Commission calculations

This guide shows how to build commission rules that handle tiered rates, quota attainment, and complex payout structures.

What you’ll build

A commission decision that:

Calculates base commission from tiered rates
Applies accelerators for exceeding quota
Handles multiple product types with different rates
Supports team-based splits

Want to skip ahead? Download the completed decision and import it directly.

Decision flow

Example: Sales commission

Input data

{
  "rep": {
    "id": "SR-1234",
    "role": "account_executive",
    "quota": 100000
  },
  "period": {
    "sales": 125000,
    "newBusiness": 45000,
    "renewals": 80000
  },
  "deal": {
    "amount": 15000,
    "type": "new_business",
    "productLine": "enterprise"
  }
}

Step 1: Base commission rates

Define rates by product and deal type:

Step 2: Quota attainment tiers

Calculate quota percentage and tier: Then apply accelerators based on attainment:

Step 3: Calculate commission

Combine base rate with attainment multiplier:

Step 4: Role-based caps

Apply maximum commission by role:

Output structure

{
  "dealAmount": 15000,
  "baseRate": 0.12,
  "baseCommission": 1800,
  "attainmentPercent": 125,
  "tier": "accelerator_2",
  "multiplier": 1.5,
  "adjustedCommission": 2700,
  "finalCommission": 2700,
  "capped": false
}

Variations

Team splits

Split commission between reps:

Spiffs and bonuses

Add special incentives:

Clawbacks

Handle commission recovery:

Best practices

Version commission plans — Keep history when plans change mid-year. Show calculations — Output intermediate values for transparency. Handle edge cases — Zero quota, partial periods, mid-month starts. Audit trail — Log all inputs and outputs for disputes.

Risk assessment and scoring

Insurance underwriting

⌘I

Getting Started

Authoring

ZEN Language

Tutorials

What you’ll build

Decision flow

Example: Sales commission

Input data

Step 1: Base commission rates

Step 2: Quota attainment tiers

Step 3: Calculate commission

Step 4: Role-based caps

Output structure

Variations

Team splits

Spiffs and bonuses

Clawbacks

Best practices

​What you’ll build

​Decision flow

​Example: Sales commission

​Input data

​Step 1: Base commission rates

​Step 2: Quota attainment tiers

​Step 3: Calculate commission

​Step 4: Role-based caps

​Output structure

​Variations

​Team splits

​Spiffs and bonuses

​Clawbacks

​Best practices

What you’ll build

Decision flow

Example: Sales commission

Input data

Step 1: Base commission rates

Step 2: Quota attainment tiers

Step 3: Calculate commission

Step 4: Role-based caps

Output structure

Variations

Team splits

Spiffs and bonuses

Clawbacks

Best practices