Free tool

# Real estate commission calculator

Your take-home after your side, referral, broker split, cap and fees. Free, no sign-up.

Your take-home Seller net proceeds

Sale price

Total commission

% of price Flat $

Both sides together, as in the listing agreement.

Which side you represent

Listing Buyer Both

Your side's share

50 for an even listing/buyer split.

Referral fee

Taken off your side first.

Your split with the brokerage

70 for a 70/30 split.

Cap remaining (optional)

Dollars left before your annual cap.

Your share after a team split

100 if you are not on a team.

Per-deal fees

Transaction, E&O, franchise.

Your take-home on this deal

$7,305

1.83% of the sale price, from $22,000 in total commission

How the take-home is worked out, step by step
| Step | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Total commission on the sale | $22,000.00 |
| Your side's share 50% of the total | $11,000.00 |
| Referral fee 0% of your side | $0.00 |
| After referral | $11,000.00 |
| Brokerage share 30% of what is left, no cap | \-$3,300.00 |
| Team lead's share | $0.00 |
| Per-deal fees | \-$395.00 |
| Your take-home | $7,305.00 |
| Take-home as a share of the price | 1.83% |

Sale price

Mortgage payoff

What you still owe the lender.

Listing agent commission

Percent of the sale price.

Buyer’s agent compensation

% of price Flat $

Negotiated; 0 is valid.

Closing costs

% of price Flat $

Title, escrow, transfer tax and similar.

Seller concessions

Credits to the buyer.

Other costs

Repairs, staging, prorated taxes.

Your net proceeds at closing

$120,000

30% of the sale price, after $22,000 in commissions

How the net proceeds are worked out, step by step
| Step | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Sale price | $400,000.00 |
| Mortgage payoff | \-$250,000.00 |
| Listing agent commission | \-$12,000.00 |
| Buyer's agent compensation | \-$10,000.00 |
| Closing costs | \-$8,000.00 |
| Seller concessions | $0.00 |
| Other costs | $0.00 |
| Total costs (without the payoff) | $30,000.00 |
| Your net proceeds | $120,000.00 |
| Net as a share of the price | 30% |

Example inputs, not market averages. Not legal or tax advice.

Take-home equals price times total rate, then your side’s share, less any referral, your brokerage’s share (stopping at your cap), a team split and fees. In one example, a $400,000 sale at 5.5% total, listing side, a 70/30 split and $395 in fees leaves you $7,305; the second tab returns a seller’s net at closing.

By [James Anderson](https://trypaperroute.com/about) · Updated 15 October 2026

In short

## Key takeaways

1. 1\. Paper Route’s commission calculator turns price, rate, side share, referral, broker split, cap, team split and fees into one take-home figure, with no sign-up.
2. 2\. Paper Route’s calculator shows what a cap or referral does: on the $400,000 example, $1,000 left before a cap lifts take-home from $7,305 to $9,605, and a 25% referral cuts it to $5,380.
3. 3\. Since 17 August 2024, offers of compensation to buyer’s agents are not allowed on the multiple listing service (MLS), and the [National Association of Realtors (NAR)](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/what-the-nar-settlement-means-for-home-buyers-and-sellers) says commissions are “fully negotiable and not set by law” (NAR, checked 15 Oct 2026).
4. 4\. Paper Route is the content employee behind the calculator: it writes an agent’s weekly reels from scratch, featuring the agent on screen and in their own voice, sent by text. The first week is free: 3 reels, no card.

## How is a real estate agent's commission calculated?

Paper Route’s calculator works out an agent’s take-home as the sale price times the total rate, times your side’s share, minus a referral fee, the brokerage’s share, a team split and per-deal fees. On a $400,000 sale at 5.5% total, listing side, a 70/30 split and $395 in fees, a $22,000 total commission leaves $7,305, or 1.83% of the price. The steps, in order:

1. 1\. Total: price times rate, or a flat fee.
2. 2\. Your side: the total times your side share.
3. 3\. Referral: a percent of your side, first.
4. 4\. Brokerage: its share, up to your cap.
5. 5\. Team: the lead’s share of the rest.
6. 6\. Fees: flat per deal. Take-home never goes below $0.

