Texas TREC CE Requirements: The Complete 18-Hour Checklist
The short answer
Every licensed Texas agent renews on a 2-year cycle, and every cycle TREC wants 18 hours of continuing education. Here is the exact breakdown:
| Requirement | Hours |
|---|---|
| Legal Update I | 4 |
| Legal Update II | 4 |
| Contract-related courses | 3 |
| Electives | 7 |
| Total | 18 |
That is the whole requirement for a sales agent. No mystery hours, no surprise courses. Finish the 18, and your renewal is a fee and a form.
Renewing as a broker? One course changes.
Brokers renew on the same 18 hours. The difference: since January 1, 2026, every renewing Texas broker must take the 6-hour Broker Responsibility course - not just brokers who sponsor agents. The old exemption is gone.
Here is the part other providers keep getting wrong: Broker Responsibility counts INSIDE your 18 hours, not on top of them. A broker's 18 looks like this:
| Requirement | Hours |
|---|---|
| Legal Update I | 4 |
| Legal Update II | 4 |
| Broker Responsibility | 6 |
| Contract-related courses | 3 |
| Electives | 1 |
| Total | 18 |
Still 18. The Broker Responsibility hours simply eat most of your elective room. See 2026 Texas Broker CE: The Rule That Changed Jan 1 for the broker-specific breakdown.
First renewal? Stop - this page is not for you yet.
If this is your FIRST renewal, you do not take CE. You take SAE.
Your first renewal requires 98 new hours: three 30-hour Sales Apprentice Education (SAE) courses (90 hours) plus Legal Update I and II (8 hours). That is a TREC rule, not our opinion, and no 18-hour CE package - ours or anyone's - satisfies it.
TREA does not offer SAE courses. We would rather tell you that plainly than sell you 18 hours TREC will not honor. Once you are past your first renewal, every cycle after that is the 18-hour CE checklist on this page - and we will be here.
The deadlines that actually matter
- Your CE must be COMPLETE before your license expiration date.
- Renew without the hours done and TREC charges a $200 CE Deferral Fee for a 60-day extension - and a further $250 Late Reporting Fee if the hours land 61-180 days after expiration. Up to $450 in penalties for hours that cost $75 done on time.
- Your provider has to report your hours to TREC. Under TREC Rule 535.75, providers get 7-10 days to post your credits. Most batch-upload and use every bit of it. TREA posts your credit to TREC in about 3 seconds after you finish. If you are renewing close to the wire, that difference is your license. (New to the agency itself? See what TREC is and does.)
Ready for the step-by-step? See how to renew your Texas real estate license from CE hours to TREC form.
How to check what TREC already has on file
Your CE hours live on your TREC license record, not your certificate drawer. Log into your TREC account at agents.trec.texas.gov and pull up your license - the CE hours TREC has credited are listed there. If a course you finished is not showing, your provider has not posted it yet. Ask them when they batch-upload. (TREA students: yours posted about 3 seconds after you finished. It is already there.)
What the 18 hours cost
- Hall Pass Renewal - all 18 hours - $75. The full renewal, done tonight if you want. Most popular for a reason.
- Dean's List - 25+ hours including Broker Responsibility - $85. The broker pick.
- Not sure yet? Take the free 2-hour personality CE class first and see how TREA teaches before you spend a dollar.
Every course is TREC-approved under provider #10010-CEP. No-questions refund policy if it is not for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CE hours do Texas real estate agents need?
18 hours every 2-year renewal cycle: 4 hours Legal Update I, 4 hours Legal Update II, 3 contract-related hours, and 7 elective hours.
Does Broker Responsibility add hours on top of the 18?
No. The 6-hour Broker Responsibility course counts inside the 18. A renewing broker's breakdown is 4 + 4 + 6 + 3 + 1 elective = 18.
Do first-time renewals take these 18 hours?
No. A first renewal requires 98 hours of SAE coursework plus Legal Updates, not CE. TREA does not offer SAE. Every renewal after your first uses the 18-hour CE requirement.
How fast do CE hours post to TREC?
TREC allows providers 7-10 days. TREA posts your credit in about 3 seconds after course completion.
What happens if I do not finish CE before my expiration date?
TREC charges a $200 CE Deferral Fee for a 60-day active extension, and a $250 Late Reporting Fee on top if the hours land 61-180 days after expiration. Your hours are still owed either way. Finishing on time costs less than the penalty.