Enter total sales, your commission rate, and any base pay to see commission earned, total pay, and how much of your compensation is variable.
Sales commission is the portion of pay tied directly to the revenue a salesperson generates. This calculator handles the most common structure — a base salary plus a percentage of sales — and shows how the two combine into total pay and what share of compensation is at risk.
The core math is Commission = Total Sales × (Commission Rate / 100), and Total Pay = Base Pay + Commission. With $50,000 in sales at a 5% rate, commission is $2,500; add a $3,000 base and total pay is $5,500 for the period.
There are several models: straight commission (no base, 100% variable), base plus commission (the most common — a guaranteed salary with upside), tiered commission (the rate rises as you hit higher sales bands), and draw against commission (an advance you repay from future commissions). Tiered plans reward overperformance but are harder to model — calculate each tier separately and add them.
Tip: The "variable % of pay" figure matters for budgeting. A plan that is 80% variable means most of your income depends on hitting targets, so understand your realistic close rate before relying on the top-line number.
A higher base lowers risk but usually comes with a lower commission rate, while straight commission offers the highest rates but no safety net. The right mix depends on sales-cycle length, deal size, and how much of the outcome the rep controls. Quota attainment and accelerators on top of a base are common in B2B sales.