How to Start a Real Estate Brokerage in Indiana: Broker License and Firm Setup

Starting a real estate brokerage in Indiana takes two separate licenses and one state business registration. The Indiana Real Estate Commission, which operates through the Professional Licensing Agency (PLA), licenses individual brokers and broker companies. Your individual broker license lets you practice. The broker company license lets you run a firm. That firm must be a registered entity with the Indiana Secretary of State and must designate a managing broker. This guide covers the sequence, the fees we have verified, and the points the state has not yet confirmed.

Informational content only. This article explains general Indiana licensing and business formation steps. It is not legal or tax advice. Fees, forms, and rules change, so confirm every figure with the agency named before you file or pay. For your firm's structure, contracts, and tax treatment, consult an Indiana attorney and a certified public accountant (CPA).

What You Need Before You Start

• Personal identification and contact details for the PLA application
• Funds for state fees: $60.00 for the individual broker application, $50.00 for the broker company application, and $95 for the Secretary of State entity filing, plus online processing fees
• A completion certificate from a 90-hour broker pre-licensing course
• An original Pearson VUE score report for the broker exam
• A business name that is distinguishable from names already on Indiana's records
• An Indiana registered agent with a street address for the registered office
• A managing broker who holds an active Indiana broker license for at least three years
• Access to INBiz, the Secretary of State's online filing portal

Step 1: Choose Your Structure and Understand the Two Licenses

Indiana issues an individual broker license to a person and a broker company license to a firm. Because the firm must be registered with the Secretary of State, most owners choose a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation before they file the broker company application. The structure also affects your taxes, which are covered later in this guide.

Note that the broker route does not require prior agent experience before licensing. Indiana's entry license is the broker license. The three-year requirement applies to managing broker eligibility, which is a separate credential covered in Step 6.

Step 2: Complete the 90-Hour Broker Pre-Licensing Course

The broker pre-licensing course is 90 hours. The PLA publishes a list of 90-hour pre-licensure providers, so start there and enroll only with a provider on that list. Tuition is set by each provider, so compare total costs, exam preparation, and course formats before you pay. Keep your completion certificate, because your exam window starts when the course ends.

Step 3: Pass the Broker Exam Through Pearson VUE

Schedule the broker exam through Pearson VUE. Under 876 IAC 6, you must pass it within one year of completing the course. If your course ends in March, book your exam with that deadline in mind and avoid waiting until the final month.

Once you pass, you need the original score report for your PLA application. Confirm how Pearson VUE issues it and keep the record with your course certificate.

Step 4: File the Individual Broker License Application

File your individual broker application with the PLA. The application fee is $60.00. That fee is nonrefundable, and online processing fees apply on top of it. Our verified figures do not include the processing fee amount, so confirm it on the PLA's real estate licensing information page before you pay.

Submit your original Pearson VUE score report and course documentation as the PLA's instructions require. Check the current forms before you file, because required attachments can change.

Step 5: Register the Entity, Reserve the Name, and Appoint a Registered Agent

Form your entity through INBiz at inbiz.in.gov. For an LLC, file the Articles of Organization, Domestic Limited Liability Company (State Form 49459). For a corporation, file the Articles of Incorporation, Domestic Corporation (State Form 4159). Each carries a $95 filing fee. The Articles of Organization are completed and paid in a single online INBiz session. The Secretary of State does not publish a processing time for formations and does not offer an expedited option, so do not promise clients or landlords an opening date until your entity shows as active.

Name rules. An LLC name must include the words Limited Liability Company or an abbreviation of them. The name must also be distinguishable on Secretary of State records. Entity identifiers such as Inc. or LLC, punctuation, capitalization, and plurals do not make a name distinguishable. That means Ridgeview Realty LLC and Ridgeview Realty Inc. conflict with each other. If you want to hold a name while you finish the paperwork, reserve it on INBiz for $10. The reservation lasts 120 days.

Assumed name. If your firm will advertise under a name other than its registered legal name, file a Certificate of Assumed Business Name (State Form 30353). For entities already registered with the state, the online fee is $20 per name through INBiz. Ask the Secretary of State whether your structure needs this filing before you order signs.

Registered agent. Your entity must continuously maintain a registered agent and a registered office in Indiana. The agent receives service of process and legal and tax documents. The agent can be an Indiana resident whose business office is the registered office, or a corporation or other entity authorized to do business in Indiana. The registered office must be a street address. A P.O. Box is not sufficient unless it comes with a rural route reference. Your brokerage cannot be its own registered agent, and an entity may have only one agent.

Step 6: Designate a Managing Broker

Every broker company must designate a managing broker. To qualify, the person must hold an active Indiana broker license for at least three years, complete a 24-hour managing broker course, and pass the broker exam through Pearson VUE.