| Step | Amount | Left |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total commission (5.5% of $400,000) | $22,000 | $22,000 |
| Your side (50%) | $11,000 | $11,000 |
| Referral (0%) | $0 | $11,000 |
| Brokerage (30%, no cap) | $3,300 | $7,700 |
| Team (none) | $0 | $7,700 |
| Fees | $395 | $7,305 |
| Take-home | $7,305 | 1.83% of the price |

## How do the listing and buyer sides split the commission after the August 2024 NAR rules?

Paper Route’s calculator takes your side share as the part of the total your side receives. On the $400,000 example, 50% of a 5.5% total is 2.75% of the price, or $11,000; at 100% for both sides, take-home is $15,005.

Since 17 August 2024, offers of compensation to buyer’s agents are not allowed on MLS platforms; sellers can still offer compensation off an MLS, and buyer concessions, such as help with closing costs, on one ([NAR](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/what-the-nar-settlement-means-for-home-buyers-and-sellers), checked 15 Oct 2026). Check your state, your MLS and your brokerage agreement.

## What does a 70/30 brokerage split, with or without a cap, leave you?

Paper Route’s calculator reads 70/30 as you keeping 70% of your side after any referral. On the $400,000 example, the brokerage takes $3,300 of $11,000; at 80/20 it takes $2,200 and your take-home is $8,405, $1,100 more. A cap, explained below, stops the brokerage share once the brokerage has collected its yearly dollar limit.

A brokerage cap is a yearly dollar limit on what the brokerage collects from your commissions; once you reach it, the brokerage share stops. With $1,000 left before your cap, the brokerage takes $1,000 instead of $3,300, and take-home rises to $9,605. Leave the cap empty if your brokerage has none.

## Do referral, team and per-deal fees come off before the split?

Paper Route’s calculator deducts a referral fee from your side first, before the brokerage split. A team split, the team lead’s share of what is left after the brokerage, comes next, and flat per-deal fees (transaction, errors-and-omissions insurance, franchise) come off last.

On the $400,000 example, a 25% referral is $2,750; the brokerage then takes $2,475 of the remaining $8,250, and take-home falls to $5,380. A 50% team split (enter the percent you keep) takes $3,850 from $7,700, leaving $3,455. Brokerages differ in order and base, so match the inputs to your agreement.

## How much will a seller net after commissions?

On its Seller net proceeds tab, Paper Route’s calculator takes the sale price minus the mortgage payoff, both agents’ compensation, closing costs, concessions and other costs. On the $400,000 example with a $250,000 payoff, a 3% listing commission, 2.5% buyer-agent compensation and 2% closing costs, the seller nets $120,000, or 30% of the price.

| Line | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Listing commission (3%) | $12,000 |
| Buyer-agent compensation (2.5%) | $10,000 |
| Closing costs (2%) | $8,000 |
| Mortgage payoff | $250,000 |
| Net proceeds | $120,000 |

Buyer-agent compensation is negotiated and can be $0. At $0 the same sale nets $130,000. Enter transfer tax and capital gains as other costs; Paper Route’s calculator does not compute taxes, and it is not built for investor math such as cap rate or ROI.

## How does this calculator compare with the ones that rank?

Paper Route’s calculator is the only one of the five below with inputs for side share, referral, team split and a flat-fee commission. “No” means that page shows no such input. We read each page on 15 October 2026 (column heads link to them); Amplify Credit Union’s widget could not be read, so it is left out.

| Feature | [Omni](https://www.omnicalculator.com/finance/real-estate-commission) | [MortgageCalculator.org](https://www.mortgagecalculator.org/calcs/commission.php) | [Paperless Pipeline](https://www.paperlesspipeline.com/real-estate-commission-calculator) | [SofaBrain](https://sofabrain.com/tools/commission-calculator) | Paper Route |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Side share | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Agent/broker split | No | No | Yes | Preset per brokerage | Yes |
| Cap | No | No | No | Preset per brokerage | Yes |
| Referral fee | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Flat-fee commission | No | No | Text workaround | No | Yes |
| Team split | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Per-deal fees | No | Advertising cost | Yes | Preset | Yes |
| Seller net proceeds | No payoff input | No payoff input | No | Separate tool | Yes, with payoff |
| Email for results | No | No | No | Printable report | No |

Choose Omni for a price-and-rate answer, SofaBrain for a year’s take-home across 12 named brokerages with caps and fees preset, Paperless Pipeline if your brokerage runs commissions in back-office software, and MortgageCalculator.org to model a seller rebate.

