Overview
BoldTrail BackOffce takes the stress out of team-based commission tracking. We provide an intuitive and easy-to-use functionality for simplifying the real estate commission structure and making it (really) manageable.
BoldTrail BackOffice provides flexible options tailored to unique transactions, including sliding scale structures and accounting for special cases like referral or franchise fees. This helps you handle even the most complex commission scenarios with precision.
Getting Started with Commission Plans
The lifecycle of a commission plan is simple: you create it, set commission templates, and assign these templates to users.
Adding a commission plan
Create a commission plan by going to the Commission plans page and clicking the Add plan button. Enter a name for your plan and click Add.
Configuring a commission plan
Once added, you must configure the split and add pre-split or post-split deductions. When you have a plan selected, click split under the Paid by agent section. In a split window, enter either % or flat fee – an amount that the company pays to the agent.
When configuring sliding scales, you'll need to select an appropriate base for calculations.
Two primary options are available:
Company Dollar: Calculates fees based on total company deductions, including pre/post deductions and the split company portion. This is ideal for overall company fee tracking and capping.
Gross Commission: Bases calculations on total commissions before deductions, which determines how quickly fee thresholds adjust.
If you have a complex commission structure, click the simple calculation link and select sliding scale. This option lets you select a base for your sliding scale, and then select a period. Add all tiers, enter splits, and once finished click Save.
When designing your sliding scale, determine your goal or milestone. For example, you might set up a transaction fee structure where lot prices below $25k get a $299 fee, $25.1k-$50k get $399, and above $50k get $499. Choose the base that aligns with your specific needs. A best practice when using sliding scales for resource fees is to base calculations on the associated tag rather than gross commission. This creates more accurate fee assignments and maintains alignment with operational frameworks.
For tracking specific charges, consider using transaction-specific tags. You can also set up targets for agents to unlock higher commission tiers by aligning the sliding scale base with the required goal. When managing fees after an agent caps, ensure post-cap fee rules use split-based contributions and consistent periods to preserve billing transparency and efficiency.
Adding pre-split and post-split deductions
On the same Paid by agent section, click add and select the needed option:When handling more complex transactions involving referral fees, team splits, or franchise fees, follow these best practices:
Always handle referral fees first, as they are based on the commission's overall basis.
Configure team splits after the brokerage split but before applying transaction fees.
Adjust franchise fees carefully to maintain proper deduction flow, ensuring referral fees remain accurately calculated.
Pre-split is something that you deduct before the split, examples include business tag, state or city taxes, or company Franchise/Royalty Fees
Post-split is deducted from agent's commissions, for example, E&O fee, transaction fee, etc
Assigning a commission plan
From the Users page, select the needed profile and click update plans under the Commission plans tab. On the opened window, select one or multiple needed plans and click Save.
Adding shared and un-shared income to a commission plan
You can easily set up predetermined credit and increase items in your commission plans. This update helps fill a gap in our market, letting you include standardized fees and credits in your plans. By cutting down manual work, it reduces errors and speeds up transactions.
We've made it simple. We used the same process for adding Un-shared and Shared income in transactions and made it available when setting up Commission plans. When you pick a plan, any credit included will show up. If two agents on a transaction use plans with credits, it will show up twice – once for each.
Go to Commission plans > select or create a plan > add the needed income.
Unlike transactions where you need to specify who's paying, in Commission Plans, you just need to assign a Role for Un(Shared) income. During the transaction, make sure to fulfill that role for the credit to work. This makes it flexible and clearer.
Commission caps
Commissions will only cap based on closed transactions within the same account. After an agent reaches cap, any remaining pending deals should be manually recalculated. You can do it by opening any deduction and clicking Save.
📊 Example: Cap Tracking — Closed Transactions Only
Agent Sarah has a commission cap of $20,000 for the year. Here is how her cap progress is tracked:
Transaction 1 (Closed): Company keeps $8,000 → Cap progress: $8,000
Transaction 2 (Closed): Company keeps $7,000 → Cap progress: $8,000 + $7,000 = $15,000
Transaction 3 (Pending): Company would keep $4,000 → Not yet counted toward cap
Transaction 4 (Closed): Company keeps $6,000 → Cap progress: $15,000 + $6,000 = $21,000 → Cap reached at $20,000
Transaction 3 (Pending) does not count toward the $20,000 cap until it closes. Once Transaction 4 closes and pushes Sarah past her cap, Transaction 3 must be manually recalculated to reflect the post-cap split.
When agent is capped, pending deals will not be automatically updated.
