Nebraska: what an unlicensed TC can do
What an unlicensed transaction coordinator may do in Nebraska, what needs a license, and why typing a contract is not the same as explaining it.
Last reviewed October 2026 from Nebraska Real Estate Commission. Nebraska contract deadlines →
What you can do without a license
The Nebraska Real Estate Commission makes the employing broker responsible for keeping unlicensed assistants out of licensed activity, whether they are employed or contracted, and tells brokers to set guidelines and procedures for monitoring them (Policy 31).
You can do (no license needed)
- Answer the phone and forward calls to licensees.
- Send listings and changes to the multiple listing service.
- Follow up on loan commitments after a contract has been negotiated.
- Assemble documents for closings.
- Get public documents from the courthouse, sewer district, water district and similar offices.
- Type contract forms under the direction of a licensee.
- Record and deposit earnest money and other trust funds.
- Schedule appointments, order routine repairs as a licensee or broker directs, and act as a courier for documents and keys.
- Write and place ads, flyers and promotional material, and place and remove signs.
- Hand out objective written information on a listing, but not at open houses, kiosks, home shows or fairs.
Needs a license
- Show property.
- Host open houses, kiosks, home show booths or fairs, or hand out materials at them.
- Answer any questions on listings, title, financing, closing and similar matters.
- Discuss or explain a contract, agreement, listing or other real estate document with anyone outside the firm.
- Be paid based on real estate activity, such as a percentage of commission or an amount tied to listings or sales.
- Negotiate or agree to a commission, commission split or referral fee for a licensee.
- Help find prospects for a licensee, unless you follow every condition of the narrow exemption in Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-885.04(9).
- Negotiate or attempt to negotiate the listing, sale, purchase, exchange, rent, lease or option of real estate for others for pay.
A practical example
- You can:
- Your agent gives you the price, earnest money and closing date, and you type them into the purchase agreement as directed.
- Refer to the agent:
- The buyer's lender asks you whether the financing contingency gives the buyer more time. Send it to your agent.
Staying on the right side of the rules
Contracted TCs are covered too
Policy 31 applies to unlicensed persons "either employed or contracted," and makes the employing broker responsible for those "employed or contracted by licensees under his or her supervision." Working as an independent contractor does not take you outside the policy.
How you are paid matters
The Commission says licensees "should not share commissions with unlicensed persons" acting as assistants, and an assistant may not "Be paid on the basis of real estate activity, such as a percentage of commission" (Policy 31). Paying an unlicensed person "for performing the services of a broker, associate broker, or salesperson" is an unfair trade practice (Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-885.24(18)).
Finding prospects needs a license
A broker is anyone who, for pay, "assists in procuring prospects" (Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-885.01(2)). The Commission's Summer 2018 newsletter says an assistant "may set appointments with existing clients or if someone calls in, but may not solicit clients or leads." A narrow exemption in 81-885.04(9) allows passing on contact details under strict conditions.
Penalties
A single act of brokerage by an unlicensed person is a violation. The Commission's director may issue a cease and desist order, and if it is ignored the Commission may fine up to $1,000 for each day of unlicensed activity after the order, or all commission earned, whichever is greater (Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-885.03).
How Closima handles it
Closima asks whether you hold a Nebraska 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 Nebraska. A license lets you also do the work in the "Needs a license" column, under a broker. Here's what's involved:
Nebraska's first license is the salesperson license. You must be at least 19 with a high school diploma or equivalent, and complete 96 hours of approved education: a 6-hour Professional Practice Standards course and three 30-hour pre-license courses, including Real Estate Principles and Practices and Nebraska Real Estate License Law. You apply through the Commission's online portal, complete a fingerprint background check, and pass the state exam given by Pearson VUE with a score of 75%. You then choose a designated broker, buy errors and omissions insurance and have the license issued within 30 days of passing. Course 7000 is due within 180 days of being licensed. How to apply.
Quick answers
Do you need a license to be a transaction coordinator in Nebraska?
No. You can work as a TC in Nebraska 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 Nebraska?
Only as typing. Nebraska lets an unlicensed assistant "Type contract forms under direction of licensee," but not discuss or explain a contract with anyone outside the firm.
What can an unlicensed TC do in Nebraska?
Answer the phone and forward calls to licensees; send listings and changes to the multiple listing service; follow up on loan commitments after a contract has been negotiated; assemble documents for closings; get public documents from the courthouse, sewer district, water district and similar offices.
What needs a real estate license in Nebraska?
Show property; host open houses, kiosks, home show booths or fairs, or hand out materials at them; answer any questions on listings, title, financing, closing and similar matters; discuss or explain a contract, agreement, listing or other real estate document with anyone outside the firm; be paid based on real estate activity, such as a percentage of commission or an amount tied to listings or sales.
How do you get a real estate license in Nebraska?
Nebraska's first license is the salesperson license. You must be at least 19 with a high school diploma or equivalent, and complete 96 hours of approved education: a 6-hour Professional Practice Standards course and three 30-hour pre-license courses, including Real Estate Principles and Practices and Nebraska Real Estate License Law. You apply through the Commission's online portal, complete a fingerprint background check, and pass the state exam given by Pearson VUE with a score of 75%. You then choose a designated broker, buy errors and omissions insurance and have the license issued within 30 days of passing. Course 7000 is due within 180 days of being licensed.
Resources
- Real Estate Salesperson Information (NREC)The Commission's education, exam and application steps for a salesperson license.
- Search for a Licensee (NREC)Check whether an agent or broker holds a Nebraska license.
- Commission Policies and Interpretations (NREC)Policy 31 lists what unlicensed assistants can and cannot do.
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-885.01: definitionsThe state law that defines a broker and salesperson, which sets what needs a license.
Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: Nebraska Real Estate Commission, (402) 471-2004, [email protected].
Source: Nebraska Real Estate Commission, Commission Policies and Interpretations, Policy 31: "Use of Unlicensed Persons by Licensees" (Amended November 19, 2020).
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: Nebraska contract deadlines · TC duties, licensed and unlicensed · How to become a transaction coordinator
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