How to Start a Real Estate Brokerage in Hawaii: Broker License After 3 of 5 Years as a Salesperson, Principal Broker Rule and Even-Year December 31 Renewals

If you want to run your own real estate brokerage in Hawaii, the path has a fixed order. You need a current Hawaii salesperson license, a Commission-approved broker prelicense course, and qualifying full-time experience under a Hawaii broker. After that comes the broker exam, then the registration of your business entity or trade name with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), and then renewals on the December 31 even-year cycle. This guide walks through how to start a real estate brokerage business in Hawaii in that order, with the fees and deadlines posted by the agencies.

Informational only: This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Licensing rules, fees and deadlines change. Confirm everything with the named agency before you file or pay, and talk with a Hawaii real estate attorney and a CPA about your ownership structure.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather these items before you file anything. A missing document usually stalls the application, so it helps to assemble everything first.

• A current Hawaii real estate salesperson license
• Your certificate from a Commission-approved broker prelicense course
• Dated records of your full-time salesperson work, including the Hawaii broker you worked under and the dates of each period
• A decision on structure: sole proprietor broker, or an LLC, corporation or partnership
• For an entity, a name that meets DCCA rules, a registered agent with a physical Hawaii address, and the formation document (Form LLC-1 for an LLC or Form DC-1 for a corporation)
• A one-time $20 General Excise Tax (GET) license from the Hawaii Department of Taxation
• Money set aside for filing and license fees (see the fee table below)
• A plan for your Hawaii business address, bank account and bookkeeping

Step-by-Step: From Salesperson to Broker

Step 1: Confirm your salesperson license is current

Broker applicants need a current Hawaii salesperson license (HRS 467-8 and 467-9.5). Check your status with the Hawaii Real Estate Commission through the DCCA website at cca.hawaii.gov. A lapsed salesperson license breaks the chain of qualifying work, so treat renewal as part of the broker plan, not a separate task.

Step 2: Complete a Commission-approved broker prelicense course

Only a broker prelicense course approved by the Commission counts. This article does not state the course hours, length, format or cost, because we have not confirmed those details. Ask the Commission or your course provider for the current requirement before you enroll, and keep your completion certificate with your application records.

Step 3: Build qualifying experience within the 5-year window

The core rule is that you need experience as a full-time Hawaii salesperson under a Hawaii broker for at least 3 of the 5 years before your experience application (HRS 467-8 and 467-9.5). Three details matter:

• The count runs over the 5 years before the application, not from the day you first got your license.
• The work must be full-time. Part-time work does not meet the requirement as written.
• The work must be under a Hawaii broker and in Hawaii. Experience that does not meet all three parts will not count.

Many applicants discover too late that they counted calendar years instead of qualifying months. Pull your transaction and brokerage records now and map them against this window.

Step 4: Get your experience approved before you sit for the exam

Your experience must be approved before you take the broker exam. Build the sequence in this order: submit the experience application, wait for Commission approval, then schedule the exam. Booking the exam early and hoping the experience approval follows is a common and avoidable mistake.

Step 5: Pass the broker exam and apply for your broker license

Confirm the exam content, scheduling, passing requirements and fees with the Hawaii Real Estate Commission before you register. We have not confirmed those details, so we have not stated them here. Once you pass, apply for the broker license. The Commission's posted fee schedule for broker licenses appears in the fee table below. Check the Commission's fee page for updates before you pay, because the posted schedule can change.

Step 6: Choose your structure and understand the principal broker rule

Hawaii treats an LLC, corporation or partnership brokerage differently from a sole proprietor broker. An entity brokerage must be under the direct management of a principal broker, and the entity or trade name must be registered with DCCA Business Registration (HRS 467-8). Keep these points in mind:

• Sole proprietor broker: You hold the broker license as an individual. The Commission's posted schedule lists a $65 license fee and a $298 renewal fee.
• Entity brokerage: The LLC, corporation or partnership must have direct management by a principal broker. Confirm with the Commission how the principal broker role must be documented for your entity before you file.
• Salespeople cannot use a trade name: A salesperson license cannot carry a trade name (HRS 467-8). If your company operates under a brand name, the brand belongs to the brokerage, and the salespeople work under it.

If you plan to hire salespeople under your brand, decide your structure first. Changing from a sole proprietorship to an entity later means new filings and possibly new license paperwork.

Step 7: Register your entity with DCCA Business Registration

For an LLC, file Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) with the Business Registration Division (BREG) of DCCA. The filing fee is $50 plus a $1.00 State Archives fee. BREG describes online filing through Hawaii Business Express at hbe.dcca.hawaii.gov as the most efficient method. For a corporation, file Articles of Incorporation (Form DC-1), also $50 plus the $1.00 State Archives fee.

Work through these requirements before you file:

• Name: An LLC name must contain Limited Liability Company, or the abbreviation L.L.C. or LLC. Limited may be abbreviated as Ltd. and Company as Co. The name cannot be substantially identical to one already registered (HRS 428-105 and HAR 16-36-15). Search the name for free at the BREG business search before you commit to it.
• Name reservation: You can reserve a name for 120 days for $10.
• Registered agent: Every entity must name a registered agent who is an individual or entity authorized to transact business in Hawaii and physically present in the State. The Articles must state the agent's complete Hawaii street address. An LLC cannot be its own registered agent (HRS 428-107 and 425R-4). A commercial registered agent files a listing statement with BREG for $100.
• Processing time: BREG does not publish a standard turnaround time. Expedited review normally costs an extra $25 per document, but BREG states that expedited processing is not available at this time following the July 6, 2026 move to the new registration system. Plan for routine processing.

