Updated October 22, 2026
This real estate commission calculator works out what an agent really keeps: the gross commission on the sale price, the share that goes to the agent on the other side, any referral fee, franchise or royalty fees off the top, your brokerage split, the transaction fee and what you spent marketing the property. Then it projects a year of deals, including a brokerage cap if you have one, so you see your net per deal, your yearly income and the effective percentage of the sale price you keep.
Quick answer: Gross commission = sale price × commission rate. Your side = gross × (1 − share to the other agent) × (1 − referral %) × (1 − franchise %). Your net = your side × your split − transaction fee − your costs. With a cap, the brokerage's share stops once it reaches the cap for the year.
An estimate from the numbers you entered, not a market price. Put in your own costs for a number you can stand behind.
Owners spend about 11 to 16 hours/week on admin, and a lead reached within an hour is nearly 7 times more likely to turn into a real conversation (HBR). The math is the easy part; the money leaks out in the calls you can't take, the follow-ups nobody sends and the invoices that sit unpaid. Unmanually is a 24/7 AI Office Manager for real estate agents that you run by voice from your phone:
Sources: admin hours, Time etc / Censuswide 2023 and Amex SME Barometer 2026; speed to lead, HBR audit of 2,241 US companies (2011).
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gross commission = sale price × commission rateyour side = gross − share to the other agentto split = your side − referral fee − franchise or royalty feeyour net per deal = to split × your split − transaction fee − your costsbrokerage share per year = min(brokerage share per deal × deals, cap)net per year = net per deal × deals + brokerage share kept once the cap is reached
These are assumptions for illustration, not market rates. Commissions are negotiable; use your own agreements.
A $450,000 sale with a 5% total commission, half going to the agent on the other side, no referral, a 6% franchise fee off the top, a 70/30 split, $395 transaction fee, $500 of your own costs, 12 deals a year at this average and no cap.
Gross commission is $450,000 × 5% = $22,500. Half goes to the other agent, leaving $11,250. The 6% franchise fee takes $675, leaving $10,575 to split. Your 70% is $7,402.50; the brokerage keeps $3,172.50. After the transaction fee and your costs you net $6,507.50, about 1.45% of the sale price. Twelve deals like it come to $78,090/year before income taxes.
With a $20,000 yearly cap, the brokerage share stops on deal 7 and you keep another $18,070 over the year, for $96,160.
The commission on the closing statement is not the agent's income. It is shared with the agent on the other side when there is one, sometimes shared with a referring agent, reduced by franchise or royalty fees, split with your brokerage and then reduced by transaction fees and your own marketing costs. The calculator shows each step, so you can see where the money goes and compare brokerages on real numbers.
Commissions are negotiable, and how buyer agents are paid has changed in many markets, with buyer agreements now setting compensation up front. Use the numbers in your own listing and buyer agreements rather than a rule of thumb, and enter 0 for the other side's share when the seller isn't paying it.
A higher split looks better per deal; a cap can be worth more over a year if you close enough business. Enter your cap and deals per year to see when you reach it and how much you keep after. Agents comparing brokerages should run both offers through the same deals.
Listing photos, video, staging, signs, ads, MLS dues and closing gifts come out of your share. Track them per deal. A listing that costs you $1,500 to market and closes at a reduced commission may be worth less than it looks.
Real estate income arrives at closing, often months after the work. Set a yearly income goal, work backward to the number of deals at your average price, and from there to the conversations, appointments and listings it takes. Speed to lead matters in that chain: people often go with the first agent who calls back. Set aside part of every commission for income taxes and slow months; the calculator stops before taxes because they depend on your situation.
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Multiply the sale price by the commission rate, take off the other agent's share if there is one, then referral and franchise fees, apply your brokerage split and subtract your transaction fee and costs. The calculator shows each step.
With the worked example's assumptions (5% total commission, half to the other agent, 6% franchise fee, 70/30 split, $395 transaction fee, $500 of costs) the agent nets about $6,508, about 1.45% of the sale price, before income taxes.
The share of your commission you keep versus the share the brokerage keeps. A 70/30 split means you keep 70% after any fees taken off the top.
Once the brokerage's share for the year reaches the cap, you keep the whole split portion on later deals, often still paying transaction fees. Enter your cap and deals per year to see the effect.
No. Commissions are negotiable and set in each agreement. Enter the rate and the other side's share from your own agreements.
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