Real estate commission calculator
Estimate the commission on a Canadian home sale — the gross amount, how it splits between the listing and buyer's brokerages, the GST or HST on top, and what the seller actually nets. Commissions in Canada are negotiable: there is no set or standard rate, and the defaults below are illustrative only.
GST/HST applies to the commission, not the sale price. Other provinces have their own rates — pick the closer one and treat the result as an estimate.
Your estimate
- Gross commission
- $29,500
- Listing brokerage
- $14,750
- Buyer's brokerage
- $14,750
- GST (5%) on commission
- $1,475
- Commission + tax
- $30,975
Seller nets (after commission + tax)
$969,025
Effective commission: 2.95% of the sale price
How the math works
Graduated (BC-style): one rate applies to the first $100,000 of the sale price and a lower rate to everything above it — a structure you'll often see quoted in British Columbia, such as 7% on the first $100,000 and 2.5% on the balance. On a $1,000,000 sale at those rates the gross commission is $7,000 + $22,500 = $29,500.
Flat percentage: a single rate on the whole sale price — the structure more commonly quoted in Ontario and much of the rest of Canada, split between the two brokerages however the listing agreement sets it out.
The split: the seller's listing agreement sets the total commission and how much of it is offered to the buyer's brokerage. A 50/50 split is only a starting point for the estimate — real splits vary by market, brokerage, and negotiation.
The tax: real estate commissions are a taxable service, so GST or HST applies to the commission itself — 5% GST in British Columbia, 13% HST in Ontario. It's paid on top of the commission and comes out of the seller's proceeds.
Are commissions negotiable?
Yes — always. There is no standard, fixed, or board-mandated commission rate in Canada; every rate is agreed between the seller and their brokerage in the listing agreement, and offering it as fixed would be contrary to competition law. Use this calculator to understand the structure of the numbers, then negotiate the actual rate with your brokerage or your agent.
Keep reading
- CASL compliance checker Can you legally email that lead? Four questions, one plain-language verdict.
- VOW website requirements checklist Everything a compliant Canadian sold-data website needs.
- What is a VOW website? How sold prices end up on an agent's own website — and how BrokerFold runs one.
- BrokerFold pricing Website, MLS® data, and CRM in one transparent CAD subscription.
This calculator is general information, not financial, legal, or tax advice. Commission rates, splits, and structures are negotiable and vary by province, market, and brokerage; GST/HST treatment can vary with the facts. Confirm real numbers with your brokerage and your accountant.
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