## What does Paper Route do for an agent?

Paper Route is a content employee for real-estate agents: weekly reels written from scratch, featuring you on screen and in your own voice, sent by text. It makes your weekly reels and carousels and takes changes by text, up to 4 edits per post. Its formats are market update, new listing, just sold, open house and educational. The first week is free: 3 reels, no card, first reel today if you sign up by 6pm local.

See [how Paper Route’s content employee works](https://trypaperroute.com/how-it-works), [Paper Route’s pricing](https://trypaperroute.com/pricing), or [what a realtor pays for social media marketing](https://trypaperroute.com/guides/real-estate-social-media-marketing).

Paper Route is best for a solo agent who wants weekly reels made for them from scratch, featuring them on screen and in their own cloned voice, handled by text. Paper Route is not the right pick if you want a template library to edit and post yourself.

FAQ

## Questions about commission rates, splits and who pays

### How much of the commission do I take home after my brokerage split and fees?

On the $400,000 example, with a 5.5% total commission, listing side, a 70/30 split and $395 in fees, you take home $7,305: $11,000 for your side, less $3,300 to the brokerage and $395 in fees. Add a referral, a cap or a team split in the calculator and the figure changes.

### What percentage do most realtors charge?

No national total is stated here, because [NAR’s settlement FAQ](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/what-the-nar-settlement-means-for-home-buyers-and-sellers) (updated 24 May 2024, checked 15 Oct 2026) says commissions are negotiable and no law sets them. The one dated market figure is [Redfin’s](https://www.redfin.com/news/press-releases/the-average-buyers-agent-commission-has-risen-slightly-since-new-nar-rules-went-into-effect/) buyer-side average: 2.42% in Q3 2025, up from 2.36% in Q3 2024 (8 Dec 2025).

### How much commission is there on a $300,000 house?

At the example's 5.5% total rate, a $300,000 sale carries a $16,500 total commission. With the example's 50% side share, 70/30 split and $395 in fees, the agent takes home $5,380, or 1.79% of the price. Change the price, rate or split in the calculator to see your own figure.

### Is real estate commission negotiable?

Yes. [NAR](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/what-the-nar-settlement-means-for-home-buyers-and-sellers) states that broker fees and commissions are negotiable and not set by law (updated 24 May 2024, checked 15 Oct 2026). Since 17 August 2024, a buyer’s agent’s pay is set in a written agreement, and NAR’s examples of objective pay include $0, a flat fee and a percent.

### What is a normal agent and broker split?

There is no single normal split, and this page states no typical figure. Brokerages use several models: a fixed split such as 70/30 or 80/20, a split that changes with your year's volume, a split with a yearly cap, and a 100% model with fees. Enter your agreement's terms.

### Who pays the buyer's agent now?

The written agreement between a buyer and their agent sets the amount. Offers of buyer-agent compensation are not allowed on the MLS, and sellers can still offer it off the MLS or offer concessions on it, per [NAR’s settlement FAQ](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/what-the-nar-settlement-means-for-home-buyers-and-sellers) (updated 24 May 2024, checked 15 Oct 2026).

## How this calculator works and what it assumes

Paper Route’s calculator rounds to cents and counts inputs below zero as zero. It does not model income tax, transfer tax, capital gains, royalties charged as a percent, or graduated splits within one deal. This is not legal or tax advice.

More free [tools for real estate agents](https://trypaperroute.com/tools)

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[Start my free week](https://trypaperroute.com/signup) [See pricing](https://trypaperroute.com/pricing)