Sales Commission Rates by Industry: 2026 Statistics & Benchmarks

10% median base commission rate on new-logo and expansion revenue, B2B SaaS (ICONIQ Growth, May 2023).

5.46% average total US real estate commission (2.76% listing, 2.70% buyer) (Clever Real Estate, Aug 2026, vendor data).

50% to 80% of first-year premium on term life (Agentero, May 2026, vendor data).

Most sales commission rates by industry quoted online have no survey behind them. Plans change every year, while rates barely move.

Below are 40+ sales commission statistics from original publishers, checked in November 2026, all with data from 2023 or later.

Average Sales Commission Rates by Industry: Key Statistics

The average commission percentage means little without its basis: figures run from a 4% to 5% renewal rate to 80% of first-year life premium.

Category	Statistic	Source
SaaS new business, base rate	10% median base commission rate on new-logo and expansion revenue, B2B SaaS	ICONIQ Growth, May 2023
SaaS renewals and services	4% to 5% median base rate for AEs on renewal and services revenue	ICONIQ Growth, May 2023
Real estate, total commission	5.46% average total US real estate commission (2.76% listing, 2.70% buyer)	Clever Real Estate, Aug 2026, vendor data
Life insurance, first year	50% to 80% of first-year premium on term life	Agentero, May 2026, vendor data
Medicare Advantage, agent pay	$694 maximum first-year and $347 renewal agent pay per Medicare Advantage enrollment, 2026	CMS, Jun 2025
Financial services, advisor revenue	23% of an average financial advisor’s revenue now comes from commissions	Cerulli Associates, Mar 2025
Pay mix by role	50% to 53% of OTE is base for closing AEs; 71% for SDRs, 75% for CSMs	RepVue, Jan 2026, vendor data
Median account executive pay	$200K median AE on-target earnings, up from $190K in 2024	The Bridge Group, Jun 2026
Quota-to-OTE ratio	4.6x median AE quota-to-OTE ratio in 2026	The Bridge Group, Jun 2026
Reps at quota	48% of reps reached annual quota in 2026, down from 51% in 2024	The Bridge Group, Jun 2026
Companies changing plans	97% of companies changed their sales compensation plans for 2026, up from 86%	Alexander Group, Feb 2026
Sales managers, median wage	$148,270 median wage for US sales managers, May 2025	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Aug 2026

Every figure comes from its original publisher, checked in November 2026, with data from 2023 or later. Vendor data and our own calculations are labelled, and the data is US data unless noted.

What Is a Good Sales Commission Rate?

A sales commission rate is the commission paid divided by the amount it is paid on, called the basis. What is a good commission rate for sales? Any sales commission percentage is good only on the basis it is quoted on, such as revenue, gross profit or first-year premium.

Is 10 commission good? It matches the ICONIQ SaaS median of 10% on ARR or MRR, but not the 5.46% real estate average paid on sale price. A stated rate can also overstate pay. In a cruise booking, a 15% stated rate works out to 11.7% (our calculation).

Where the rate applies	Statistic	Source
Mutual fund and similar sales charges, legal cap	8.5% cap on total front-end and deferred sales charges on most funds	FINRA, Rule 2341 (in force)
Flood insurance, agent allowance on written premium	15% of written premium retained by flood insurers as the agent commission allowance	Federal Register (FEMA), May 2026
Cruise booking, worked example	$234 earned on a $2,000 booking at a 15% rate, not $300	ASTA, May 2026

Takeaway: The pay basis moves earnings more than the percentage does, so restate any rate on one basis before you judge it.

Sales Commission Statistics: The Numbers That Matter in 2026

Across industries, the pay basis and the quota change what a commission rate pays more than the percentage does.

What Industry Pays the Highest Commission?

No source ranks industries by commission rate, so average sales compensation by occupation is the nearest proxy, where sales managers lead and sales engineers follow. These are BLS wages, not rates.

