The RE/MAX commission split is among the highest in the industry, with experienced agents keeping up to 95% of their gross commission. Newer agents can start at 60/40 and move up to 70/30 and 80/20 under the RE/MAX Alternative Payment Plan (RAPP). Each RAPP tier carries an annual cap set by the office — one Massachusetts franchise publishes $23,000 — and once an agent hits it, they move to the 95/5 split for the rest of the year.
On a $500,000 home sale, an agent on a 95/5 split could earn up to $14,250. That figure doesn't account for desk fees. Inman puts those at roughly $300 to $2,500 a month depending on the office.[1] That gap is enough to change which plan actually pays you more.
Here's what each plan really costs, which fees are negotiable, and how to tell which plan nets you more at your deal volume. One piece of news first: The Real Brokerage completed its acquisition of RE/MAX on August 24, 2026. Both companies say the RE/MAX brand, the independent broker-owner model and agent compensation plans are unchanged.[2]
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RE/MAX fees at a glance
RE/MAX fees vary by office. Agents on the 95/5 plan pay monthly desk fees, which Inman reports at roughly $300 to $2,500.[1] RAPP agents pay no desk fees; instead, a larger share of each commission goes to the brokerage until they hit their office's annual cap.
Here's what you could net with a 3% gross commission on a $500,000 home sale. Fees vary by franchise, so your actual numbers may differ.
| Starting RAPP split (60/40) | Maximum split (95/5) | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross commission (3% of $500,000) | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Agent share after split | $9,000 | $14,100 (after 1% broker fee) |
| Monthly desk fee | $0 | ~$300–$2,500 |
| Net payment | $9,000 | ~$11,750–$13,950 |
Desk-fee range as reported by Inman, May 2026. Every RE/MAX franchise is independently owned and sets its own fees and caps — RE/MAX corporate publishes neither. Confirm exact terms with the office.
RE/MAX commission splits: plan-by-plan breakdown
RE/MAX agents choose between two main paths. The first is the flagship 95/5 plan, which RE/MAX Holdings recommends as its standard model.[3] The second is the RE/MAX Alternative Payment Plan (RAPP), which trades a bigger brokerage share for zero desk fees. RAPP is set at the office level — it doesn't appear in RE/MAX's franchise disclosure document at all.
The 95/5 plan
You keep 95% of every commission and pay the brokerage 5%, plus a monthly desk fee that covers office space and overhead. The percentage looks great on a recruiting flyer, but the desk fee is due whether you close or not — this plan fits agents with steady volume who can carry fixed costs through slow months.
RAPP: 60/40, 70/30, and 80/20
RAPP starts newer agents at a 60/40 split and moves them up to 70/30 and 80/20 as production and experience grow — each office sets its own promotion criteria. RAPP covers most office costs, though you still pay personal expenses like print and online marketing. Every RAPP tier carries an annual cap set by the office. Hit it, and you move to the 95/5 split for the rest of your year.
Hybrid and office-specific plans
Because each franchise is independently owned, some offices offer hybrid plans — a reduced desk fee paired with a 70/30 or 80/20 split, or team arrangements with their own economics. If an office pitches you a hybrid, get the full fee schedule in writing so you can compare it against the two standard paths.
Here's how the plans compare on a single $10,000 gross commission, before taxes and personal expenses:
| Plan | You keep | Net on $10,000 GCI | Monthly desk fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95/5 | 95% | $9,500* | ~$300–$2,500 |
| RAPP 80/20 | 80% | $8,000 | $0 |
| RAPP 70/30 | 70% | $7,000 | $0 |
| RAPP 60/40 | 60% | $6,000 | $0 |
*Before desk fees. One month's desk fee turns that $9,500 into roughly $7,000–$9,200 if it's your only deal that month — the more you close, the less each deal absorbs.
The annual cap changes this math for high-volume RAPP agents — more on that next, or jump to the calculator to run your own numbers.
