Free sales tool

Sales Commission Calculator

See your commission, total pay, and effective rate in seconds. Flat rate or a tiered accelerator. It all runs in your browser. Nothing to sign up for.

Commission earned$9,600
Total pay (base + commission)$9,600
Effective rate on sales8.0%

Your next $10,000 closed is worth $800 to you.

The number behind the number

The math is easy. The calls are the hard part.

This calculator shows what your deals pay. It can't change the total. What changes it is how your calls go. That's the job James does. James is an AI sales coach: you hit record, and it coaches you after every real call.

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The math

How sales commission is calculated.

A flat plan is one line. You take a percentage of what you sold:

commission = sales × rate

A tiered plan pays a base rate up to quota, then a higher accelerator rate on everything above it. That's why the last deal of a strong month often pays the most:

commission = (quota × base rate)
    + (sales above quota × accelerator rate)

The calculator also shows your effective rate, or commission divided by total sales, plus what your next $10,000 is worth at the margin. Above quota, that next slice pays at the accelerator rate, so a good month compounds fast.

A worked example

A tiered month, step by step.

Say you closed $120,000 against a $100,000 quota. Your plan pays 8% up to quota and a 12% accelerator above it.

PartMathPays
Up to quota$100,000 × 8%$8,000
Above quota (accelerator)$20,000 × 12%$2,400
Commission $10,400

That's an effective rate of 8.7% on $120,000. Notice the accelerator: the $20,000 over quota paid 50% more per dollar than the sales below it. Beating quota is where the money is. That turns on how many deals you win, not the spreadsheet.

Know your plan

Common commission structures.

Flat commission

One rate on every dollar you sell. Simple to predict; no reward for beating quota.

Tiered / accelerator

A base rate up to quota, a higher rate above it. Rewards over-performance. Set both rates in the calculator's tiered mode.

Draw against commission

An advance you're paid up front, then earn back from commission. A recoverable draw is subtracted from what you make; a non-recoverable one is yours to keep.

Base + commission (OTE)

On-Target Earnings is base salary plus the commission you'd make at 100% of quota. Add your base in the last field to see total pay next to commission alone.

Where the number really comes from

The math is fixed. Your win rate isn't.

Every input here is set by someone else: your rate, your quota, your accelerator. The one number you move is how many deals you win. And that's a skill, not a constant.

Structured coaching lifts win rates 19–28% in sales studies (Korn Ferry / CSO Insights). Top reps also listen more than they talk, at about a 43:57 talk-to-listen ratio on won calls (Gong). Small changes on the call, paid at your accelerator rate, add up fast.

A human sales coach runs $200–600 an hour and still can't sit in on every call. James is an AI sales coach for $179.99 a year. You hit record; it coaches you the moment the call ends: where you talked over the buyer, the question you skipped, the line to use next time. The calculator tells you what a deal is worth. James helps you win more of them.

Straight answers

Sales commission, answered.

What is a good sales commission rate?

It depends on the deal and the base pay. Many software-sales plans land near 8–12% of revenue on a base-plus-commission structure, while commission-only roles pay much higher rates. There's no single right number. Compare against your quota and base, which is what this calculator does.

What is a commission accelerator?

A higher rate that kicks in on sales above quota. If you earn 8% up to quota and 12% above it, that 12% is the accelerator. It's why the deals that push you past quota pay the most. Switch the calculator to tiered mode to model it.

What's the difference between a draw and commission?

Commission is what you earn from sales. A draw is money paid up front against future commission. A recoverable draw is paid back out of what you earn; a non-recoverable draw is a guaranteed floor you keep. This calculator shows gross commission, so subtract any recoverable draw yourself.

How do I calculate OTE?

On-Target Earnings is your base salary plus the commission you'd earn at 100% of quota. Set quota mode, enter your quota as your sales, and add your base salary. The total pay line is your OTE.

Does this calculator send my numbers anywhere?

No. Everything runs in your browser. Your figures never leave your device, and there's no sign-up.

Sources
  1. Korn Ferry / CSO Insights — sales coaching & win rates
  2. Gong — talk-to-listen ratio on won calls
  3. LeadersAdapt — coaching cost per hour, 2025