Occupation	Statistic	Source
Sales managers	$148,270 median wage for US sales managers, May 2025	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Aug 2026
Sales engineers	$124,900 median wage for sales engineers, May 2025	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Aug 2026
Insurance sales agents	$62,280 median wage for insurance sales agents, May 2025	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Aug 2026
Real estate sales agents	$52,830 median wage for real estate sales agents, May 2025	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Aug 2026

Takeaway: BLS wages include base pay, so an occupation with a high base ranks high whatever its commission rate.

Is Commission Paid on Revenue or on Gross Profit?

It depends on the industry. SaaS plans usually pay on ARR or MRR, auto dealers on dealership gross profit, life insurance on first-year premium and cruise advisors on net fare.

Pay basis	Where it is used	Statistic	Source
Dealership gross profit, with finance and insurance	Auto dealers	Nearly 9 in 10 gross dollars per deal came from finance and insurance products by December 2025	StoneEagle, Feb 2026, vendor data
First-year premium	Term life insurance	50% to 80% of first-year premium on term life	Agentero, May 2026, vendor data
Fare net of non-commissionable charges	Cruise and travel advisors	20% to 25% cut to the effective cruise commission rate from non-commissionable fares	ASTA, May 2026

Takeaway: The gross a plan pays on decides the pay, so ask which amount your percentage applies to before you compare it with any range.

What Does a 70/30 Split Mean in Sales?

A 70/30 split means either a base-to-variable pay mix or the share of a commission an agent keeps after the brokerage. As a pay mix, it is close to the Bridge Group’s 68:32 median SDR split. As a brokerage split, 70/30 is an assumed input, and Real’s published split is 85/15.

Role	Statistic	Source
Account executives, 2024 survey	$190K median AE OTE in 2024 on a 53:47 base-to-variable split	The Bridge Group, Mar 2024
Sales development reps	68:32 median SDR base-to-variable split on $80K OTE	The Bridge Group, Feb 2025
Real estate agents, brokerage split	86% of REALTORS are independent contractors at their firms	National Association of REALTORS, Jun 2026

Takeaway: The Bridge Group rows are pay mixes and the real estate row is a brokerage setup, so name the meaning before comparing splits.

How Much Do Renewals Pay Compared with New Business?

Renewals pay about half the new-business rate. In SaaS, the surveyed figure is 4% to 5% median base rate for AEs on renewal and services revenue (ICONIQ Growth, May 2023). New logos get a 10% median base rate. Medicare Advantage caps renewal pay at half the first-year amount.

Product	Statistic	Source
SaaS renewal rate against the new-logo rate	40% to 50% of the new-logo rate (our calculation)	Our calculation from ICONIQ Growth, May 2023 figures
Medicare Advantage renewal against first year	50% renewal-to-initial ratio; initial limit up 4.5% (our calculation)	Our calculation from CMS, Jun 2025 figures

Takeaway: Renewal revenue is priced at about 40% to 50% of the new-logo rate, so a single flat rate would overpay it.

What Rate Do Reps Actually Earn After Quota Attainment?

Variable pay at plan works out to 10.2% to 10.9% of quota (our calculation). It combines the Bridge Group’s 4.6x median quota-to-OTE ratio with RepVue’s 47% to 50% variable share, so it is a cross-check, not a published rate. The share of reps at quota runs from 1 in 4 to 62%.

Measure	Statistic	Source
Quota-to-OTE ratio	4.6x median AE quota-to-OTE ratio in 2026	The Bridge Group, Jun 2026
Reps at quota, Bridge Group	48% of reps reached annual quota in 2026, down from 51% in 2024	The Bridge Group, Jun 2026
Ramped account executives at quota, ICONIQ	62% of ramped AEs hit quota in 2025, against 58% in 2024	ICONIQ Growth, Mar 2026
Reps at quota, Salesforce	1 in 4 reps made quota last year	Salesforce, 2026

Takeaway: The attainment estimates ask different people about different years, so read each beside its own sample and never average them.