This is the step that stops many new owners. If you have held your broker license for less than three years, you do not meet managing broker eligibility, and you cannot name yourself as the designated managing broker on day one. Plan to hire or partner with an eligible managing broker, and confirm with the Indiana Real Estate Commission how your specific situation applies.

Step 7: File the Broker Company Application

After your entity is registered and your managing broker is designated, file the broker company application with the PLA. The fee is $50.00, nonrefundable, plus online processing fees. Keep your Secretary of State registration confirmation with your application records, because the company application depends on that registration.

Step 8: Add Branches, Confirm Trust Account Rules, and Calendar Your Education

Branch offices carry no application fee. Check the PLA's branch requirements before you open a second location, because you still need to meet the state's rules for each one.

Trust accounts are an open item. We have not confirmed Indiana's escrow and trust-account rules for a brokerage. Before you accept earnest money or any other client funds, get written answers from the Indiana Real Estate Commission about the account type, recordkeeping, and who may sign on the account.

Fees at a Glance

Item	Amount	Where to Pay or Confirm
Individual broker application	$60.00, nonrefundable	PLA
Broker company application	$50.00, nonrefundable	PLA
Branch office application	No application fee	PLA
Online processing fees	Amount not verified; confirm before paying	PLA
Articles of Organization (LLC) or Articles of Incorporation (corporation)	$95	Secretary of State, INBiz
Name reservation	$10 for 120 days	Secretary of State, INBiz
Assumed business name certificate, online	$20 per name	Secretary of State, INBiz
Business Entity Report	$32, every other year	Secretary of State
90-hour broker pre-licensing course	Set by each provider	PLA-listed provider
24-hour managing broker course	Set by provider; confirm requirements	Provider and PLA

Ongoing Obligations After You Open

• Post-licensing education: The PLA reports 30 hours due within the first two years. Confirm this requirement on the PLA page.
• Continuing education: The PLA reports 12 hours each July 1 to June 30. Confirm this on the PLA page as well.
• Business Entity Report: $32 every other year, due by the end of the month in which the entity was formed. The first report is due two years after formation. Paper filing costs $50.

How Your Entity Choice Affects Taxes

Indiana has no franchise tax. An LLC's income generally passes through to its owners, who pay the individual adjusted gross income tax of 2.95% for 2026, plus their county local income tax. The rate is scheduled to fall to 2.90% in 2027. An LLC that elects corporate treatment, and a corporation, pay the corporate adjusted gross income tax of 4.9%. Rates and scheduling can change, so confirm them with the Indiana Department of Revenue, and have a CPA model the choice against your expected income.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming you need years of agent experience before the broker license. Indiana's entry license is the broker license. The three-year rule applies to managing broker eligibility.
• Naming yourself managing broker too early. You need three years as an active Indiana broker before you qualify.
• Letting the exam window lapse. The broker exam must be passed within one year of completing the course.
• Filing the company application before the entity exists. The firm needs its Secretary of State registration first.
• Choosing a name that conflicts. Adding Inc. or LLC does not make a name distinguishable.
• Using a P.O. Box as the registered office. A street address is required unless the box comes with a rural route reference.
• Expecting refunds. The $60.00 and $50.00 application fees are nonrefundable.
• Missing the Business Entity Report. It is required every other year, and the first one is due two years after formation.
• Opening a trust account before confirming the rules. Escrow and trust-account requirements are not confirmed in our research.

What Results to Expect

A first-time applicant who works through the steps in order may find that the course and exam set the pace, because both require scheduling and both feed later filings. The PLA and the Secretary of State did not publish a standard processing time in the information we verified, so your timeline may vary. Build a buffer into your plan before you sign a lease, order signage, or advertise listings. Keep a copy of every receipt, confirmation page, and score report, since those records make it easier to answer questions from the agency or from your attorney.

If your firm will have more than one owner, hold outside funds, or plan to operate in several states, the setup may be more involved than this guide describes. In those cases, an Indiana attorney can review your structure and operating agreement, and a CPA can review your tax position. The Indiana Small Business Development Center also offers business advising to owners who are forming a company.

Official Resources

• Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division: https://www.in.gov/sos/business/
• INBiz online filings: https://inbiz.in.gov/
• Secretary of State business entity search: https://bsd.sos.in.gov/publicbusinesssearch
• Indiana Department of Revenue: https://www.in.gov/dor/
• Indiana Small Business Development Center: https://isbdc.org/
• U.S. Small Business Administration, Indiana district: https://www.sba.gov/district/indiana
• Indiana Professional Licensing Agency: search in.gov for Real Estate Licensing Information to find the current PLA page, the list of 90-hour pre-licensure providers, and the processing fee amount.

This article is informational only and is not legal or tax advice. Confirm each fee, form, and deadline with the agency named before you act.