How Much Does It Cost to Get a Real Estate Licence in Queensland?

You’ve decided to enter real estate in Queensland, or you’re looking to upgrade from a salesperson registration to a full agent licence. Either way, you’re likely trying to work out the realistic cost before you commit — not just the headline course fee, but every charge between signing up to a training provider and having a valid credential in your hand.

The answer depends significantly on which credential you’re pursuing. Queensland operates a two-tier system: a Salesperson Registration (the entry-level certificate) and a Real Estate Agent Licence (the full licence required to operate independently or run an agency). Each has its own training requirements, government fees, and practical preparation costs. Add in the new mandatory continuing professional development requirements that commenced in June 2025, and the ongoing cost of staying licensed has increased meaningfully.

Here is a complete breakdown of what you will spend — and where the numbers vary.

The Two Credentials and Why the Distinction Matters

You must have a valid licence or registration to work as a real estate agent in Queensland. What that credential looks like depends on how you intend to work.

The Salesperson Registration is the minimum requirement to begin a career in real estate, covering the selling and marketing of property, establishing landlord and buyer relationships, and interpreting ethical practice and property legislation. It allows you to work as an employed salesperson or property manager under a licensed principal. It does not permit you to operate as an independent contractor, open your own agency, manage a trust account in your own right, or supervise other agents.

The Full Real Estate Agent Licence is the highest level of qualification available in the industry and allows you to work independently or open your own business. As a fully licensed agent, you can open your own real estate agency, manage a trust account, supervise other agents, and work without needing to be employed by an agency. Note that a real estate agent licence does not permit you to auction property. If auctioneering is part of your business model, a separate auctioneer’s licence is required.

Understanding this distinction matters for cost planning because the training requirements — and therefore the course fees — differ substantially between the two pathways.

Training Costs: The Largest Variable

Training fees are where the cost of getting licensed in Queensland varies most. There is no single price. Costs depend on the provider, the delivery format, and whether you are starting from scratch or upgrading an existing registration.

Salesperson Registration Course

The registration course requires completion of 12 units of competency as part of the CPP41419 Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice. Students have up to six months to complete the registration course.

Course fees across registered training organisations (RTOs) currently range from roughly $500 to $1,200, depending heavily on delivery mode. Online self-paced study sits at the lower end of that range. Face-to-face or workshop-intensive formats, which compress delivery into two or three days of intensive classroom time, typically attract higher fees but suit candidates who want a faster pathway or prefer structured instruction.

The REIQ — as the industry’s peak body — is one of the most recognised providers. The REIQ is highly regarded by the industry and known for producing job-ready professionals, with real estate agencies 60% more likely to hire REIQ graduates. That brand recognition carries a price premium over some lower-cost online alternatives, but it also carries genuine value at the point of job seeking.

It is worth noting that some advertised prices at the low end are promotional or introductory rates. Always confirm what is included in the fee — whether assessment support, study materials, and re-submission opportunities are covered — before treating a headline price as a meaningful comparison.

Full Real Estate Agent Licence Course

Queensland now requires 19 units for full licensing — the highest in Australia. The full licence course involves completing 19 units of nationally accredited competency, drawn from both the CPP41419 Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice and the CPP51122 Diploma of Property (Agency Management).

The course covers everything in the Registration course, plus managing operational finances, tenant relationships, and trust accounts. This additional content — specifically the Diploma-level unit CPPREP5006 (Manage Operational Finances in the Property Industry) — is what distinguishes the full licence pathway from the registration-only pathway and is the unit that qualifies you to operate and supervise a trust account.

Full licence course fees from established RTOs typically range from $800 to $2,000 for candidates enrolling fresh. For those upgrading from an existing registration, the cost is lower, because the registration units already completed carry credit into the full licence qualification.

The REIQ’s Registration-to-Full Licence upgrade is available from $850 online or from $950 in hybrid face-to-face classes. This upgrade pathway is available to those who already hold a current Salesperson Registration from the CPP Training Package (post-April 2021) and involves completing 7 units of nationally accredited competency drawn from both the Certificate IV and the Diploma of Property (Agency Management).

At the REIQ, adding the full licence pathway to the Certificate IV course costs an extra $100. This means candidates who complete the full Certificate IV at enrolment — rather than entering through the registration-only route — can achieve the full licence qualification for a relatively modest increase over the registration course price.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Candidates with significant prior property industry experience — property managers, buyers agents, or those who have worked in related roles — may be eligible to have their existing knowledge formally assessed through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). RPL fees vary considerably between providers and are assessed on a case-by-case basis, but can substantially reduce both the time and cost of completing a course for experienced practitioners.

Some providers offer RPL options to assist students with a range of study options including Recognition of Prior Learning, which may reduce course duration significantly. If you have spent years in property management or related roles, it is worth enquiring with two or three RTOs about RPL eligibility before assuming you need to complete a full course.