Are Sales Commission Rates Rising or Falling?

Rates move slowly while plans change fast. The advertised buyer’s agent commission is about 2.7% on data to 2023, and the Medicare Advantage first-year limit rises to $725 in 2027.

Measure	Statistic	Source
Advertised buyer’s agent commission, long run	2.7% average advertised buyer’s agent commission	Federal Reserve Board, May 2025
Medicare Advantage first-year limit, 2027	$725 maximum first-year Medicare Advantage agent pay in 2027, up from $694	CMS, Jun 2026

Takeaway: The advertised figure covers offers in listings, not closed sales, so it says little about what agents are paid. Check quotas and plan terms more often than the rate.

Sales Commission Rates by Industry: The Full Benchmark Table

Only SaaS (10% median base rate) and real estate (5.46% average total commission) have a surveyed rate on a stated basis. Sales commission rates for construction and every other row have no published survey, so each shows its pay basis.

Industry	Pay basis	Typical rate range	Source
SaaS and software	New-logo and expansion revenue (ARR or MRR)	10% median base commission rate on new-logo and expansion revenue, B2B SaaS	ICONIQ Growth, May 2023
Real estate	Sale price, split between listing and buyer side	5.46% average total US real estate commission (2.76% listing, 2.70% buyer)	Clever Real Estate, Aug 2026, vendor data
Insurance	First-year premium (life), written premium (flood), flat fee (Medicare Advantage)	Differs by line, see segment #3	CMS (segment #3) and Federal Register (What Is a Good Sales Commission Rate?)
Automotive	Percent of front-end gross profit	No published rate survey	None found with 2023 or later data
Financial services	Advisory fees, sales charges and commissions	No published rate survey of commission percentages	None found with 2023 or later data
Retail	Percent of sales on top of an hourly wage; BLS wage as context	Wage, not a rate: $17.03 median hourly wage for retail salespersons, May 2025	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oct 2026
Manufacturing	Percent of net sales placed (independent reps); BLS wage as context	Wage, not a rate: $72,080 median wage for wholesale and manufacturing sales reps (non-technical), May 2025	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oct 2026
Medical device	W-2 or 1099 rep, percent of sales or base plus variable	No published rate survey	None found with 2023 or later data
Pharma	Base pay plus bonus	No published rate survey	None found with 2023 or later data
Telecom	Not named by any source	No published rate survey	None found with 2023 or later data
Staffing	Not named by any source	No published rate survey	None found with 2023 or later data
Travel	Commission on net fare	No published rate survey	None found with 2023 or later data
Advertising	Not named by any source	No published rate survey	None found with 2023 or later data
Construction	Not named by any source	No published rate survey	None found with 2023 or later data

Takeaway: Ranges differ because basis, year and sample differ, so none is averaged.

Commission Rates in 7 Industries, One by One

Each block adds the figure the benchmark table lacks. The headline figure for each industry:

1. SaaS and software: 11.2% of quota paid as variable pay at plan (our calculation).
2. Real estate: 2.42% average buyer’s agent commission on Redfin sales, Q3 2025.
3. Insurance: $694 maximum first-year and $347 renewal agent pay per Medicare Advantage enrollment, 2026.
4. Automotive: Nearly 9 in 10 gross dollars per deal came from finance and insurance products by December 2025.
5. Financial services: 23% of an average financial advisor’s revenue now comes from commissions.
6. Retail and consumer goods: $17.03 median hourly wage for retail salespersons, May 2025.
7. Manufacturing and medical devices: $175,000 median medical device rep OTE on a $65,000 base.

#1 SaaS and Software

No survey publishes a SaaS sales commission percentage by company size. The 2024 Bridge Group medians give variable pay per quota dollar instead: $190,000 OTE, a 47% variable share and an $800,000 quota.

