Idaho: what an unlicensed TC can do
What an unlicensed transaction coordinator may do in Idaho, what needs a license, and why most everyday TC tasks sit on the Commission's licensed-assistant list.
Last reviewed October 2026 from Idaho Real Estate Commission. Idaho contract deadlines →
What you can do without a license
Your designated broker is responsible for everything you do, and any assistant on a transaction must be supervised by the licensee of record. The Commission says brokers should have a written office policy on the duties and limits of assistants (Idaho Real Estate Commission Guideline #17).
You can do (no license needed)
- Do clerical work for your broker or agent, including gathering information for a listing.
- Give contractors, home inspectors and appraisers access to a property, with the seller's permission.
- Hand out prepared information at an open house, as long as no negotiating, offering, selling or contracting happens.
- Answer simple questions about the brokerage's listings using MLS printouts, flyers, data sheets and marketing materials prepared by the brokerage or your agent.
- Deliver paperwork to the licensees on the other side of the transaction.
- Deliver paperwork to customers or clients after your agent has reviewed and approved it, without giving opinions, advice or interpretations.
- Help prepare market analyses for sellers or buyers, under the direction and approval of the licensee.
Needs a license
- Negotiate, list or sell real property.
- Independently draft legal documents such as listing agreements and sales contracts.
- Give opinions, advice or interpretations about those documents.
- Give potential buyers access to a property.
- Share any information about a listing other than what your broker or agent prepared.
- Take on the overall responsibility for a transaction once it is under contract.
- Receive a share of a licensee's commission.
A practical example
- You can:
- Your agent approves the signed counteroffer and asks you to deliver it to the buyer's agent. You send it as is.
- Refer to the agent:
- The buyer asks you what the inspection objection deadline means for them. Send it to your agent.
Staying on the right side of the rules
How you can be paid
"Licensees should not directly share commissions with unlicensed assistants. An assistant may be paid on a per transaction basis as part of a regulated real estate transaction" (Guideline #17). Idaho Code 54-2054(2) bars a licensee from paying any part of a commission to a person who is not actively licensed as a broker.
Closing is part of the definition
Idaho's definition of a real estate broker includes "Any person who directly or indirectly engages in, directs, or takes any part in the procuring of prospects or in the negotiating or closing of any transaction" that results in a sale, listing or purchase (Idaho Code 54-2004(39)(d)). Keep your closing work to tasks your agent directs.
No shared passwords
The Commission says "Licensees should NEVER share passwords with assistants" and that clients should know a third party may see their confidential information (Guideline #17).
Penalties
The Commission may impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 on any person found to have acted without a license in violation of Idaho Code 54-2002 (Idaho Code 54-2059(2)).
How Closima handles it
Closima asks whether you hold a Idaho license. If you don't, purchase agreements and addenda go to your agent with a link: they check every value and complete the form, and Closima records that a licensee completed it. If you do, you fill them in yourself and send them to your agent for approval before they go out. Everything else (deadlines, documents, emails, other forms) works as usual.
Thinking about a license?
You don't need one to work as a TC in Idaho. A license lets you also do the work in the "Needs a license" column, under a broker. Here's what's involved:
Idaho's first license is the salesperson license. You must be at least 18 and a high school graduate or equivalent, complete two 45-hour prelicense courses (Salesperson Prelicense Module 1 and Module 2) with full attendance and at least 70% on each course final, and finish them within the 3 years before you apply. You then pass the licensing exam, which has a national portion and an Idaho portion, and apply to the Idaho Real Estate Commission through DOPL's online services. How to apply.
Quick answers
Do you need a license to be a transaction coordinator in Idaho?
No. You can work as a TC in Idaho without a real estate license. Stick to administrative work under a licensed agent and their broker, and leave anything that needs a license to them.
Can an unlicensed TC fill out a purchase agreement in Idaho?
No, not on your own. Idaho's Commission says unlicensed assistants "should never independently draft legal documents such as listing and sales contracts," so leave completing purchase agreements to the licensee.
What can an unlicensed TC do in Idaho?
Do clerical work for your broker or agent, including gathering information for a listing; give contractors, home inspectors and appraisers access to a property, with the seller's permission; hand out prepared information at an open house, as long as no negotiating, offering, selling or contracting happens; answer simple questions about the brokerage's listings using MLS printouts, flyers, data sheets and marketing materials prepared by the brokerage or your agent; deliver paperwork to the licensees on the other side of the transaction.
What needs a real estate license in Idaho?
Negotiate, list or sell real property; independently draft legal documents such as listing agreements and sales contracts; give opinions, advice or interpretations about those documents; give potential buyers access to a property; share any information about a listing other than what your broker or agent prepared.
How do you get a real estate license in Idaho?
Idaho's first license is the salesperson license. You must be at least 18 and a high school graduate or equivalent, complete two 45-hour prelicense courses (Salesperson Prelicense Module 1 and Module 2) with full attendance and at least 70% on each course final, and finish them within the 3 years before you apply. You then pass the licensing exam, which has a national portion and an Idaho portion, and apply to the Idaho Real Estate Commission through DOPL's online services.
Resources
- Guideline #17: Real Estate Assistants, Transaction Coordinators, and Office StaffThe Commission's guidance on what licensed and unlicensed assistants and TCs may do.
- REC Statutes, Rules, and GuidanceLinks to the license law, the Commission's rules and all of its guidelines.
- Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 20The real estate license law, including who needs a license (54-2002) and the broker definition (54-2004).
- DOPL license searchCheck whether an agent or broker holds an active Idaho license.
Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: Idaho Real Estate Commission (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses), 208-334-3233, [email protected].
Source: Idaho Real Estate Commission, Guideline #17, "Real Estate Assistants, Transaction Coordinators, and Office Staff – Licensed AND Unlicensed" (Revised May 2023).
Buying or selling a home yourself? These pages are for people who work in real estate. Work with a licensed agent or a real estate attorney.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, and your broker's policies may be stricter: confirm your duties with your supervising broker and your state's real estate regulator.
See also: Idaho contract deadlines · TC duties, licensed and unlicensed · How to become a transaction coordinator
Run your files with Closima
Deadlines from your state's contract, documents tracked, follow-up emails drafted, and forms filled the right way for your state. Your first 3 transactions are free, with no monthly fee.
Start free →