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The Daily Insight Hub

Is commission part of net sales?

Author

Daniel Santos

Updated on January 04, 2026

The commission basis is usually the total amount of sales, and can also be the gross margin or net profit.

Are commissions part of gross margin?

Gross margin is a percentage; it is total sales less the cost of goods divided by revenues. The commission is then calculated as a percentage of the margin. The commission changes for the same product as the margin changes.

Is commission an expense or income?

Commissions paid out by a company are an expense. A company may pay a commission to a salesperson who generates revenue for the company by selling its products or services or obtaining clients for it.

What is a typical commission for sales?

The industry average for sales commission typically falls between 20% and 30% of gross margins. At the low end, sales professionals may earn 5% of a sale, while straight commission structures allow a 100% commission.

What kind of cost is commission?

Most sales commissions are a selling expense, and so should be reported on the income statement as part of operating expenses. Often, they will appear under the selling, general, and administrative expenses (SG&A) category.

Is commission income a debit or credit?

Under the cash basis of accounting, you should record a commission when it is paid, so there is a credit to the cash account and a debit to the commission expense account. You can classify the commission expense as part of the cost of goods sold, since it directly relates to the sale of goods or services.

Is sales equal to revenue?

Revenue is the total amount of money generated by a company. Sales are the total consideration accrued from selling goods or services by a company. Sales are a subset of revenue.

Is commission based pay good?

Even though many positions pay a base salary, the value of working for commission is that you are in control of what you earn. Highly motivated salespeople will earn generous commissions, while their less ambitious counterparts will not. There are also some jobs that are more lucrative than others.