RE/MAX commission cap: how the RAPP cap works
Only RAPP agents have a commission cap at RE/MAX. The cap is the most a RAPP agent pays the brokerage from commission splits in a year, and each independently owned office sets its own — RE/MAX corporate publishes no national figure. RE/MAX Real Estate Center in Massachusetts, for example, publishes a $23,000 cap across its 60/40, 70/30 and 80/20 tiers, after which agents move to 95/5 for the rest of the year.[4] Once you hit your office's cap, you keep 95% of every commission for the rest of your anniversary year.
Say you're on the 70/30 tier at an office with that $23,000 cap, and your average deal generates a $10,000 gross commission. The brokerage keeps $3,000 per deal, so you'd cap out partway through deal #8. Deals #9 and beyond pay you 95%.
The cap is why RAPP isn't just a training-wheels plan. A high-volume RAPP agent's total brokerage cost stops at the cap, while a 95/5 agent's desk fees and 5% share keep accruing all year.
RE/MAX fees for agents
RE/MAX agents pay two kinds of costs: fees your office sets directly and pass-through fees that originate with the franchise system. As of August 2026, here's what to expect:
- Desk fees (95/5 plan only). Roughly $300 to $2,500 per month per Inman, set office by office. RAPP agents don't pay them.
- Broker fee. RE/MAX collects a fee of generally 1% of each commission from the broker.[3] Many offices pass it through to agents.
- Franchise royalty and ad fees. Franchise owners pay RE/MAX a Continuing Franchise Fee of $143 to $170 per agent per month depending on the state, plus a flat Marketing Fee of $127 to $140 per agent per month and $410 a year in dues per agent, per the 2026 franchise disclosure document.[5] Offices commonly pass these through as monthly line items on your statement.
- Personal business costs. MLS access, marketing, signage, and transaction tools are yours on either plan — some offices fold a few of these into the desk fee, so ask what's included.
If a recruiter quotes you a split, ask for the full fee schedule. The split percentage is the least interesting half of the story.
What it costs to become a RE/MAX agent
Budget for startup costs before any brokerage fees: pre-licensing courses, the state exam and your license; local board and MLS dues; errors and omissions (E&O) insurance if your office bills it separately; plus a lockbox key, signage and a starter marketing kit. The totals vary enough by state and board that no national figure holds up — price your own state's license fees and your local board's dues rather than working from a range you read online.
One number you don't pay: the franchise fee sometimes quoted alongside agent fees is the cost of buying a RE/MAX office as a franchisee, not a fee for joining one as an agent. The 2026 franchise disclosure document puts it at $8,750 to $35,000 depending on market population density — $37,500 for a high-density market if you finance it.[5]
How real estate commission splits with brokers work
Every commission at a traditional brokerage is split between the agent and their broker. The seller usually pays the total commission at closing. It goes to the listing broker, who pays the buyer's agent fee to the buyer's broker — and each broker then splits its share with the agent who did the work. Sellers still typically pay the buyer's-agent commission, though the 2024 NAR settlement made buyer-side fees explicitly negotiable.
Splits at traditional brokerages typically run 50/50 to 70/30 in the agent's favor. The brokerage's share buys real things: office space, E&O coverage, compliance review, training, and the brand on your yard sign. Fee-based models like RE/MAX's 95/5 push the split higher and charge fixed fees instead.
For context, the average total commission on a U.S. home sale is 5.46% — see average real estate commission rates for the full breakdown, and how to negotiate realtor commission if you're on the consumer side of the table. Home sellers estimating their own costs should use our real estate commission calculator — this page covers the agent's side.
