Key takeaways
- →All RECA licences — real estate, mortgage brokerage, and condominium management — expire on September 30 every year, regardless of when the individual licence was originally issued.
- →Since May 2025, all mortgage licensees must complete the Mandatory Re-Licensing Education on Private Lending before renewing, applying equally to mortgage associates and mortgage brokers.
- →Renewal is submitted through myRECA, and a licence not renewed by the September 30 deadline is automatically cancelled.
- →There's no described grace period on RECA's site — the safer approach is treating the deadline as fixed and completing required education well ahead of it.
Alberta runs mortgage licence renewal on a single fixed date, not a rolling anniversary tied to when you were first licensed. That makes the cycle predictable, but it also means every licensee — brand-new associate or veteran broker — is working against the same calendar deadline every year.
Here's what that deadline looks like, what RECA requires before you hit it, and what happens if you don't.
01 · When do Alberta mortgage licences expire?
September 30, every year. All RECA licences — real estate, mortgage brokerage, and condominium management — expire on that same date regardless of when they were originally issued, and renewal has to be submitted through myRECA before then to keep the licence active.
Because the deadline is identical for every licensee, it's worth building a fixed annual habit around it rather than relying on a reminder tied to your specific issue date — our first-year compliance calendar is built around exactly this kind of fixed-date requirement.
02 · Can a mortgage associate renew their licence before their brokerage does?
No. RECA is explicit that non-broker licensees — associates and associate brokers — cannot renew their own registration until their sponsoring brokerage and its broker have completed their renewal first. Your myRECA renewal application literally isn't available to submit until that upstream renewal is done.
The practical consequence is that a delay isn't always within an associate's own control. If a brokerage or its broker is slow to renew, every associate registered under it is stuck waiting behind them — which is a good reason to check in directly with your brokerage's renewal status early in the cycle, rather than assuming your own myRECA screen tells the whole story.
03 · What continuing education do you need before you renew?
Since May 2025, RECA requires every mortgage licensee — associate or broker, new or long-tenured — to complete the Mandatory Re-Licensing Education on Private Lending before renewing. It's administered by the Alberta Mortgage Brokers Association and applies across the board, not just to licensees renewing for the first time since the requirement started.
This runs separately from the Fundamentals and Practice courses a new associate completes to get licensed in the first place — see RECA's mortgage education program for how the two fit together.
One less thing to track
Stay ahead of renewal without it eating into client time.
Treadstone's fulfillment support gives Alberta mortgage professionals the breathing room to handle compliance deadlines properly — instead of scrambling every September.
04 · How do you actually submit your renewal?
Renewal is submitted through myRECA, RECA's licensee portal. Complete the required continuing education first, then submit your renewal application and pay the associated fees before the September 30 deadline — check RECA's Fees page directly for current amounts, since they're set by RECA and can change year to year.
Keeping your contact information current in myRECA matters here too, since that's the channel RECA uses to notify licensees about renewal requirements and deadlines.
05 · Who do you actually contact if a renewal question comes up?
RECA's Registration Services team handles renewal questions directly, by email at renewal@reca.ca or by phone at 403-228-2954 (press 1 for renewals), toll free at 1-888-425-2754, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
RECA's own guidance is to renew well before September 30 rather than in the last few days of the window — finishing early leaves time to resolve an outstanding requirement, whether that's a not-yet-complete private lending course, a missing document, or a brokerage that hasn't renewed yet, before the deadline actually arrives.
06 · What happens if you miss the September 30 deadline?
A licence not renewed by the deadline is automatically cancelled. From that point, you can't legally provide mortgage brokering services in Alberta until the licence is reinstated — check RECA's Manage Your Licence resources directly for the current reinstatement process, since requirements can include redoing elements of the suitability review depending on how long the lapse has run.
Reinstatement itself isn't a single flat process, either. RECA's fee schedule distinguishes reinstating within 36 months of your last registration from reinstating within the same licensing year — for example, moving to a new brokerage shortly after leaving another — and treats each differently. Confirm which category actually applies to your situation directly with RECA rather than assuming a colleague's experience carries over to yours.
The safer approach, especially for a first-year associate still learning the rhythm of the industry, is treating September 30 as immovable and completing the private lending education well before the deadline crunch.
07 · How can a new associate stay ahead of the renewal deadline?
- →Put September 30 on a calendar the moment your licence is issued, regardless of how far away it seems.
- →Complete the Mandatory Re-Licensing Education on Private Lending as soon as it's available for the year, rather than waiting for a reminder.
- →Keep contact details current in myRECA so renewal notices actually reach you.
- →Track every deadline — not just RECA's — in one place; our continuing education tracker is built for exactly this.
Frequently asked questions
This article is general information to help you scale — not a substitute for tailored advice on your specific business, licensing, or compliance obligations. All figures are illustrative examples for planning purposes; actual costs vary by province, market, and brokerage.