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Solar Installer Commission Calculator

Enter deal size, type, and your commission tier — get net pay after dealer fees, financed deductions, and clawback reserves. Project annual earnings.

Deal details
kW
$
Risk factors
%
deals/mo
Commission breakdown for this deal
$2,280.00 net expected commission
Gross commission (rate × watts)$4,000.00
Dealer fee impact on commission-$1,000.00
Financed split deduction-$600.00
Clawback reserve (cancel risk)-$120.00
Effective $/W realized$0.228/W
Monthly earnings (5 deals/mo)$11,400/mo
Annual earnings projection$136,800/yr
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How to Use This Calculator

Enter your deal details

Input the system size in kilowatts, the total contract price the customer signs, and your deal type. Cash deals pay the highest net commission — financed deals (loan, lease, PPA) involve a dealer fee that the installer pays to the financing company, which is typically deducted from your commission before you see it. Most reps don't realize how significant this deduction is until they run the numbers.

Select your commission tier and risk factors

Choose your tier — the advertised $/W rate in your comp plan. Then enter the "financed deal split" — any additional percentage your company deducts for financed transactions beyond the standard dealer fee impact. Finally, select your clawback window. A 24-month clawback on a loan deal means you carry significant risk if the customer cancels or the deal falls apart.

Set your deals per month

The deals-per-month input projects your monthly and annual earnings so you can see the full picture of your income trajectory at different activity levels.

The Formula

Gross Commission = System Watts × $/W tier rate Dealer Fee Impact = Gross Commission × Reduction Rate by Deal Type Financed Split Deduction = Gross Commission × Split % Net Before Clawback = Gross − Dealer Fee Impact − Split Deduction Clawback Reserve = Net × Cancel Risk Rate (5% for 12mo, 8% for 24mo) Net Expected = Net Before Clawback − Clawback Reserve Effective $/W = Net Expected ÷ System Watts Monthly Earnings = Net Expected × Deals/Month Annual Earnings = Monthly × 12

The dealer fee impact is the hidden commission killer on financed deals. When a customer finances through Goodleap, Mosaic, or Sunlight, the lender charges the installer 20-30% of the loan value upfront. The installer passes that back-end cost to you as a commission reduction — often 20-30% of your gross commission gone before you get paid.

Example

Marcus — Mid-career rep closes a 10kW loan deal

Marcus is a standard-tier rep ($0.40/W) who closes a 10kW system for $35,000 on a Goodleap loan. His company takes an additional 15% split on financed deals. His clawback window is 12 months.

System size10 kW (10,000W)
TierStandard $0.40/W
Deal typeLoan (financed)
Financed split15%
Clawback12 months

Result

Gross commission$4,000
Dealer fee impact-$1,000 (25%)
Financed split deduction-$450 (15% of gross)
Clawback reserve-$128 (5%)
Net expected~$2,422
Effective $/W$0.242/W

Marcus's advertised $0.40/W became an effective $0.24/W after all deductions — 40% lower than expected. At 5 deals per month, that's roughly $12,000/month gross versus the $20,000 he might assume from the headline rate alone.

FAQ

A dealer fee (also called a "finance fee" or "back-end fee") is the cost that solar lenders charge installers for providing loan products to customers. When a customer finances a solar system, the lender pays out only 70-85% of the loan value to the installer — retaining 15-30% as their dealer fee. The installer then passes this cost onto sales reps as a reduced commission on financed deals. On a $35,000 loan at 20% dealer fee, the installer only receives $28,000 cash — but the rep's commission is calculated on a much smaller base.
A clawback is when your employer recovers commission that was already paid to you because the deal cancelled, the customer backed out, or the project didn't install within the required timeline. Clawback windows of 12-24 months are common in solar. If you close 10 deals in January and 1 cancels in October (11 months later), you owe back the full commission on that deal. To protect yourself, mentally set aside 5-10% of commissions earned into a savings buffer — your personal clawback reserve.
From a pure commission standpoint, yes — cash deals typically pay full gross commission with no dealer fee deductions and no clawback risk once payment clears. However, cash deals are a small minority of the market (10-20% of customers). The real play is to understand that your effective $/W on loan deals is significantly lower and price your value of time accordingly. Top performers focus on volume on high-margin cash deals and use their loan deal income to maintain activity levels.
Commission rates vary widely by company and market. Entry-level reps at large volume dealers often start at $0.15-0.25/W. Experienced reps at mid-size installers earn $0.35-0.50/W. Top performers at high-margin boutique installers or self-generating dealers can negotiate $0.70-1.00/W and above on self-generated leads. The key metric isn't the headline $/W — it's the effective $/W after all deductions, which this calculator exposes.
Top 10% solar sales reps in the US earn $150,000-$400,000+ annually. The top 1% who self-generate leads, work high-margin markets, and negotiate aggressive comp plans can exceed $500,000. However, these numbers represent post-clawback, post-deduction net earnings from 8-15 closed deals per month. The median solar sales rep earns $65,000-$95,000 — the distribution is highly skewed toward top performers.

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  title="Solar Installer Commission Calculator"></iframe>