The RepVue medians below split SMB from enterprise account executives, the nearest proxy for enterprise software sales commission rates.

Segment	Statistic	Source
SMB account executives	$140K median SMB AE OTE; 44.6% attain quota	RepVue, Nov 2026, vendor data
Enterprise account executives	$280K median enterprise AE OTE; 42.0% attain quota	RepVue, Nov 2026, vendor data

Takeaway: Recompute quota divided by OTE for each role before you compare it with any published rate.

#2 Real Estate

The sales commission rates real estate agents quote differ from what closes. 2.42% average buyer’s agent commission on Redfin sales, Q3 2025 (Redfin, Dec 2025, vendor data). That is a paid figure, not an advertised one.

On a $500,000 sale, state averages differ widely, with a $6,900 gap between the highest and lowest state averages (our calculation).

Takeaway: Say which side a commission is on and whether it was paid or advertised, then net out the agent-brokerage split.

#3 Insurance

Only regulators publish rates here: $694 maximum first-year and $347 renewal agent pay per Medicare Advantage enrollment, 2026 (CMS, Jun 2025). The life range in the pay-basis table is a vendor statement, so no regulator or survey sets a first-year life rate.

Takeaway: Treat the life range as a labelled vendor estimate, never as a benchmark rate.

#4 Automotive

Car sales average commission figures usually describe a share of front-end gross profit, and no recent survey publishes the percentage. Nearly 9 in 10 gross dollars per deal came from finance and insurance products by December 2025 (StoneEagle, Feb 2026, vendor data). That is a gross share, not a commission rate.

#5 Financial Services

Most advisor revenue is fees, not commissions, and FINRA caps sales charges on most funds. No survey publishes commission percentages for the sector.

Measure	Statistic	Source
Advisor revenue from commissions	23% of an average financial advisor’s revenue now comes from commissions	Cerulli Associates, Mar 2025
Securities and financial services sales agents	$78,660 median wage for securities and financial services sales agents, May 2025	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Aug 2026

Takeaway: The BLS figure is a wage, not a rate, and it includes commissions, so use it as context and not as a benchmark percentage.

#6 Retail and Consumer Goods

Retail sales commission rates are paid as a percentage of sales on top of an hourly wage, and no survey publishes the percentage. $17.03 median hourly wage for retail salespersons, May 2025 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oct 2026). That is a wage, not a commission rate.

Takeaway: Judge a retail plan by its total pay, not by a quoted percentage.

#7 Manufacturing and Medical Devices

$175,000 median medical device rep OTE on a $65,000 base (RepVue, Nov 2026, vendor data).

Manufacturers sales rep commission rates are a percentage of the net sales a rep places, and no current industry survey publishes one.

Takeaway: Self-reported OTE shows what a role pays, not what rate it pays, so there is no current benchmark percentage.

What to Do If Your Commission Numbers Look Like This

Seven checks follow, each tied to a figure on this page.

Signal	What to do first	The stat behind it
Your rate looks high or low next to a blog range, or is quoted with no pay basis	Restate it on one basis (sale price, gross profit, premium or ARR) and compare it only with a surveyed figure for that basis	4.62% to 6.00% range of state average total commissions (Clever Real Estate, Aug 2026, vendor data)
Fewer than half of your reps reach quota	Check how the quota was set before touching the rate, then compare your attainment with the survey closest to your team	43.0% of AEs attain quota; median AE OTE is $200,000 (RepVue, Nov 2026, vendor data)
Your quota-to-OTE ratio sits far from the survey medians	Recompute quota divided by OTE for each role and test whether the quota or the rate is off	5x to 7x quota-to-OTE multiple for AEs; 6x to 9x in enterprise (ICONIQ Growth, May 2023)
Renewals pay the same rate as new business	Set a separate, lower renewal rate and say who owns the renewal	4% to 5% median base rate for AEs on renewal and services revenue (ICONIQ Growth, May 2023)
Your base-to-variable split is far from your role’s median	Compare each role with its own median, not the company average	50% to 53% of OTE is base for closing AEs; 71% for SDRs, 75% for CSMs (RepVue, Jan 2026, vendor data)
Your plan has not changed since last year	Put a yearly review on the calendar and check quotas more often than the rate	97% of companies changed their sales compensation plans for 2026, up from 86% (Alexander Group, Feb 2026)
The rate you quote ignores the agent-brokerage split	Quote the agent’s net pay after the split	85/15 agent-brokerage commission split at Real until the annual cap (The Real Brokerage, Sep 2025, vendor data)

