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Commission (remuneration)

society Maturity 11-13 Next article →

A commission is a special way to pay people for their work. Instead of just getting a set amount of money every hour, they earn extra for selling things. This is called variable-pay. It helps motivate salespeople to do a great job. Companies use these plans to reward certain behaviors. For example, they might pay more for specific products. They might pay less if a worker gives a big discount. This helps the worker and the company work toward the same goals.

There are many ways to calculate these payments. Often, a worker gets a percentage of the total money from a sale. This can help solve a problem where workers and bosses want different things. Some plans use profits or bonuses instead of percentages. A salesperson might have a base pay and then add their expected commissions. This total amount is called on-target earnings. It helps them guess their total pay if they meet their quota. A quota is a specific sales goal they must reach.

Many different jobs use this system today. You can find commissions in car sales or insurance jobs. It is also very common in property sales. In the United States, a real estate broker might earn a commission. This amount could be 6% of the sale price of a house.

Rules exist to make sure these payments stay fair and honest. In 1886, a famous court case called Murray v. Beard happened in New York. The court decided a disloyal worker could not keep their commissions. In 2011, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a new law. This law requires employers to use written contracts for commissions. These contracts must show how the money is earned and paid. This helps avoid confusion for the workers.

In the world of money advice, rules have changed a lot. Some advisers receive something called a trail commission. This is a small payment of 0.1% to 0.9% each year. It is based on the value of what a client invests. Some people think this helps advisers care for the money. Others worry advisers might pick investments just to make more money. Because of this, the United Kingdom made big changes. In 2012, the Retail Distribution Review set new rules. These rules banned trail commissions on new products by 2016.

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