Commission calculator
Sales commission from a price and rate, or the rate from a commission.
About this calculator
This commission calculator works out how much commission a sale earns. Enter the sale price and the commission rate, or enter a commission to find the rate.
Add your share for split commissions, as in real estate, and any base pay to see what you take home.
How it works
Commission is the sale price × the rate. The rate is the commission ÷ the sale price × 100. Your share is the part of the commission you keep, for example after a broker split.
Last reviewed:
Worked example
- Work out: The commission
- Sale price: $400,000
- Commission rate: 5%
- Your share of it: 100%
Commission: $20,000.00
Common questions
How is a real estate commission split?
In the US, the total commission is often shared between the buyer's and seller's agents, and each agent then splits their part with their brokerage. Enter your share as a percentage.
What is a typical commission rate?
It varies widely by industry. Real estate commissions have often been around 5% to 6% of the price, while retail and car sales use smaller rates or flat amounts.
Is commission taxed?
Yes, commission is usually taxed as income, just like a salary. This calculator shows the amount before tax.
The story behind it
Where the idea came from: The word commission comes from the Latin committere, to entrust: a merchant entrusted goods to an agent and paid a share of the sale.
Medieval merchants who could not travel with their goods paid agents a share of whatever they sold. Paying by results has stayed popular ever since, from shop floors to property sales. Working out a commission is a simple sum, but this calculator also handles splits and base pay.
Why you can trust this calculator
- It runs in your browser. Nothing you type into it is sent anywhere.
- The method is explained on this page, so you can check it yourself.
- Free to use, with no sign-up.
- Results are estimates, not financial advice.
- Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll look into it.
After 15 years as a mathematics educator, I built CalculStore to give students, teachers, professionals and anyone working with numbers simple, reliable tools.
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