📊 Example: Pending Deals Near the Cap
Agent Marcus has an 80/20 split with a $16,000 cap. His current cap progress from closed transactions is $15,500.
Remaining room to cap: $16,000 − $15,500 = $500
Pending Deal A: Gross commission = $10,000. Company's 20% share = $2,000
The first $500 of that $2,000 fills the cap. The remaining $1,500 is post-cap (0% company share)
Pending Deal B: Gross commission = $8,000. Since Marcus is already capped, company share = $0
Because Marcus is capped, Deals A and B will not automatically update. Each must be manually recalculated by opening the deduction and clicking Save.
When an agent closes a transaction, the platform automatically finalizes commissions and pulls them to the agent's cap. If there are any changes done to commissions within an already closed transaction, they become unfinalized commissions. This way, even when the deal is closed, the system no longer counts toward an agent's cap, until commissions are finalized.
If you edit finalized commissions, their status will become draft.
📊 Example: Finalized vs. Draft Commissions
Agent Priya has a 70/30 split with a $14,000 cap. Her current cap status:
Transaction 1 (Finalized): Company kept $6,000 → counts toward cap. Cap progress: $6,000
Transaction 2 (Finalized): Company kept $5,000 → counts toward cap. Cap progress: $6,000 + $5,000 = $11,000
Transaction 3 (Finalized, then edited): Originally company kept $4,000 — this closes the $3,000 gap. However, after editing, it reverts to Draft status.
Transaction 3 (now Draft): The $4,000 no longer counts. Cap progress drops back to $11,000 until commissions are re-finalized.
Until Transaction 3 is re-finalized, Priya's cap stands at $11,000 — not $14,000 — and she has not yet reached her cap.
If an agent is near cap, and has several pending deals, every deal will be calculating the commissions based on the current closed transactions (with finalized commissions). For each deal, the user must manually recalculate the commissions to update, as stated at the bottom of this section.
Commission caps are only tracked within the same account. Transaction closed in other sub-accounts will not count.
Set Starting Values for an Agent
This feature won't alter any of your existing adjustment methods. It helps maintain a record in case you delete any transactions that adjust commissions to the starting value. Just remember, if you delete such a transaction, we can't retrieve it for you.
Starting values are used for commission cap tracking and reporting. They do not currently influence the Goal Tracker metrics.
The "Starting Values" feature enables users to establish specific dates and amounts for various selectable entities such as Company Dollar Contribution, Split: Company's Portion, Transaction Points, Commission Basis, Gross Commissions, Agent Commissions, and Sales Volume.
📊 Example: Setting Starting Values
Agent Jordan joins mid-year having already closed deals at their previous brokerage. Their brokerage wants to give them credit for prior production before their first transaction in the system. The admin sets the following starting values effective January 1:
Starting Value Entity | Amount Entered | What It Represents |
Company Dollar Contribution | $4,000 | Jordan already contributed $4,000 to the company (split + deductions) before joining this system. |
Split: Company's Portion | $3,500 | Of that $4,000, $3,500 came specifically from the company's cut of the split. |
Transaction Points | 3 | Jordan closed 3 transactions before joining this system. |
Gross Commissions | $45,000 | Total gross commission earned across those 3 prior transactions. |
Once Jordan's next transaction closes in this system — say, a $20,000 gross commission with an 80/20 split — here is how the running totals update:
Company's split portion from new transaction: $20,000 × 20% = $4,000
Updated Split: Company's Portion total: $3,500 (starting value) + $4,000 = $7,500
Updated Company Dollar Contribution total: $4,000 (starting value) + $4,000 = $8,000 (assuming no additional deductions)
Updated Transaction Points total: 3 (starting value) + 1 = 4 transactions
Updated Gross Commissions total: $45,000 (starting value) + $20,000 = $65,000
The system uses these cumulative totals — not just current-period transactions — to determine where Jordan falls on any sliding scale or cap threshold.
The starting values will apply from the effective date through the end of the commission plan period. If no plan is applied, this uses the date range of each transaction’s split.
Follow these steps to set starting values for an agent:
Navigate to the "Users" section and select the desired agent.
Within the agent's profile, locate the right-hand tab and click the "Starting Values" dropdown.
Click on "update starting values" at the bottom of the section. When unfolded, this section will display all the starting values and effective date at glance.
In the modal window that appears, enter the required values for the specified entities.
Click "Save" to apply the changes.
Your starting values have now been successfully set for the agent, providing a customized foundation for their commission plans.