How RE/MAX compares
RE/MAX inverts the usual model: it's the highest split in the group, paid for with the highest fixed
monthly cost. Here is how it compares with the other national brands on the four numbers that
decide your take-home.
| Brokerage | Commission split | Commission cap | Franchise fee | Monthly desk fee |
| RE/MAX | 95/5, or office-level RAPP tiers of roughly 60/40–80/20[5] | RAPP caps set by each office; no cap on the 95/5 plan[5] | 1% Broker Fee on revenue, plus a per-agent Continuing Franchise Fee of $143–$170/mo and a flat Marketing Fee of $127–$140/mo[5] | $300–$2,500/mo on the 95/5 plan; none on RAPP[1] |
| Century 21 | 70/30 to 90/10 across the franchises that publish rates[6] | Varies by plan — a $15,000 broker-split cap at C21 Edge; 100% after $200,000 GCI on C21 Signature's Relentless plan[6][7] | 6% of gross commission passed through at some franchises; the franchisor's royalty is 6% of Gross Revenue plus a 0.50% Brand Marketing Fund, 6.5% combined[8] | $99–$350/mo across published plans (Edge $99; Signature Kickstart $100, Relentless $350)[6][7] |
| Coldwell Banker | No company-wide standard; documented office schedules start at 60/40–70/30 and rise to 90/10[9] | No universal cap[9] | Offices commonly pass 6% of gross commission through to agents; the franchisor's own royalty is 5.5% declining to 3% of brokerage revenue, plus a 0.5% Brand Marketing Fund[10] | About $110/mo at the one office that publishes a schedule[9] |
| Keller Williams | 70/30 with your market center until you cap, then 100%[11] | $3,000 per associate on the KWRI royalty, plus a market-center cap each office sets and none publish[11] | 6% of GCI, capped at $3,000 per associate per anniversary year[11] | Set by market center and not published nationally; the FDD sets a $72/mo per-associate access fee[11] |
| Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | Not published — the franchise agreement leaves agent compensation entirely to each independently owned brokerage[12] | Not published[12] | Franchisor royalty declines from 6.00% on the first $1.65M of brokerage revenue to 2.00% above $100M, plus a separate marketing fee starting at 1.00% — about 7% combined at the top tier. Whether an office passes it through is an office decision[12] | Not published[12] |
Keller Williams' commission split is the closest structural comparison — both reward volume with 100%, but Keller Williams gets there through a cap rather than a fixed monthly fee. Century 21's commission split and Coldwell Banker's commission split keep lower splits and lower fixed costs, and the Berkshire Hathaway commission split publishes no rates to compare.
RE/MAX commission calculator
Pick your plan, plug in your average deal size and annual volume, and see what you'd actually keep at RE/MAX for a year. The defaults match the fee ranges above, and every field is editable — use your office's real numbers.
Calculate your take-home commission
The 95/5 plan has no cap; the monthly desk fee is the cost. Inman puts those fees at $300–$2,500 a month — the $1,000 seeded here is an assumption, not a RE/MAX figure.
Your next deal
- Gross commission
- $15,000
- Broker fee 1% of GCI
- −$150
- Brokerage split 5% of GCI
- −$750
- Transaction fee
- −$0
After you cap
- Gross commission
- $15,000
- Broker fee 1% of GCI
- −$150
- Brokerage split 5% of GCI
- −$750
- Transaction fee
- −$0
At 10 deals a year
- −$1,500 Broker fee
- −$7,500 Brokerage share
- −$0 Transaction fees
- −$12,000 Monthly fees $1,000/mo × 12
Rates as of August 2026 RE/MAX Holdings Form 10-K (FY2025)
RE/MAX offices are independently owned and set their own plans. The 95/5 split and the 1% broker fee are RE/MAX's published national figures; desk fees and RAPP caps are not — RAPP does not appear in the franchise disclosure document at all. The $1,000 desk fee sits inside Inman's reconciled $300–$2,500 range and the $23,000 RAPP cap is one office's published number; both are examples. After a RAPP agent caps, the plan pays 95%, not 100%.
Estimates for illustration. Actual splits and fees vary by office and agreement.
RE/MAX pros and cons
RE/MAX gives agents a top-of-market split and one of the most recognized names in real estate — more than 145,000 agents in nearly 8,500 offices across more than 120 countries and territories.[3] Since August 24, 2026 the brand has been part of Real RE/MAX Group, which says the franchise model and agent economics carry on unchanged.[13] The tradeoff is cost structure.
