Commission Splits: From Sale Price to the Agent's Check
Commission problems are never hard arithmetic — they're a chain of easy multiplications, and the exam bets you'll skip a link. Price → total commission → side of the deal → agent's split. Miss one link and you land exactly on a distractor.
The calculator walks the full chain and shows every intermediate number.
The formula
Agent's share = Price × Commission % × Side % × Agent %
- Commission %
- the rate the seller agreed to pay on the full price
- Side %
- the listing/selling office split of that commission (often 50/50)
- Agent %
- the agent's split with their own broker
Try it live
Every intermediate step is shown — the goal is that on exam day you can run the same chain on paper.
Commission split calculator
Listing/selling office split — often 50.
- Total commission$320,000 × 6%
- $19,200
- This office's side$19,200 × 50%
- $9,600
- Agent's share$9,600 × 60%
- $5,760
The method, worked in exam style
A home sells for $320,000 at a 6% commission, split 50/50 between the listing and selling brokerages. The selling agent keeps 60% of their office's share. What does the selling agent earn?
- Total commission: 320,000 × 0.06 = $19,200.
- Selling office's side: 19,200 × 0.50 = $9,600.
- Agent's split: 9,600 × 0.60 = $5,760.
Answer: $5,760
The classic trap
The distractors are every partial chain: $19,200 (stopped at the total), $9,600 (stopped at the side), and $11,520 (applied 60% to the full commission instead of the side). Read which share the question asks for, then walk every link.
Practice problems
Work each on paper first, then open the solution. If your setup differs from the solution's first line, that — not arithmetic — is what to fix.
1. A property sells for $410,000 with a 5% commission split 50/50 between brokerages. The listing agent is on a 70/30 split with their broker (agent keeps 70%). What does the listing agent receive?
Show the solution
- Total commission: 410,000 × 0.05 = 20,500.
- Listing side: 20,500 × 0.50 = 10,250.
- Agent's 70%: 10,250 × 0.70 = 7,175.
Answer: $7,175
2. A seller nets exactly $282,000 after paying a 6% commission. What was the sale price?
Show the solution
- The seller keeps 100% − 6% = 94% of the price, so 282,000 is 94% of the Total.
- Price = 282,000 ÷ 0.94 = 300,000.
Answer: $300,000
3. A broker earned $13,300 as the full commission on a $380,000 sale. What rate was charged?
Show the solution
- Rate = Part ÷ Total = 13,300 ÷ 380,000 = 0.035.
Answer: 3.5%
Math is one domain — the diagnostic measures all of them
The free 24-question adaptive diagnostic finds the difficulty level where your setup breaks down — in math and every other blueprint domain — and reports a Readiness Score with a stated confidence range.
Keep going: The T-method · Real Estate Math on the exam · What the whole exam costs
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