Government Fees: The Fixed Costs of Applying

Once training is complete, you apply to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), which administers real estate licensing in Queensland. The OFT charges regulated fees for each application, and those fees are non-refundable once processing begins.

OFT fees and charges typically increase on 1 July each year. On 1 July 2025, fees and charges increased by 3.4% in line with the government’s indexation policy. A further indexation increase can be expected on 1 July 2026, so candidates applying after that date should confirm current figures directly with the OFT before budgeting.

Criminal History Check

A mandatory criminal history check must be completed on all applications where one has not been conducted by the Office of Fair Trading within the last six months. The fee is $47.10 per person.

The OFT will submit your application for a criminal history check to confirm your suitability. This process can be thorough and may be time consuming. If you were born in New Zealand or hold a New Zealand passport, you will need to obtain a copy of your criminal history or a letter confirming no criminal history from New Zealand.

Licence and Registration Application Fees

The OFT publishes a regulated fee schedule for property industry licences and registrations, downloadable from qld.gov.au. While the OFT’s publicly accessible pages do not publish the specific dollar amounts for each licence tier in a readily scrapable format, industry practice confirms the following structure (amounts subject to annual indexation — verify current figures at qld.gov.au before lodging):

• Salesperson Registration — application fee payable at lodgement, covering a three-year registration period. Typically in the range of $300–$400 at current rates.
• Real Estate Agent Licence — individual application fee for a one or three-year licence term. Three-year licence fees are proportionally higher but represent better value over time. Typically in the range of $450–$600 for a three-year licence at current rates.

These figures are indicative based on the OFT’s published fee schedule. Fees increase on 1 July each year; the 2025 increase was 3.4%. The OFT’s fee schedule document is available as a PDF download from the Fair Trading fees page at qld.gov.au and should be treated as the authoritative source.

Additional Government Charges to Know

If a category is added to an existing licence during its term — rather than at the point of initial application or renewal — a licence reprint fee of $49.80 applies.

Appointing a substitute licensee to work for more than 30 days, or extending their period of appointment, costs $98.35. Principals running multi-agent teams should factor this into their operational budget rather than treating it as a one-off cost.

Ongoing Costs: Maintaining Your Licence After You Have It

Getting licensed is not a one-time cost. From 6 June 2025, Queensland real estate agents and auctioneers are required to complete annual CPD training to maintain their licence or registration. This is a significant change for the Queensland market — previously one of the few Australian jurisdictions without mandatory CPD.

How Queensland’s CPD System Works

You must complete two approved CPD sessions every CPD year to keep your property industry licence or registration. Each session takes approximately 2–3 hours.

Type 1 CPD sessions are linked to nationally accredited qualifications. Type 2 sessions focus on communication, ethics, and business skills topics. Both types count toward your annual obligation.

Your CPD year is based on the date your licence or registration was issued, meaning your CPD year is specific to you. Any CPD completed before your first CPD year starts will not count toward your mandatory requirements.

CPD sessions completed in other states or territories, even if approved there, will not be accepted in Queensland. Only OFT-approved CPD sessions count toward mandatory annual requirements. An approved session will carry a CPD code, for example QLDCPD20250183.

From 6 June 2026, agents will only need to confirm their CPD status when renewing or restoring their licence or registration. You do not need to send certificates to the OFT proactively, but the OFT cannot process a renewal application until CPD is complete.

CPD Costs

The cost of completing two approved CPD sessions per year varies by provider and delivery format. Face-to-face and live webinar sessions from approved providers are typically priced between $100 and $200 per session, meaning the annual CPD compliance cost sits roughly in the range of $200 to $400 for most practitioners. Agents whose licence was first issued less than 12 months ago are exempt — CPD obligations commence 12 months after the issue date of the first licence or registration.

Some providers offer bundled or membership-based pricing that covers CPD alongside other professional development content, which can be cost-effective for agents who want more than the minimum two sessions. Group or on-site delivery can also reduce per-agent costs for larger teams — one Queensland provider, for example, offers on-site group sessions for a flat fee covering up to 12 participants, which works out significantly cheaper per head than individual enrolments.

Licence Renewal Fees

Queensland real estate licences and registrations must be renewed before they expire. The OFT charges a renewal fee, which mirrors the original application fee structure and is subject to the same annual indexation. Allowing a licence to expire creates a restoration process with additional fees and compliance implications, so renewal is a cost that should be budgeted well in advance.

