Tiered commission calculator for ticket sales.

Worked example

150 tickets at $40.00 is $6,000.00 gross. Tiers on gross: 5% from $0, 8% from $2,000, 12% from $4,000. Marginal: 5% of the first $2,000 = $100.00, 8% of the next $2,000 = $160.00, 12% of the last $2,000 = $240.00, total $500.00. Cliff: sales reached the 12% tier, so 12% x $6,000 = $720.00. The two methods differ by $220.00 on identical sales, which is why the wording of the deal matters more than the headline percentages.

How the calculation works

Net tickets = tickets sold x (1 - refunded share). Gross G = price x net tickets. Tiers are sorted by their starting point. Marginal commission = the sum over tiers of rate x the part of G (or of net tickets) that falls inside the tier. Cliff commission = rate of the highest tier whose starting point has been reached x the whole of G. When tiers count tickets, the rate is dollars per ticket; when they count gross, it is a percentage. The effective rate is commission divided by G, and the payout per net ticket is commission divided by net tickets.

Which method does a deal use?

Both are in use and the vendor and venue wording varies. A commission page from a ticketing vendor describes flat percentage, flat fee per ticket and base-plus-bonus structures; it does not tell you which tier rule your particular promoter agreement applies. Treat the headline method as the one you have in writing, and use the other row to see what is at stake if the wording is vague. If you want a simpler base plus a bonus above a threshold, the pay models comparison runs that too.

Edge cases

Tiers entered out of order are sorted and the page tells you. If your first tier starts above zero, sales below it earn nothing in this model, and a note says so. A refund share above 100% is capped at 100%, leaving zero net sales. Zero tickets, a missing price on a gross basis or no tier rates return a prompt.

What this does not cover

This page does not cover: commission paid on net-of-fees revenue, ticketing service fees, promo-code discounts, comps, tier resets between events, clawbacks after payout, or splits between several promoters. It also does not tell you what a fair rate is, what any venue or platform actually pays, or what your results will be. Results vary night to night and deal to deal, and the model only does arithmetic on the assumptions you enter.

Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or stored.

Sources

Retrieved October 2026. All rates, show rates, percentages, tiers and splits on this page are numbers you type in from your own deal; none comes from a source below.

• Ticket Fairy, promoter and affiliate commission calculator: a ticketing vendor's page, cited only for the common ways commission is structured (flat percentage, flat fee per ticket, percentage plus per-ticket bonus). Its figures are not used here.
• Fourvenues blog on promoter guest-list data: a nightlife software vendor's argument that pay should follow verified check-ins rather than names submitted. A vendor view, not an industry standard.
• IRS: Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee?
• IRS Topic 554: Self-employment tax and About Form 1099-NEC
• Canada Revenue Agency: sole proprietorships and partnerships (for readers outside the US)

FAQ

What is the difference between marginal and cliff commission tiers?

Marginal tiers pay each rate only on the sales inside that tier. Cliff or retroactive tiers pay the higher rate on all sales once a breakpoint is reached.

Should commission be paid on gross or net ticket sales?

Both appear in deals. The calculator uses gross after refunds; check whether your agreement deducts fees or taxes first.

Are refunds counted?

Enter the refunded share and it is removed before tiers are applied. Whether late refunds claw back paid commission is a contract term.

Can I use tiers by ticket count?

Yes. Switch the tiers to count tickets and enter the rate in dollars per ticket.