Wisconsin: what an unlicensed TC can do

What Wisconsin law lets an unlicensed personal assistant do, what needs a license, and the written agreement your agent must have before you start.

Last reviewed October 2026 from Wisconsin Statutes. Wisconsin contract deadlines →

What you can do without a license

You work "on behalf of and under the direction of" a firm or its licensees (Wis. Stat. 452.03(2)). Before a licensee retains you, they must sign a written agreement with their firm that sets out your duties, how you're paid, and who supervises you (452.34(2)).

A practical example

You can:

Your agent sends you the accepted offer. You open the file, send it to the lender and title company, and put the contingency deadlines on the calendar.

Refer to the agent:

The buyer's agent calls to ask whether the seller would extend the inspection deadline. Send it to your agent.

Staying on the right side of the rules

No official task list

Wisconsin's statute and the Real Estate Examining Board's rules don't list tasks an unlicensed personal assistant may do. The test is whether the work is "purely administrative, clerical, or personal in nature" (452.03(2)), and an unlicensed personal assistant is someone employed "only to provide services for which a license is not required" (452.34(1)). Ask your broker where the line is.

Filling in approved forms

Wisconsin licensees must use Board-approved forms, such as the offer to purchase (REEB 16.04(1)). The rules define "use a form" as "to complete a contractual or conveyance form by filling in the blanks or modifying printed provisions on a form for the purpose of accomplishing the instruction of a party," and say "A licensee may use approved forms only in those transactions in which the licensee is acting in a capacity as licensee" (REEB 16.02(5), 16.05(3)). These rules speak only to licensees. None says whether an unlicensed assistant may fill in a form.

Licensed assistants

A licensee associated with a firm may personally employ or engage licensed people "only as unlicensed personal assistants" (REEB 17.03(2)). If you hold a license and work as someone's personal assistant, you may still do only work that needs no license (452.34(1)).

Penalties

Acting as a broker or salesperson without a license can bring a fine of up to $5,000, up to 6 months in prison, or both (Wis. Stat. 452.17(1)).

How Closima handles it

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

Wisconsin's first license is the real estate salesperson license. You complete the Board-approved 72-hour salesperson pre-license course within 4 years before applying (or 10 semester-hour credits in real estate or real estate-related law), pass the Wisconsin salesperson exam with Pearson (scores are valid for 1 year), and apply in DSPS's LicensE system. You can ask to associate with a Wisconsin firm in the application using Form 812. How to apply.

Quick answers

Resources

• Real Estate Salesperson (RES) - DSPSDSPS's page for the salesperson license: ways to apply, firm association, renewal and CE.
• Wis. Stat. 452.34, Unlicensed personal assistantsThe law on unlicensed personal assistants: the written agreement and open house limits.
• Wis. Admin. Code ch. REEB 16, Approved Forms and Legal AdviceThe Board's rules on approved forms and who may use them.
• Statutes & Codes, Real Estate Examining BoardDSPS links to chapter 452 and every REEB chapter.

Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: Wisconsin Real Estate Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services), 608-266-2112, [email protected].