales agents, designated brokers of a business entity that sponsored agents, or sales agents delegated as supervisors had to take it. Everyone else could skip it.

That changed under Senate Bill 1968. As of January 1, 2026, TREC requires every broker renewing a licenseWhat%E2%80%99s Changed Texas Brokers 2026 Article, individual or business entity, to complete the Broker Responsibility Course regardless of whether they currently sponsor any agents. The old exemption for non-sponsoring brokers no longer applies. The course still counts inside your existing 18-hour CE requirement rather than adding hours on top of it, so a broker's 18 hours typically breaks down as Legal Update I, Legal Update II, the 6-hour Broker Responsibility Course, and the remaining hours split between contracts and electives. TREC also keeps a list of approved Broker Responsibility Course providersApproved Providers Broker Responsibilty Course Education if you want to confirm a provider before enrolling.

One distinction still holds: sales agents who have been delegated as a supervisor by their broker, but who are not themselves broker license holders, are still only required to take the Broker Responsibility Course if their broker has made that delegation. If you are not sure whether that applies to you, your sponsoring broker or TREC's license holder search can confirm your status.

If this rule change has you thinking about leveling up to a broker license yourself, our guide on how to become a real estate broker in TexasTexas How To Become Texas Real Estate Broker Career Center walks through the experience and education requirements, and our guide to choosing your first brokerageTexas Choose Your First Real Estate Brokerage Texas Career Center is worth a look if you are earlier in your career and still weighing sponsorship options.

How to Renew Your Real Estate License in Texas: Step-by-Step

1. Watch for your renewal notice. TREC sends this roughly 90 days before your license expires. Do not wait for it to start your education; use it as a deadline check.
2. Confirm which requirement applies to you. First-time renewal means SAE. Every renewal after that means the standard 18-hour CE, plus the Broker Responsibility Course if you are a broker.
3. Complete your required courses. Choose TREC-approved courses through a provider like AceableAgent's Texas real estate coursesTexas Individual Courses Real Estate License, and finish at least 10 days before your expiration date to give your provider time to report your hours.
4. Check your education history. TREC's license holder search shows which hours have posted to your record, so you can confirm everything is accounted for before you pay. If a course you finished recently is not showing up yet, see our guide on how to check whether your credits have been reported to TRECTexas How Do I Check If My Credits Have Been Reported To Trec Career Center before you assume something is wrong.
5. Pay your renewal fee. Sales agents pay $110 total; brokers pay $218. Renewing online through TREC's portal is faster than renewing by mail.
6. Keep your confirmation. Save your renewal receipt and course completion certificates in case a question comes up later. Our guide on looking up your Texas real estate license with TRECHow Lookup Your Texas Real Estate License Trec Blog shows you what that public record looks like and how to spot a discrepancy early.

If you let your license lapse, you are not necessarily starting over. Licenses expired six months to two years can typically be reinstatedReinstatement Real Estate Sales Agent License Or Broker License Individual FormsReinstatement Real Estate Sales Agent License Or Broker License Individual Forms with the outstanding education completed, though the process takes longer and costs more than renewing on time.

Texas Real Estate License Renewal FAQs

Do I take SAE or CE for my first renewal?

SAE. If this is the first time you are renewing since getting your license, you complete 90 hours of Sales Apprentice Education plus 8 hours of Legal Update I and II, not the standard 18-hour CE course. SAE only applies once; every renewal after your first uses the regular CE cycle.

Do all brokers need the Broker Responsibility Course now?

Yes, as of January 1, 2026. Previously only brokers who sponsored agents needed it. Under the current rule, every broker renewing a license must complete it, whether or not they sponsor any agents.

How much does it cost to renew a Texas real estate license?

Sales agents pay $110 total on time, and brokers pay $218, per TREC's fee schedule effective December 15, 2025. Renewing late adds fees on top of that, and missing your CE deadline adds a separate $200 deferral fee.

Can I defer my SAE hours the way I can defer CE hours?

No. The CE deferral option does not apply to first-time renewal. If your 90 SAE hours are not complete and posted by your expiration date, your license expires rather than renewing.

What happens if my Texas real estate license expires?

Licenses expired up to six months can typically renew once outstanding education is complete. Licenses expired between six months and two years require a reinstatement applicationReinstatement Real Estate Sales Agent License Or Broker License Individual FormsReinstatement Real Estate Sales Agent License Or Broker License Individual Forms on top of the education requirement. After two years, you may need to requalify entirely, so it is worth checking your status well before your renewal date.

Ready to Knock Out Your Renewal?

Whether you are staring down your first 90 hours of SAE or your fifth round of 18-hour CE, the fastest path through it is picking TREC-approved courses that fit how you actually work, mobile, self-paced, and built around a real schedule. If you are also gearing up for a licensing exam retake or leveling up your career, our Texas exam prep resourcesTexas Real Estate Exam Prep and Texas real estate income guideTexas Texas Real Estate Agent Income Career Center are good next stops. Start your course today and get one item off your renewal checklist for good.