Pros
- High commission split. Keep up to 95% of your gross commission — among the highest of the traditional brands.
- Flexible plans. Choose fixed desk fees (95/5) or a capped split with no monthly fees (RAPP).
- Established brand. Instant credibility with clients, even as a newer agent.
- Training and support. Agents consistently praise office-level coaching and resources.
Cons
- High desk fees. 95/5 agents pay roughly $300 to $2,500 per month whether or not they close.
- Office-by-office terms. Every franchise sets its own fees and caps — the numbers here are typical, not guaranteed.
- Commission-only pressure. Slow quarters still bill desk fees, which squeezes agents on the 95/5 plan.
- Limited lead generation. You're largely responsible for finding your own clients.
The brand and the split are real advantages. The question is whether your volume covers the fixed costs — which is exactly what the calculator above answers.
RE/MAX commission split: what agents say
RE/MAX employees rate the company 4.1 out of 5 on Glassdoor across 2,570 reviews, which Glassdoor describes as in line with the 3.7-star average for real estate employers.[14] Training, office support, and brand recognition draw consistent praise; the most common complaints are fee levels and the stress of commission-only income.
That tension — strong tools, real fixed costs — is the same tradeoff the plan choice comes down to. Agents who close consistently tend to call the fees fair; agents in a dry spell feel every invoice.
Questions to ask a RE/MAX broker before joining
Plan terms at RE/MAX are set office by office, which means they're negotiable. Treat the first fee schedule you're shown as an opening offer, and get answers to these in writing:
- What's the exact monthly desk fee, and what does it include — space, tech, E&O, admin support?
- What's the RAPP cap at this office, and as of what date?
- What production or tenure moves me up the RAPP tiers, and is the promotion policy written down?
- Which franchise royalty and ad fees are passed through to agents, and at what amounts?
- What tech, marketing, or transaction fees will show up on my monthly statement?
- How is E&O insurance billed, and what's my deductible if a claim hits?
- What's negotiable at signing — desk fee, cap, or starting tier?
- What happens to my plan if the office is sold or changes hands?
When you negotiate, anchor on your total annual cost at your realistic deal volume — not the split percentage. A franchise owner who won't move on the split will often move on the desk fee or your starting tier instead.
Bottom line
RE/MAX's 95/5 split fits established agents with the volume to carry $300 to $2,500 in monthly desk fees. RAPP fits newer or lower-volume agents who'd rather give up a bigger share than owe fixed costs — with a cap that keeps high producers from overpaying. Either way, get the office's exact fee schedule in writing and run the numbers at your volume before you sign.
Whichever plan you choose, deal flow decides whether it pays off. Clever's Partner Network sends qualified buyer and seller leads to top agents — it's free to join, and you never pay for a lead up front.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — agents on the 95/5 plan pay monthly desk fees, which Inman puts at roughly $300 to $2,500 depending on the office and market.[1] RAPP agents don't pay desk fees. Instead, the brokerage keeps a larger share of each commission (60/40 to 80/20) until the annual cap is reached. RE/MAX corporate publishes no fee schedule, so confirm yours in writing.
Under the 95/5 plan — the standard model RE/MAX Holdings recommends — agents keep 95% of each gross commission and pay the brokerage 5%, plus a monthly desk fee that covers office overhead. It's the best percentage in the RE/MAX lineup, but the fixed fees mean it only pays off for agents with steady deal volume.
No. Each RE/MAX franchise is independently owned and sets its own cap, and RE/MAX publishes no national figure — RAPP isn't even in the franchise disclosure document. One Massachusetts office publishes a $23,000 cap; agents elsewhere report lower ones. Before you sign, confirm the cap amount at that specific office, when it was last updated, and whether it resets on a calendar year or your anniversary date.
It can be. RAPP lets new agents start at 60/40 with no desk fees, so a slow first year doesn't bury you in fixed costs, and the brand opens doors with clients. Training quality varies by office, though — see how it compares in our Keller Williams vs. RE/MAX breakdown before you decide.