Real Estate Commission Calculator
Enter a sale price and rate to see the listing agent's and buyer's agent's cut. Want the full picture of what you'd actually walk away with? Try the net proceeds calculator.
Listing and buyer rates are entered separately because they are negotiated separately. There is no fixed or standard rate; these prefills are averages for planning only. Your tally saves in this browser.
How real estate commission works
When a home sells, the commission is a percentage of the sale price, and it typically pays two agents: the listing agent (who represents the seller) and the buyer's agent (who represents the buyer). Since the August 2024 NAR settlement, those two rates are negotiated separately rather than being locked into one bundled "total commission" split on an MLS field, so it's worth knowing both numbers, not just the total.
What's a typical rate
As of a February 2026 survey of 533 agents (Clever Real Estate, cross-checked against Zillow and St. Louis Fed data), the national average total commission is 5.70% of the sale price: about 2.88% to the listing agent and 2.82% to the buyer's agent. Rates vary by state from 4.50% (Washington DC) up to 6.20% (Michigan), and by market, property, and how much negotiating either side does. None of this is set by law or by any MLS. It's always a negotiated number between you and your agent.
Worked example
On a $400,000 home sale at the national average rates:
| Item | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Listing agent | 2.88% | $11,520 |
| Buyer's agent | 2.82% | $11,280 |
| Total commission | 5.70% | $22,800 |
Commission isn't the whole picture
Commission is usually the biggest line item out of a home sale, but it's not the only one. Closing costs (title, escrow, transfer taxes), your remaining mortgage balance, and any concessions you offer the buyer all come out of the sale price too. If you want the full picture of what actually lands in your pocket, use the net proceeds calculator instead. It starts from the same commission math and subtracts everything else.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is real estate commission?
- Real estate commission averages 5.70% of the sale price nationally as of February 2026, split between the listing agent (about 2.88%) and the buyer’s agent (about 2.82%). Actual rates range from about 4.5% to 6.2% depending on the state and are always negotiable.
- Who pays the real estate commission?
- Traditionally the seller pays the full commission out of the sale proceeds, and the listing brokerage splits part of it with the buyer’s agent. Since the August 2024 NAR settlement changed how buyer-agent compensation is offered, buyers and sellers now negotiate that split more directly, and in some deals a buyer pays some or all of their own agent’s fee.
- Is real estate commission negotiable?
- Yes, always. Commission has never been fixed by law, and the NAR settlement specifically targeted the practice of automatically advertising a fixed buyer-agent rate on the MLS. You can negotiate the rate with your own agent and, separately, what (if anything) is offered to a buyer’s agent.
- What’s the difference between listing agent and buyer’s agent commission?
- The listing agent represents the seller and is paid for marketing the home, and the buyer’s agent represents the buyer and is paid for finding and showing homes. Since 2024 these are negotiated as two separate rates instead of one bundled total, which is why this calculator lets you set them independently.