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South Carolina: what an unlicensed TC can do

What an unlicensed transaction coordinator may do in South Carolina, what needs a license, and why offers and contracts stay with the licensee.

Last reviewed October 2026 from South Carolina Code of Laws. South Carolina contract deadlines →

Yes, you can work as a TC in South Carolina 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. Here's where the line is.

What you can do without a license

South Carolina law requires the broker-in-charge to adequately supervise employees. The Commission's recommended supervision guidelines say the broker-in-charge must make sure no unlicensed person connected to the office engages in the practice of real estate.

You can do (no license needed)

Work under the supervision of a broker-in-charge, who is responsible for adequately supervising employees.
Go over the broker-in-charge's list of activities you may not do, which the Commission's guidelines tell the broker-in-charge to provide and review with you.
Sign and return the broker-in-charge's acknowledgment of permissible and non-permissible activities.
Answer questions about company listings, title, financing or closing only with information that is otherwise publicly available.
Pass questions about contracts and other real estate documents to your licensee.
Ask your broker-in-charge before taking on a task you aren't sure about. South Carolina has no official list of allowed tasks for sales assistants.

Needs a license

Discuss, negotiate or explain a contract, listing agreement, buyer agency agreement, lease or other real estate document.
Answer questions about company listings, title, financing or closing issues, except with information that is otherwise publicly available.
Conduct or host an open house, or show real property for sale (other than vacant units in a multifamily building).
Be paid solely on the basis of real estate activity, such as a percentage of commission or an amount based on the listing or sale.
Negotiate or agree to compensation for a licensee, including commission splits, management fees or referral fees.
Engage in any activity that requires a real estate license.

"Transaction manager" is in the broker definitionSouth Carolina defines a broker to include someone who, for a fee or other compensation, "offers services as a real estate consultant, counselor, or transaction manager" (S.C. Code 40-57-30(6)(d)), and it is unlawful to act as a broker or "provide services as such" without a license (40-57-20). If you offer your services to agents or brokerages on your own, talk to a broker-in-charge or a lawyer about how this applies before you take on files.

A practical example

You can:: A caller asks about one of your company's listings. You give them only the details already shown in the public online listing.
Refer to the agent:: The buyer asks what a contract clause means, or wants to change the offer. Send it to your agent.

Staying on the right side of the rules

Offers and contracts belong to the licensee

South Carolina law says a licensee shall "upon receipt, prepare all offers in writing" and "properly complete an agency agreement, transaction broker agreement, offer, and counteroffer," and that the broker-in-charge shall ensure supervised licensees prepare all offers and counteroffers in writing (S.C. Code 40-57-135(H) and (I)).

No employee exemption

In its July 2019 newsletter, the Commission wrote that "there is no 'employee exemption' from Real Estate licensing requirements," even for people employed by a property owner or home builder.

Penalties

The Department can issue citations and assess administrative penalties against "any individual or entity, including unlicensed individuals": up to $500 for a first violation, $1,000 for a second within five years, and $10,000 for a third or later (S.C. Code 40-57-725). A licensee can be disciplined for paying an unlicensed person for activities that require a license (40-57-710(A)(12)).

Get the list in writing

The Commission's recommended supervision guidelines tell the broker-in-charge to give unlicensed employees and contractors a list of non-permissible activities and to have each one sign an acknowledgment. If you haven't been given one, ask for it.

How Closima handles it

Closima asks whether you hold a South Carolina 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 South Carolina. A license lets you also do the work in the "Needs a license" column, under a broker. Here's what's involved:

South Carolina's first license is the associate license. You complete 60 hours of Unit I Fundamentals of Real Estate and 30 hours of Unit II Advanced Real Estate Principles, pass fingerprint and Social Security number background checks, and pass the national and state exams, then apply with a $25 application fee. Before the license is issued you pay a $50 initial licensure fee and submit a Supervision Attestation Form. An associate must be licensed under a broker-in-charge. How to apply.

Quick answers

Do you need a license to be a transaction coordinator in South Carolina?

No. You can work as a TC in South Carolina 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 South Carolina?

No. South Carolina law says the licensee prepares all offers in writing and completes offers and counteroffers.

What can an unlicensed TC do in South Carolina?

Work under the supervision of a broker-in-charge, who is responsible for adequately supervising employees; go over the broker-in-charge's list of activities you may not do, which the Commission's guidelines tell the broker-in-charge to provide and review with you; sign and return the broker-in-charge's acknowledgment of permissible and non-permissible activities; answer questions about company listings, title, financing or closing only with information that is otherwise publicly available; pass questions about contracts and other real estate documents to your licensee.

What needs a real estate license in South Carolina?

Discuss, negotiate or explain a contract, listing agreement, buyer agency agreement, lease or other real estate document; answer questions about company listings, title, financing or closing issues, except with information that is otherwise publicly available; conduct or host an open house, or show real property for sale (other than vacant units in a multifamily building); be paid solely on the basis of real estate activity, such as a percentage of commission or an amount based on the listing or sale; negotiate or agree to compensation for a licensee, including commission splits, management fees or referral fees.

How do you get a real estate license in South Carolina?

Resources

Associate licenseThe Commission's page for the associate license: eligibility check, required documents, online application and exam information.
Associate license requirements and application processThe checklist: age and education, 90 hours of pre-licensing education, background checks, exams and application documents.
Licensee lookupLLR's search for checking an agent's or broker's license.
BIC/PMIC Supervision Recommended GuidelinesThe Commission's guide for brokers-in-charge, including section 3.8 on unlicensed activity and a sample list of prohibited activities.
Real Estate License Law (S.C. Code Title 40, Chapter 57)The statute. Section 40-57-135(K) lists what unlicensed individuals may not do.
Frequently asked questionsThe Commission's FAQ, including what unlicensed individuals are prohibited from doing and paying unlicensed people.
Continuing educationLicensees complete 10 hours of SC-approved continuing education each renewal cycle unless exempt.

Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: South Carolina Real Estate Commission (SC LLR), (803) 896-4400, [email protected].

Source: South Carolina Code of Laws, S.C. Code § 40-57-135 (Duties of broker-in-charge and property manager-in-charge; ... unlicensed employees), as quoted in the South Carolina Real Estate Commission's FAQ (Last amended by 2024 Act No. 204, eff. May 21, 2024 (online Code current through the 2026 Session)).

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.

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