What inactive status means
- No licensed activity. You can't do anything that requires a Kansas real estate license while inactive.
- No "referral" status. Kansas doesn't have one. You can affiliate with a company on a referral basis, but that doesn't make your license inactive — and completing a referral transaction requires an active license.
- You still renew. An inactive license must be renewed every cycle ($125 salesperson, $175 broker) or it expires, with the same $100 late fee and six-month forfeiture limit as an active license.
- No CE to renew inactive. The 12 hours don't need to be done by your expiration date — but they must be completed before you reactivate.
You can stay inactive indefinitely, as long as you keep renewing.
What you owe to reactivate
| Time on inactive status | Before you can reactivate |
|---|---|
| Less than 2 years (renewed without all 12 hours) | Complete the 12 hours you skipped |
| 2 or more years | The 12 hours for the immediate past renewal period, plus 6 hours for each full year on inactive status |
| 5 or more years | All of the above, plus pass the licensing exam again |
KREC suggests contacting the Commission to confirm your specific requirements — especially past the two-year mark.
How to reactivate
- Get the CE on record. Everything required for reactivation must be on file with KREC. Your current-cycle hours are visible in the Public Portal; for hours from earlier cycles, contact the Commission. The portal won't let you submit a reactivation until the required hours are complete.
- Submit the request. In the Public Portal, click Update Record next to your license, choose Reactivate License, and follow the steps.
- Company approval. The request is held until the company you're affiliating with approves it. After approval the change usually completes within minutes, unless your license is restricted or conditioned.
Brokers going inactive
If a supervising or branch broker goes inactive, another Kansas broker must take over as responsible broker (form REC-450) to keep the company open. Otherwise the affiliated licensees must move or go inactive and the company must close (form REC-440).
Sources: KREC license renewal, KREC continuing education, KREC FAQ, checked September 2026. Rules and fees change — confirm your own requirements with the Kansas Real Estate Commission.
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