Step 8: Register a trade name if you will operate under one

If your brokerage will operate under a name other than the entity name, register a trade name with Form T-1 through BREG at cca.hawaii.gov/breg/registration/trade/. The fee is $50 plus a $1 State Archives preservation fee. Registration is valid for five years, and the Department does not send renewal notices, so put the expiration date on your calendar the day you file. Hawaii has no county-level DBA filing. The trade name page also lists an optional $20 expedited review fee, but BREG says expedited processing is not available right now, so confirm that before you pay for it.

Step 9: Get your GET license and plan for the General Excise Tax

Hawaii has no sales tax. Instead, the General Excise Tax (GET) is levied on your business's gross receipts. The state rate is 4.0% plus a 0.5% county surcharge, for a 4.5% rate on retail goods and services, rents, construction contracting and commissions. Confirm with the Department of Taxation at tax.hawaii.gov how your brokerage receipts are classified.

Every business doing business in Hawaii must hold a GET license. It is a one-time $20 fee, applied for on Form BB-1 or through Hawaii Tax Online at tax.hawaii.gov/get/. The license stays active until you close, surrender or lose it. Processing is immediate in person, 5 to 7 business days through Hawaii Tax Online, and 4 to 6 weeks by mail. You must file periodic and annual GET returns even in a period with no income, so set up a filing calendar before your first month of operation.

Step 10: Calendar your December 31 even-year renewals

All real estate licenses expire on December 31 of even-numbered years. The next expiration is December 31, 2026, and 2026 renewals opened October 19, 2026. Renewal requires 20 hours of continuing education completed in the prior two years. If you miss that requirement, the license goes inactive (HRS 467-11 and 467-11.5). Renewal fees are in the table below.

Your business filings run on separate clocks:

• LLC annual report: $12.50 per year, due by the end of the calendar quarter that matches your registration quarter. Registered January 1 to March 31, due March 31. Registered April 1 to June 30, due June 30. Registered July 1 to September 30, due September 30. Registered October 1 to December 31, due December 31. No report is due in the year you registered.
• Trade name: Re-register every five years, since no renewal notice is sent.

Fee Summary

The table below lists the figures from the agencies' posted schedules. Confirm each one on the relevant agency page before you pay.

Item	Amount	Notes
LLC Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1)	$50	File online through Hawaii Business Express
Corporation Articles of Incorporation (Form DC-1)	$50	Filed with BREG
Name reservation	$10	Holds the name for 120 days
LLC annual report	$12.50	Due yearly by the end of the registration quarter
Trade name registration (Form T-1)	$50 plus $1 archives fee	Valid five years
Commercial registered agent listing statement	$100	Filed with BREG
GET license	$20	One-time fee
Broker entity license	$486 (odd year) or $349 (even year)	Commission's posted schedule; confirm for your year
Broker entity renewal	$343	Renewal cycle ends December 31 of even years
Sole proprietor broker license	$65	Commission's posted schedule
Sole proprietor broker renewal	$298	Renewal cycle ends December 31 of even years
Salesperson license	$382 or $282	Confirm which applies for your year
Salesperson renewal	$268	Renewal cycle ends December 31 of even years

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Counting the wrong window. The 3 years must fall within the 5 years before your experience application, and they must be full-time, under a Hawaii broker.
• Booking the exam before experience approval. Get the experience approved first.
• Letting the salesperson license lapse. Missing the 20 hours of continuing education or the December 31 deadline makes the license inactive.
• Putting a trade name on a salesperson license. The law does not allow it (HRS 467-8).
• Picking an LLC name without the required words. Use Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or LLC.
• Naming the LLC as its own registered agent. That is not permitted.
• Missing the annual report. Mark the quarter-end that matches your registration quarter, and remember the first report is not due in the year you registered.
• Forgetting trade name renewal. No reminder comes from the Department, so calendar the five-year date at registration.
• Skipping GET returns in slow months. Returns are required even when you have no income.
• Assuming expedited service is available. BREG says it is not available at this time.
• Using a single fee for the entity license. The posted fee depends on whether the year is odd or even.

Expected Results

Following these steps in order may help you avoid the most common delays. Applicants who verify the experience window, get approvals in sequence and calendar every deadline in advance often report fewer surprises, though the Commission and BREG set their own timelines and no outcome is guaranteed. A brokerage launch may also take longer than the filings themselves, because hiring, insurance decisions, office setup and first transactions depend on factors outside this guide.

After licensing, the Hawaii Real Estate Recovery Fund may pay up to $25,000 per transaction on certain fraud claims (HRS 467-16). That fund protects members of the public who suffer losses. It is not coverage for your business, so decide separately how you will handle your own risk, and ask an insurance professional about the options available to you.

Next Steps and Free Help

1. Confirm your salesperson license is current and note your December 31, 2026 renewal date.
2. Enroll in a Commission-approved broker prelicense course and keep the certificate.
3. Map your full-time Hawaii salesperson work against the 5-year window.
4. Submit the experience application and wait for approval before booking the exam.
5. Decide between a sole proprietor broker license and an entity brokerage, and confirm the principal broker requirements with the Commission.
6. Search and reserve your entity name, then file with BREG and name a registered agent with a Hawaii address.
7. Register any trade name, calendar its five-year expiration, and obtain your $20 GET license.
8. Set up GET filings and, if you will have employees, review your obligations under the Prepaid Health Care Act with the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

For free planning help, contact the Hawaii Small Business Development Center, and review Hawaii resources from the U.S. Small Business Administration. For complex ownership, employment or tax questions, consult a Hawaii real estate attorney and a CPA before you file.

Disclaimer: This article is informational only and is not legal, tax or licensing advice. Verify every fee, deadline and requirement with the Hawaii Real Estate Commission, DCCA Business Registration Division, or the Hawaii Department of Taxation before you act.