What it takes to get a mortgage loan officer license in New York
New York Mortgage Loan Originator License Requirements
Total Course Hours
20 hrs
National & Elective
17 hrs
New York-Specific
3 hrs
License Fee
$175
Of the 20 hours, 3 must cover New York law and rules and the other 17 are the national SAFE Act topics and electives.
20 hours in total, 3 of them on New York law, taken out of the 20 rather than added to it. New York's continuing education is heavier than most: 11 hours a year against the federal 8.
New York requires an individual mortgage loan originator surety bond and publishes its own certification form for it, rather than leaving the obligation entirely with the employer.
Requirements verified 2026-08-11 against the official source.
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How to become a mortgage loan officer in New York
Originating mortgage loans in New York takes 20 hours of pre-licensing education from a provider approved by the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, usually written NMLS. New York State Department of Financial Services issues the license and calls it the New York Mortgage Loan Originator License.
The number to slow down on is the 3. New York requires 3 of those 20 hours to cover its own mortgage law, and they come out of the 20 rather than being added on top of them. So the total matches a state that asks for nothing of its own, which is exactly what catches people out: a generic 20-hour national course looks like the whole requirement and leaves you 3 hours short of a New York license.
Continuing education is a separate annual obligation and it does not track the pre-licensing rules. New York wants 11 hours every year, 3 of them on New York law, which is 3 more than the federal annual minimum of 8.
New York State Department of Financial Services charges $175 to apply for the New York Mortgage Loan Originator License, plus $87 for new york fingerprinting. 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.
5 providers in this comparison sell pre-licensing courses for New York, priced from $89 to $649. Read the coverage column before the price column: a package that skips the 3 New York hours is cheaper and does not get you licensed.
New York mortgage license FAQ
How many hours of coursework do I need to become a loan officer in New York? ▾
20 hours in total, of which 3 must cover New York law and rules and the remaining 17 are the national SAFE topics and electives. Note that the 3 New York hours come out of the 20 rather than being added to it, so a generic 20-hour SAFE course will not cover them. Every hour has to come from an NMLS-approved course provider.
What exam do I have to pass in New York? ▾
The SAFE Act national test carrying uniform state content. Every state and territory has adopted it, so there is no separate New York exam behind it. You need 75 percent to pass.
What does the license itself cost in New York? ▾
$175 to New York State Department of Financial Services, 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 New York? ▾
Yes. New York requires an individual mortgage loan originator surety bond and publishes its own certification form for it, rather than leaving the obligation entirely with the employer.
What does a New York mortgage license cost in total?
Course tuition is only part of it. See the full stack of state and NMLS fees.