How to use the agent commission split calculator
- Enter the sale price and the total commission rate from your agreement.
- Enter your side of the commission, such as 50% when the total is shared evenly with the other side, and your share after the brokerage, such as 70 for a 70/30 split.
- Open Advanced options to add a referral fee, a franchise or royalty fee, a flat transaction fee and the number of similar deals a year.
- Read what you keep before taxes and the step by step table. Print the result or save it as a CSV file.
Formula
Total commission = sale price x commission rate
Your side = total commission x your side %
After referral = your side - your side x referral %
Your share = after referral x your share %
You keep = your share - your side x franchise % - flat fee
Each step is rounded to the cent, half up. The order of deductions follows this list. Your agreement may use a different order.
Worked examples
A $400,000 sale at a 5% total commission is $20,000. Your side is 50%, so $10,000. With a 70/30 split with your brokerage, you get $7,000 and the brokerage keeps $3,000. That is $7,000 before taxes, or 1.75% of the sale price.
With a 25% referral fee, the referral is $2,500 and $7,500 is left to split. Your 70% share is $5,250 and the brokerage keeps $2,250. A 6% franchise fee on your side is $600 and a flat fee is $395, so you keep $4,255. Over four similar deals that would be $17,020.
How a commission split flows
A real estate commission is usually set as a percentage of the sale price and shared between the listing side and the buyer side. Each side then splits its share between the agent and the brokerage under the agent's agreement. Splits can change with production, include a yearly cap, or come with monthly desk fees. Referral fees and franchise royalties are taken from different amounts in different agreements.
The numbers on this page are examples that you replace with the ones in your own agreement. The tool applies the order shown in the table, and it keeps every step visible so you can compare it with your commission statement.
What is not included
Taxes, desk or technology fees, errors and omissions insurance, marketing costs, brokerage caps and tiered splits are not modeled. A deal where the fees are larger than your share shows a negative result and a warning. This is a planning tool, not tax or legal advice, and your signed agreement and your closing statement decide the actual amounts.
Nothing you enter leaves your browser. Related tools include the commission calculator, the sales commission calculator, the self-employment tax calculator and the project quote calculator.
Assumptions and limits
- The 5% total rate, the 50% side and the 70/30 split are examples. Enter the terms of your own agreement.
- Referral and franchise fees are taken as a percentage of your side of the commission, and the flat fee comes off last.
- Caps, tiers, desk fees and taxes are not modeled.
- Each step is rounded to the cent, half up, so the table adds up exactly.
Frequently asked questions
How is a real estate commission split calculated?
Multiply the sale price by the total rate, take the share for your side, subtract any referral fee, and then apply your split with the brokerage. Fees and royalties come off after that.
What does a 70/30 split mean?
The agent keeps 70 percent and the brokerage keeps 30 percent of the commission that reaches the split, which is your side after any referral fee in this tool.
Does this include taxes?
No. The result is before taxes. Agents are often independent contractors with their own tax rules, so keep a reserve and ask a tax professional about your situation.
Can I model a yearly cap?
Not in this version. A cap changes the split once you reach a set amount, so you would run the numbers for the deals before and after the cap separately using the numbers in your agreement.