Worked example: a $500,000 home after the split. At the 5.46% average, total commission is $27,300 and the listing side gets $13,800. A listing agent on an 85/15 split keeps $11,730; on an assumed 70/30 split the agent keeps $9,660 (our calculation).

The 70/30 split is an assumed input, not a surveyed average. The 85/15 split is Real’s published split before its annual cap.

Whatever the result, restate any rate on one basis before you compare it with another.

Sales Commission Stats You’ll See Quoted That Don’t Hold Up

Six figures repeat across the ranking pages and end at no survey or at a superseded edition.

The statistic	Where it circulates	What the trail shows
“Most sales commission rates fall between 5% and 20% of sale value”	Salesforce, CaptivateIQ, Everstage, Visdum, Apollo, Commissionly, Sales Cookie (7 of 8 winners)	Salesforce credits a CaptivateIQ blog, Visdum credits Sales Cookie, and Apollo and Commissionly link Visdum, so the loop closes; CaptivateIQ and Everstage cite no one. No survey was found and no year is stated.
“Retail commission is 1% to 5%, narrowing to 1% to 4%”	Mailshake, Commissionly, Everstage (3 of 8 winners)	Mailshake, Commissionly and Everstage name no source; Mailshake shows 1% to 4% as a 2030 projection with no data, and BLS gives wages, not a rate. No source was found and no year is stated.
“Car sales commission is 22% to 32% of dealership gross profit (25% most common); elsewhere 20% to 30% of the car’s sale price”	Sales Cookie, Visdum, Everstage (gross profit); CaptivateIQ (sale price)	CaptivateIQ links a 2013 article saying 20% to 30% of net profit, so the basis shifted from profit to price; Sales Cookie, Visdum and Everstage name no source. No survey publishes the rate.
“Glassdoor industry pay table: retail and wholesale $99K, financial services $182K, IT $165K, pharma $90K, telecom $91K”	Salesforce (11 rows, linked), Mailshake (12 industries, not linked)	Salesforce links Glassdoor’s sales commission page; opened 4 Nov 2026 it shows one overall median ($139K, 202 salaries) dated 2022 to 2025 and no industry table, so the trail ends there.
“The median B2B SaaS AE commission rate is 11.5% of bookings at full attainment”	Visdum (“via Optymyze”), Sales Cookie, Optymyze, Prospeo	Optymyze credits the Bridge Group 2024 report, Visdum credits Optymyze, and Sales Cookie and Prospeo say “of ACV” not “of bookings”; the 2024 page puts rates on gated page 44 and prints none.
“A typical pay split is 50/50 or 60/40; the average US salary-to-commission ratio is 60:40”	Mailshake (60:40, no source), Apollo and CaptivateIQ (50/50), Commissionly	Mailshake’s 60:40 names no source; Apollo links a gated CaptivateIQ report with no 50/50 figure in its public text; open 2025 role-level data (RepVue, Bridge Group) show no US-wide average.

What the 2026 Numbers Say

Three things stand out in the 2026 numbers. No named survey stands behind the widely quoted flat range. The pay basis outweighs the percentage. Plans and quotas change every year while rates barely move.

Which of your own commission rates could you restate on a single basis today? To check one against your own plan, the sales commission calculator returns the effective rate, commission and total pay on a flat or tiered plan.