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Calculator · Commissions

Commission calculator.

Your payout per sale, and exactly how many sales it takes to hit your income goal. Enter three numbers — the math is instant and stays in your browser.

Commission per sale

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Sales to hit goal

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Add a goal to see the target.

How affiliate commission works

For a percentage program, your commission is simply the sale price times the rate. The more useful question is commission per sale — because that, multiplied by how many sales you can drive, is your income. A modest rate on a high-value product often beats a big rate on a cheap one.

commission per sale = sale price × commission rate
sales to hit goal   = monthly goal ÷ commission per sale

Worked example

A $120 product at a 30% commission rate pays $120 × 0.30 = $36 per sale. If your goal is $3,000 a month, you need $3,000 ÷ $36 ≈ 84 sales — about 3 a day. Now you have a concrete target: at a 3% conversion rate, that's roughly 2,800 clicks a month.

Rate vs. order value

The headline rate is the wrong thing to chase. Average order value does more work: a 5% rate on a $2,000 product pays $100, while a 40% rate on a $50 product pays $20. This is why high-ticket and recurring SaaS offers attract serious affiliates despite lower advertised rates. For flat CPA offers there's no rate at all — you earn a fixed amount per conversion.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate affiliate commission?

For a percentage program, commission equals the sale price times the commission rate. A $120 sale at a 30% rate pays $36. For a flat CPA offer, the commission is a fixed dollar amount per conversion regardless of order size, so there's no percentage to apply.

How many sales do I need to reach my income goal?

Divide your monthly income goal by your commission per sale. If you earn $36 per sale and want $3,000 a month, you need about 84 sales a month, or roughly 3 a day. Knowing that number turns a vague goal into a concrete traffic-and-conversion target.

What's a typical affiliate commission rate?

Physical-product programs commonly pay 3% to 10%, digital products and courses 30% to 50%, and SaaS 20% to 30% — often recurring for the life of the customer. Flat CPA offers range from a few dollars for a lead to hundreds for a high-value signup. Rate alone doesn't decide value; payout size and conversion rate together do.

Should I optimize for commission rate or order value?

Optimize for commission per sale, which is rate times order value. A 5% rate on a $2,000 product ($100) beats a 40% rate on a $50 product ($20). High average order value is the underrated lever — it's why many affiliates favor high-ticket and SaaS offers despite lower headline rates.

Related tools & terms

CPA, explained

Flat-fee commissions

Average Order Value

The underrated lever

EPC Calculator

Earnings per click

Offers That Pay

Choosing payout structures

Put it to work

Turn a goal into a plan

Sales-per-month is the bridge between an income goal and a traffic plan. The roadmap playbooks show how to get there step by step.

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