Commission is the largest cost for Canadian home sellers, according to WOWA. This calculator estimates the commission, the sales tax on it and what you keep, for any province, using either a flat percentage or a tiered schedule.
How real estate commission works in Canada
- It’s negotiable. No government sets commission rates. The BC Financial Services Authority says any commission amount can be negotiated, the Saskatchewan Real Estate Commission that “there is no standard commission”, and the Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission that commission “is not regulated or set at any standard rate”.
- It can be a percentage, a flat fee or a tiered schedule. A tiered schedule charges a higher rate on the first part of the price and a lower rate on the rest, so the effective rate falls as the price rises.
- The seller usually pays it, from the sale proceeds. The listing brokerage shares part of it with the buyer’s brokerage.
- Sales tax is added on top. A GST/HST-registered agent has to charge GST/HST on their commission, according to the CRA, at the rate for the province where the property is.
Commission and sales tax by province
| Province | Sales tax on commission | Traditional schedule (industry sources) | Average total commission (Payotte) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 5% GST | 7% on the first $100,000, 3% on the rest | 4.1% |
| British Columbia | 5% GST | 7% on the first $100,000, 2.5% on the rest | 3.6% |
| Manitoba | 5% GST | No common schedule reported | 4% |
| New Brunswick | 15% HST | No common schedule reported | 4.8% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 15% HST | No common schedule reported | 5.7% |
| Nova Scotia | 14% HST | No common schedule reported | 4.4% |
| Ontario | 13% HST | 5% of the price | 4.3% |
| Prince Edward Island | 15% HST | No common schedule reported | Not published |
| Quebec | 14.975% GST + QST | No common schedule reported | 3.7% |
| Saskatchewan | 11% GST + PST | 6% on the first $100,000, 4% on the next $100,000, 2% on the rest | 4.4% |
Tax: provincial tax authorities and the CRA, checked September 25, 2026. Schedules: WOWA, Zealty, nesto and HomeSask. Averages: Payotte, September 2026. Commission rates are negotiable everywhere; none of these figures is a set rate.
The tax column is a rule. The other two columns aren’t: a traditional schedule is one that industry sources describe as common in that province, and the averages come from one industry survey. Your own rate is whatever you agree with your brokerage.
The provincial tax rules differ:
- HST provinces (Ontario and the four Atlantic provinces): the full HST applies to the commission.
- Quebec: GST and QST.
- Saskatchewan: GST plus the provincial sales tax, which applies to commission on land and buildings in the province but not on new home sales.
- British Columbia and Manitoba: GST only. B.C.’s PST excludes services for residential property, and Manitoba’s retail sales tax doesn’t list real estate services.
- Alberta: GST only, since it has no provincial sales tax.
Flat versus tiered commission
On a $600,000 sale, a flat 5% commission, the common Ontario estimate, is $30,000. The traditional B.C. schedule (7% on the first $100,000, 2.5% on the rest) comes to $19,500 on the same price, an effective rate of 3.25%. Tax then depends on the province: $3,900 of HST on the Ontario figure, $975 of GST on the B.C. one.
Paying less commission
The main ways to lower the cost are negotiating the rate, using a discount or 1% listing brokerage, or selling without an agent. On the buying side, some agents share part of their commission with the buyer; the buyer rebate guide covers how that works.
Commission calculators by province
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
Related pages
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Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them on September 25, 2026. How we check facts.