A Georgia real estate salesperson license costs most people between $450 and $865 all in, with a typical applicant spending around $500 to $600. That total covers four things: the 75-hour pre-licensing course, the state exam, the license fee, and a criminal background check. The course is where the price swings the most. Here is what each piece costs and what else you should budget for once the license is in hand.
Pre-Licensing Course: $147 to $700+
Georgia requires a 75-hour pre-licensing course approved by the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC). This is the single most variable cost in the process, with prices ranging from about $147 to over $700 depending on the school, the format, and the package tier you pick.1HousingWire. Georgia Real Estate Schools Online self-paced courses sit at the low end. Livestream and in-person classes cost more.
A sampling of approved schools:
- The CE Shop: $147 to $319
- Georgia MLS Real Estate School: $150 self-paced, up to $475 in-person or livestream
- Aceable Agent: $153 to $475
- Fortune Academy: $179 to $301 online self-paced, with promotional discounts2Fortune Academy. GA Salesperson Pre-Licensing
- Colibri Real Estate: about $282 to $548
- Kaplan: $299 to $738
Many schools offer payment plans, promotional discounts, and military pricing, so shopping around pays off.1HousingWire. Georgia Real Estate Schools Most new applicants land somewhere between $150 and $350 for the course.
State Exam: $119
The Georgia salesperson exam is administered by PSI Services and costs $119.3Atlanta REALTORS® Association. Salesperson Prelicense If you fail, you pay the $119 again to retake it, so a first-attempt pass keeps your total down.
License Fee: $170
After passing the exam, you apply for your license and pay a $170 state fee, which covers your first four-year license term.3Atlanta REALTORS® Association. Salesperson Prelicense Apply within three months of passing the exam. Wait longer and the fee doubles as a penalty; you have 12 months total before the exam result expires.4Georgia Secretary of State. GREC Rules, Chapter 520-1
Background Check: $10 to $25
Every applicant must submit a Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) criminal history report from a local police department or sheriff’s office. It has to be dated within 60 days of your application.5Georgia Real Estate Commission. Background Clearance Application The price depends on the agency. The Atlanta Police Department charges $10.6Atlanta Police Department. Criminal Background Checks and Fingerprinting The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office charges $20.7Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. Background Checks Plan on $10 to $25.
What You’ll Actually Spend
Adding the four required pieces:
- Pre-licensing course: $147 to $550+
- Exam fee: $119
- License fee: $170
- Background check: $10 to $25
That puts the realistic range at roughly $450 to $865. Choose a mid-range online course and you’ll spend about $500 to $600.
The Post-License Course You Have to Take in Year One
New salespersons must complete a 25-hour GREC-approved post-license course within the first year of holding an active license. Miss it and your license lapses.8Georgia Association of REALTORS®. CE Credit Information9Moseley Real Estate Schools. Post-License Georgia10License Classroom. Georgia Real Estate Post-License Some courses tack on a proctoring fee of about $25 for the final exam. It’s easy to forget this one when budgeting, but it is a mandatory expense in year one.
Renewal Every Four Years
Georgia real estate licenses renew on a four-year cycle.11Georgia Real Estate Commission. Reciprocal Application The renewal fee is $100 online or $125 by mail.4Georgia Secretary of State. GREC Rules, Chapter 520-1 Miss the deadline and a $100 late fee gets added.12Georgia Real Estate Commission. Renewing Your Real Estate License
To renew on active status you also need 36 hours of continuing education (CE) during the four years, with at least three hours on Georgia license law.8Georgia Association of REALTORS®. CE Credit Information13Georgia MLS Real Estate School. Continuing Education – Real Estate14OnlineEd. Georgia Real Estate 36-Hour License Renewal Bundle Combined with the renewal fee, each four-year cycle costs about $240 to $250.
What the State Doesn’t Charge You For
The costs above are what Georgia requires to hold the license. Working agents almost always pay more on top, though none of it is required by GREC.
Using the “Realtor” title means joining the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the Georgia Association of Realtors (GAR), and a local board. NAR dues for 2026 are $156, plus a $45 special assessment for the Consumer Advertising Campaign.15National Association of REALTORS®. Dues Information Local board dues add more. The Atlanta Realtors Association charges $524 per year in combined renewal dues covering NAR, GAR, and the local portion.16Atlanta REALTORS® Association. Membership Fees Across the state, annual association memberships generally run $400 to $700 depending on the local board.
MLS access fees, which let agents list and search properties on the local multiple listing service, generally run $450 to $600 per year. Budget separately for errors and omissions (E&O) insurance and standard business tools. All together, ongoing annual costs beyond the license itself usually fall in the $1,000 to $2,500 range.
If You Later Upgrade to a Broker License
Moving from salesperson to broker adds more cost. You need an active license for at least three of the previous five years and must be at least 21.17Atlanta REALTORS® Association. Broker Prelicense The required 60-hour GREC-approved broker pre-licensing course costs about $160 to $660 depending on the school and format.18Colibri Real Estate. Georgia Broker License Georgia MLS Real Estate School offers its 60-hour course for $195.19Georgia MLS Real Estate School. Broker Prelicense The broker exam fee is $119 and the license fee is $170, the same as the salesperson figures. Brokers who open their own firm pay an additional $275 office-opening fee. Figure $500 to $1,000 for the upgrade on top of what you already spent as a salesperson.