How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Indiana: Steps & Costs

To become a real estate agent in Indiana, you complete a 90-hour state-approved pre-licensing course, pass a two-part PSI exam, get fingerprinted, affiliate with a managing broker, and file a $60 application with the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA). Indiana licenses every entry-level practitioner as a “broker” rather than a salesperson, so there is only one tier to clear. Most applicants finish in two to three months and spend somewhere between $650 and $900 before their first commission check.

Who Qualifies

You must be at least 18 and hold a high school diploma or GED.¹ The diploma rule took effect in 2014, and the PLA verifies it.

Criminal history is the more consequential screen. State law bars applicants whose convictions would trigger professional discipline, bear directly on competent practice, or suggest a public-safety risk.¹ It is not a blanket ban. The commission weighs the nature and relevance of the offense rather than applying an automatic disqualification. If you have a record or a license disciplined in another state, disclose it on the application. Failure to disclose is treated more seriously than the underlying issue and can lead to outright denial.

Step 1: Get Fingerprinted at the Right Time

Indiana requires digital fingerprinting through IdentoGO. You schedule online at identogo.com, enter the service code the PLA provides, and go to an enrollment center with a valid driver’s license or passport. The agent captures your prints and sends them to the Indiana State Police.²

Timing matters here. A background check completed before you submit your license application will not count, so do not run this step too early.

Step 2: Finish the 90-Hour Pre-Licensing Course

Every applicant must complete a 90-hour pre-licensing broker course approved by the Indiana Real Estate Commission.³ The material covers federal topics such as fair housing and settlement procedures alongside Indiana-specific content on agency, contracts, valuation, and closing math. Classes are offered in person and online.

Plan on roughly $500 to $700 depending on the provider and format. Ivy Tech Community College, a widely used provider, charges $638.⁴ Before you pay, confirm the school appears on the PLA’s approved provider list.⁵

When you finish, your school issues a uniform course completion certificate with a unique school code and authorized signature. Keep it. You upload it to register for the exam, and the PLA checks it again at application. The certificate date also starts a one-year clock: pass the licensing exam within a year or retake the entire 90-hour course.³

Step 3: Pass the PSI Broker Exam

Indiana contracts with PSI Services for the broker exam.⁶ It has two sections:

National portion: 75 scored items, 150 minutes.
State portion (Indiana law): 50 scored items, 90 minutes.

You need at least 75 percent on each section.⁷ The fee is $53, nonrefundable, and valid for one year from payment.⁶ Fail one section and you retake only that section. Testing centers enforce strict ID rules and prohibit personal items in the exam room.

Register soon after finishing the coursework. The one-year deadline from your certificate is the hard limit that catches people out; treating it as a comfortable buffer is how people end up retaking the 90 hours.

Step 4: Line Up a Managing Broker

An Indiana broker license does not authorize independent practice. You must affiliate with a managing broker who supervises your transactions and takes legal responsibility for your regulatory compliance.¹ The application asks for your managing broker’s name, firm address, and license number.

Leave that section blank and the PLA issues your license in “unassigned” status, meaning you cannot legally list properties, negotiate sales, or perform any licensed activity. Moving from unassigned to active later requires a separate transfer request through the INBIZ portal, and the transfer is not complete until the managing broker approves it on their end.⁸ That delay is avoidable. Interview firms during coursework and have a managing broker ready when you file.

Look past the commission split. Training, mentorship, and transaction support matter more in your first year than an extra percentage point, because early deals involve unfamiliar paperwork and tight timelines.

Step 5: File the License Application

With the exam passed and a managing broker identified, file online through the Indiana Licensing Enterprise portal at mylicense.in.gov.⁹ You upload your PSI score report and course completion certificate, enter your managing broker’s information, and pay a nonrefundable $60 application fee.³

Processing is quicker than many expect. PLA data puts the average turnaround for a completed broker application at about five business days.¹⁰ Incomplete applications or background flags take longer. You track status on your dashboard.

Approval is delivered electronically. Indiana does not mail physical license cards, so keep access to your portal for printing your license and handling future renewals.

Post-Licensing Education Within Two Years

Every broker licensed after June 30, 2014, must complete 30 hours of commission-approved post-licensing education within the first two years of licensure.¹¹ This is the requirement new agents most often overlook. Missing the deadline can jeopardize your license.

The 30 hours are allocated across:

Indiana transactions (6 hours): contracts, listing agreements, offers and counteroffers, closing.
Financing (6 hours): loan types, credit scoring, mortgage fraud, lending markets.
Business planning and marketing (10 hours): budgeting, prospecting, goal setting, contact management.
Negotiation skills (5 hours).
Fair housing and cultural diversity (1 hour).
Construction basics (2 hours): building codes, site prep, green building.

Completing the 30 hours also satisfies continuing education for your first two CE years, so you are not doubling up.¹¹

Continuing Education and Renewal

After the post-licensing period ends, Indiana requires 12 hours of continuing education each year, running July 1 through June 30.³ It is annual, not something you can cram before renewal. Managing broker eligibility adds a wrinkle: four of those 12 hours must cover business management and legal topics.

The broker license itself renews on a three-year cycle. The current cycle runs July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026. The renewal fee is $60.³ The PLA sends notices about 90 days before expiration; do not rely on that as your only reminder. A lapsed license means you cannot practice until it is reinstated.

If You’re Already Licensed in Another State

Indiana has no reciprocity agreements with any state.¹² Existing licensees apply through an endorsement process, where the commission evaluates whether your current state’s requirements are equivalent to Indiana’s. A commission member reviews your credentials and recommends a vote to the full commission, which takes time.

If endorsement is approved, you take only the state portion of the PSI exam.³ If it is not, you can switch to the standard path and take both sections. Either way, there is no way around Indiana’s state exam.

What It All Costs

Here is what to budget before your first commission:

Pre-licensing course: about $500 to $700.
Fingerprinting and background check: roughly $30 to $75, varying by vendor.
PSI exam fee: $53.⁶
License application: $60.³

Most people spend between $650 and $900 to get licensed. Joining a local board of Realtors is optional but common for MLS access; National Association of Realtors dues for 2026 are $156 plus a $45 consumer advertising special assessment, with state and local board dues on top.¹³ None of these figures include the 30-hour post-licensing course you will need within two years, so build that into your first-year budget as well.

1
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 25-34.1-3-4.1 – Requirements for Broker’s License
2
Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Instructions for Fingerprinting in the State of Indiana Professional Licensing Agency
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Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Real Estate Licensing Information
4
Ivy Tech Community College. Real Estate Broker Pre-licensing Training
5
Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Real Estate 90 Hour Pre-Licensure Course Providers List
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Indiana Real Estate Commission. License Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin
7
LII / Legal Information Institute. Indiana Administrative Code 876 IAC 6-6-3 – Examinations; Passing Score
8
INBiz. Real Estate Broker License Transfer
9
Indiana Licensing Enterprise. Welcome to the Indiana Licensing Enterprise
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Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Application Processing and Wait Time for Completed Applications by License Type
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LII / Legal Information Institute. Indiana Administrative Code 876 IAC 7-4-2 – Postlicensing Education Required
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Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Real Estate Home
13
National Association of REALTORS®. REALTORS Membership Dues Information