All New York real estate licensees are required to complete 22.5 hours of continuing education (CE) prior to renewing a license. These continuing education requirements apply to real estate salespersons, associate brokers and brokers.
The 22.5 hours of continuing education consists of 11 elective hours and 11.5 mandatory hours in the following subject areas:
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3 hours of fair housing and/or discrimination
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1 hour of agency (two hours in the initial two-year licensing term for salespersons)
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2.5 hours of ethical business practices
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1 hour of recent legal matters (may include statutes, laws, regulations, rules, codes, DOS opinions and decisions, and court decisions)
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2 hours of implicit bias awareness (new requirement effective 9/21/22)
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2 hours of cultural competency (new requirement effective 9/21/22)
Elective hours may be satisfied by taking any Department of State approved CE-qualifying course, regardless of the topic.
Not all courses qualify for continuing education credit, so be sure confirm with the institution or course instructor.
Attorneys who are admitted to the New York state bar are exempt from continuing education requirements. There are no other exemptions to continuing education requirements in the state of New York.
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Table of Contents:
Where can I find free continuing education courses?
How do I keep track of my continuing education?
Can CE credits carry over to the next renewal period in NY?
What happens if I forget to complete CE requirements?
Are attorneys exempt from continuing education requirements?
Does a broker qualifying course qualify for CE credit?
Have NY continuing education requirements changed recently?
Free continuing education classes are offered by a number of 3rd parties, including title insurance companies, real estate attorneys and continuing education organizations.
Langdon Title runs an ongoing free continuing education program. Visit this page to view and sign-up for upcoming classes. We recommend subscribing to their mailing list so you’re automatically notified of upcoming CE classes.
Examples of continuing education course topics include the following:
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Condo Due Diligence
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Strategies for Tax Planning with Real Estate
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Estate Sales
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Fair Housing
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Townhouse Due Diligence
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Contract of Sale – Condo
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Mortgage Process
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Multifamily Transactions
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Building Questionnaire
It’s important to keep detailed records of the continuing education courses you take, including the date, title and number of credits provided by each CE class.
The most practical way to do this is to keep an email record or to maintain a spreadsheet or other document with all of this information.
You will also typically receive a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion (i.e. CE Course Certificate) from the course provider after each class. This is typically emailed to you after a few weeks. We recommend storing all of your CE Course Certificates in a folder for easy access.
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While the Department of State (DOS) does not require you to submit proof of CE completion as part of the license renewal process, you must have detailed records readily available in the case of an audit.
Continuing Education course providers are legally required to maintain course completion records for three years. While you may request duplicate certificates from the school(s) in the event you are audited, it’s much more prudent to be proactive when it comes to maintaining records of CE compliance. Don’t wait until you are audited to get your ducks in a row.
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Can CE credits carry over to the next renewal period in NY?
No. Licensees are required to complete the 22.5 hour CE requirement during the two year period preceding the renewal. Any excess CE course credits may not be carried over into the next two year licensing period.
For example, let’s say you complete a total of 35 hours of continuing education during your two-year licensing period commencing on 6/30/20 and ending on 6/30/22. The 12.5 hours of excess credits do not carry over into the new two-year period (6/30/22 to 6/30/24). You must actually complete 22.5 hours of continuing education between 6/30/22 and 6/30/24.
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You may not renew your New York real estate license if you forget to complete the mandatory CE requirements.
The moment your license expires, you may no longer conduct any real estate activities that require a New York State real estate license in accordance with Article 12-A of the Real Property Law. There is no grace period during which you may continue to engage in the practice of real estate brokerage upon the expiration of your license.
Are attorneys exempt from continuing education requirements?
Yes. Attorneys who are admitted to the New York state bar are exempted from continuing education requirements.
Does a broker qualifying course qualify for CE credit?
Yes. A salesperson who successfully completes an approved broker qualifying course (including passage of the final exam) may claim CE credit for the course for the current two year licensing period.
However, the broker course itself does not completely satisfy continuing education requirements for license renewal. Salespersons who utilize a broker qualifying course for CE credit must also complete 2.5 hours of ethical business practices and 1 hour of recent legal matters in order to fully satisfy New York’s continuing education requirements for license renewal.
Our Discretion, Your Advantage
Our traditional partner brokers never openly discount which means less disruption and better execution for you.
Have NY continuing education requirements changed recently?
Yes. Governor Hochul signed two bills into law on 12/21/21 which amend continuing education requirements for New York real estate licensees effective 9/21/22.
While the 22.5 hour requirement did not change, licensees are now required to devote a minimum number of hours to two additional topics: implicit bias and cultural competency.
S.538-B: Requires licensees take 2 hours of continuing education on ‘implicit bias’ as part of the existing 22.5 hours requirement as outlined by Article 12-A of the Real Property Law.
S.979-A: Requires licensees take 2 additional hours of continuing education on cultural competency as part of the 22.5 hours requirement as outlined by Article 12-A of the Real Property Law.
Continuing education requirements were previously changed as of July 1, 2021 as follows:
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22.5 hours of continuing education is now required to include a minimum of 2.5 hours pertaining to ethical business practices and at least 1 hour of instruction regarding recent legal matters governing the practice of real estate brokers and salespersons in New York. These additional subject areas are in addition to the existing minimum hour requirements for fair housing (3 hours) and agency (2 hours for the initial renewal period and 1 hour for subsequent renewals).
