Guides

Illinois license guides

Plain-English answers about keeping your Illinois real estate license active when you stop practicing. Written by D.J. Paris, licensed Illinois broker.

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How to Keep Your Illinois Real Estate License Active When You Stop Practicing

Leaving your brokerage makes your Illinois license inactive immediately. Here’s how to keep it active, what renewal and CE still require, and when going inactive is the better choice.

License status

Active vs. Inactive vs. Expired Illinois Real Estate License: What’s the Difference?

An inactive Illinois broker license is current but unsponsored. An expired one missed its renewal. Here’s what each status allows, what it costs to fix, and how to check yours.

Renewal

Illinois Real Estate Broker License Renewal 2028: Deadline, Fee and CE Requirements

Illinois broker licenses expire April 30, 2028. Here’s the $200 renewal fee, the 12-hour CE requirement, the 45-hour post-license rule, and what happens if you miss the deadline.

Referral fees

Can You Earn Referral Fees With an Inactive Illinois Real Estate License?

In Illinois, referring clients for pay is licensed activity, so an inactive license can’t earn new referral fees. Here’s what the law says, the one exception, and how to keep getting paid.

Holding companies

What Is a Real Estate License Holding Company? (Illinois Guide)

A license holding company is a referral-only brokerage that sponsors your Illinois license so it stays active while you’re not practicing. Here’s how it works, what it costs and who it’s for.

Comparison

Illinois Real Estate License Holding Companies Compared (2026)

Annual fees, setup fees and referral payouts for eight Illinois license holding companies, from each company’s own website, with the math on a real referral.

Referral fees

Illinois Real Estate Referral Fees Explained: Rules, Math and Taxes

How real estate referral fees work in Illinois: who can pay and receive them, why they go broker to broker, disclosure, RESPA, out-of-state referrals and 1099 taxes.

Transfers

How to Transfer Your Illinois Real Estate License to a New Brokerage (Step by Step)

Step-by-step IDFPR instructions for moving your Illinois broker license to a new sponsoring brokerage, including the $35 fee, the 7-day approval window and what to do if you’re unsponsored.

Moving

Moving Out of Illinois: Can You Keep Your Illinois Real Estate License?

Illinois doesn’t require brokers to live in Illinois. Here’s how to keep your Illinois license active after you move, the nonresident consent rule, and how to keep earning referral fees from another state.

Free for Illinois brokers

Get the free guide: Will I Lose My License?

  • What active, inactive and expired really mean
  • Your 2028 renewal calendar and CE checklist
  • How referral fees work, with real numbers
  • Reminders before your April 30, 2028 deadline

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