Full Cost Summary: What to Expect from Start to Ongoing

Putting all costs together, here is a realistic picture of what the licensing journey costs in 2026, depending on which pathway you are taking:

Pathway 1: Salesperson Registration from scratch

• Training course (online to face-to-face): approximately $500–$1,200
• OFT criminal history check: $47.10
• OFT registration application fee: approximately $300–$400 (three-year term)
• Estimated total to obtain registration: $850–$1,650

Pathway 2: Full Real Estate Agent Licence from scratch

• Training course (online to face-to-face): approximately $800–$2,000
• OFT criminal history check: $47.10
• OFT licence application fee: approximately $450–$600 (three-year term)
• Estimated total to obtain licence: $1,300–$2,650

Pathway 3: Upgrade from existing Registration to Full Licence

• Licence upgrade course: approximately $850–$1,200
• OFT criminal history check: $47.10 (if not checked within prior 6 months)
• OFT licence application fee: approximately $450–$600
• Estimated total for upgrade: $1,350–$1,850

Ongoing annual costs (all licence holders)

• 2 mandatory CPD sessions: approximately $200–$400 per year
• Licence renewal (three-yearly): approximately $450–$600

These ranges reflect the genuine market variation in 2026. A candidate who shops aggressively for the lowest-cost online course and applies at the lower end of the government fee scale could come in near the bottom of each range. A candidate who chooses a well-regarded face-to-face provider and pays for a three-year licence term will sit closer to the upper end. Neither approach is wrong — they reflect different priorities around study style, credential perception, and cash flow.

Factors That Affect the Final Cost

Several variables can push your total cost up or down significantly.

Interstate transfers. You can transfer a current, valid licence from interstate or New Zealand to the equivalent licence in Queensland. Agents holding an equivalent licence from another Australian state or New Zealand may be able to transfer without completing the full Queensland training requirement, though specific conditions and fees apply. Agents in this situation should contact the OFT directly to confirm eligibility before incurring course costs.

Superseded training packages. Training completed from the superseded Property Services training package (CPP07) will no longer be accepted for licensing purposes. Agents who completed older qualifications and have been out of the industry cannot rely on those for a new application — fresh study will be required.

Course format and pace. Delivery mode is a major fee variable. Fully online self-paced study is the cheapest format. Interactive online study (live webinars, tutor-led sessions) sits in the middle. Face-to-face workshop formats are typically the most expensive but allow completion in two to three days rather than weeks. For a candidate already working full-time who needs to complete training in the shortest possible window, the cost of a faster format may represent good value relative to delayed income.

Government fee indexation. OFT fees and charges typically increase on 1 July each year. Candidates planning to lodge applications just after 1 July should obtain updated fee figures from the OFT’s current fee schedule rather than relying on any published figure that pre-dates the new financial year.

Student payment eligibility. The REIQ is an approved education provider and the CPP41419 Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice is eligible for student payment, meaning eligible students who enrol may receive government payments such as Austudy, ABSTUDY, and Youth Allowance. Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria should investigate this before paying course fees out of pocket.

What About Professional Indemnity Insurance?

Licensed real estate agents in Queensland must maintain professional indemnity insurance and comply with trust account obligations. Professional indemnity insurance is not a licensing fee paid to the OFT, but it is a practical cost of operating as a licensed agent that should be included in any realistic total-cost analysis. Most salespersons working under a principal are covered by their agency’s PI insurance. Independent contractors and principals operating their own agencies need to hold their own cover, with premiums varying by turnover, activities, and insurer.

What This Means for Queensland Agents

The cost of getting licensed in Queensland is not prohibitive, but it is higher than many candidates initially expect once all components are accounted for. The headline course fee is just one part of a total cost that includes government application fees, a mandatory criminal history check, and now — for all licence holders — annual CPD obligations.

Queensland requires 19 units for full licensing, the highest in Australia. That reflects a deliberate regulatory decision to set a higher professional threshold for the Queensland market. For agents considering the investment: the Queensland property market is substantial, the earning potential is significant, and the training cost represents a relatively modest portion of a first year’s commission income for a productive salesperson.

For candidates choosing between providers, the key questions are whether the RTO is a registered and approved Queensland provider, what support is included in the fee, and whether the course completion timeframe suits your situation. Promotional pricing from some online RTOs can be attractive, but ensure you are comparing equivalent products — a course with no assessment support, no resubmission rights, and no access to a trainer is not equivalent to one that includes those elements, even if the headline price is lower.

The new mandatory CPD framework, effective from June 2025, has permanently changed the ongoing cost profile of holding a Queensland real estate licence. CPD is not optional — it is a mandatory condition of maintaining your licence. Budget for it annually from day one, confirm your CPD year start date using the OFT’s calculator, and complete your two sessions well before renewal is due — the OFT cannot process a renewal application until CPD is complete, so leaving it late creates avoidable delays.

For all government fee verification, always check the current regulated fee schedule at qld.gov.au before lodging an application. Fees change each financial year and no third-party source — including this article — should be treated as a substitute for the OFT’s current published figures.