Maybe you’re taking a break from the business, planning to switch brokerages, or intended to temporarily terminate your sponsorship relationship. No matter the reason, awareness of your continuing education (CE) completion date will save you from surprises when you’re ready to go active again.

How TREC Calculates Your CE When You Return From Inactive Status

CE credits are counted going back two years from the date you apply to go active—for both sales agents and brokers. It doesn’t matter if you go inactive for an hour, a day, a week, or more, and even a recent renewal will not factor into whether you are required to take additional education hours to return to active status. The below 30-second video explains this. 

Here's The Math

Sales agent Sandra completed all her required CE on February 1, 2022.

Sandra renewed her license on January 3, 2024. But, as of February 2, 2024, Sandra’s CE completion date is now more than two years old.

It’s now February 7, 2024, and Sandra, who is currently sponsored by Broker Elliot, is moving to a new brokerage and will be sponsored by Broker Madeline.

If Sandra goes inactive now by terminating her relationship with Broker Elliot, she will have to obtain new CE—even though she just renewed her license—once she applies to go active with Broker Madeline. Even if Sandra goes inactive for only a day, she still will be required to take CE to go active.

What Should Sandra Do?

Before terminating her relationship with Broker Elliot and going inactive, Sandra should check her CE completion date.

If she doesn’t want to take additional education hours at this time, she should first request sponsorship from Broker Madeline before going inactive. When Broker Madeline accepts Sandra’s request, Sandra’s license will switch from Broker Elliot to Broker Madeline without ever going inactive. Sandra can still fulfill her requirement to notify Broker Elliot about moving to a new brokerage without terminating her current broker sponsorship relationship and going inactive.

Why Does TREC Count CE for Going Active This Way?

This a statutory requirement in Texas Occupations Code Sections 1101.366 and 1101.367.

The Good News

Maybe you’re surprised if you find out you’ll be required to take CE before reactivating your license, but the good news is that any education you take today will be counted toward your next renewal. The process ensures no one goes more than two years on active status without taking CE, resulting in license holders who are better equipped to deal with current-day issues.