What it takes to get a mortgage loan officer license in Iowa
Iowa Mortgage Loan Originator License Requirements
Issued by Iowa Division of Banking
Total Course Hours
20 hrs
National & Elective
20 hrs
Iowa-Specific
None
License Fee
$50
All 20 hours are the national SAFE Act topics and electives. Iowa designates none of them to state law.
Iowa designates none of the 20 hours to state law, so the federal SAFE course is the whole pre-licensing requirement here. That is not true in most states, and a course bought for Iowa will not necessarily satisfy a neighboring one.
Iowa requires every originator to be covered by a surety bond. An originator employed by, or an exclusive agent of, a licensed company is covered by the company's bond; anyone who is not has to file an individual bond, in an amount the superintendent resets each year from loan volume.
Requirements verified 2026-08-11 against the official source.
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Provider profiles
How to become a mortgage loan officer in Iowa
Originating mortgage loans in Iowa takes 20 hours of pre-licensing education from a provider approved by the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, usually written NMLS. Iowa Division of Banking issues the license and calls it the Iowa Mortgage Loan Originator License.
Iowa Division of Banking charges $50 to apply for the Iowa Mortgage Loan Originator License. NMLS charges its own processing fees on top of that and those are the same in every jurisdiction, so the license costs more than the state's own figure suggests. The cost breakdown adds up the whole stack.
4 providers in this comparison sell pre-licensing courses for Iowa, priced from $249 to $599. The lowest price on a provider's site is sometimes an add-on rather than a full pre-licensing course, so the table marks which packages cover the national hours.
Iowa mortgage license FAQ
How many hours of coursework do I need to become a loan officer in Iowa? ▾
20 hours, none of which Iowa designates to state law. The course has to come from an NMLS-approved provider.
What exam do I have to pass in Iowa? ▾
The SAFE Act national test carrying uniform state content. Every state and territory has adopted it, so there is no separate Iowa exam behind it. You need 75 percent to pass.
What does the license itself cost in Iowa? ▾
$50 to Iowa Division of Banking, plus the fees NMLS charges to process the application. Course tuition is separate and varies by provider. The cost breakdown page has the full stack.
Do I need a surety bond in Iowa? ▾
Yes. Iowa requires every originator to be covered by a surety bond. An originator employed by, or an exclusive agent of, a licensed company is covered by the company's bond; anyone who is not has to file an individual bond, in an amount the superintendent resets each year from loan volume.
What does an Iowa mortgage license cost in total?
Course tuition is only part of it. See the full stack of state and NMLS fees.