Tern supports splitting commission between agents using commission adjustments. Below are two common workflows with step-by-step instructions.
1) Split commission for a single booking (referral or two agents on one booking)
When to use: A single booking where two agents share the commission (e.g., an agent-to-agent referral or two agents who both serviced a client).
Steps
Record the supplier commission on the booking
When reconciling commission on a Supplier Statement, select the booking you want to log a commission payment for.
Record the amount you received from the supplier
Set the booking owner’s split to what they should actually take home
In the same Commission form, adjust the Agent split (%) field so the booking owner’s payout equals the amount they should keep after the other agent is paid.
Create an adjustment to pay the secondary agent
In another window or tab, Go to Commission > Agent Payouts
Choose Add Adjustment.
Complete the adjustment form:
Amount: the secondary agent’s earnings.
Agent: pick the secondary agent from the agent/agency membership dropdown.
Name: a short title (best practice:
SupplierName • Confirmation #).Subtype: choose the appropriate subtype (e.g., “bonus” or “adjustment”).
Notes: add any details about why the split exists (who approved it, booking confirmation, referral details, etc.).
Earliest payout: set this to the same date on the booking.
Save the adjustment. The UI will create a payout line for that agent and assign the amount.
Confirm the final payouts
The booking should now show the total amount received, and a reduced split for the primary agent.
There should be a separate adjustment shown on the Agent Payouts tab for the split the second agent earned.
2) Split commission across all bookings for an agent (mentor → mentee)
When to use: A mentor should receive a portion of many bookings (e.g., 10% of each mentee booking).
Steps
Reconcile supplier commission normally
Record supplier commissions against bookings or supplier statements as usual — no per-booking change needed for the mentor split at this stage.
Add an adjustment for the mentor before payouts
Before you generate/pay out agent paychecks, create an adjustment for the mentor:
Open Commission → Due and find the upcoming statement due for the mentee.
Use the Agent or Agency amount to calculate the required adjustment amounts
If the mentor will earn a portion of commission from the Agency earnings, use that amount to calculate the additional amount you'll need to pay the mentor.
If the mentor will earn a portion of the agent's earnings, use that amount to calculate the additional amount you need to pay the mentor.
In another window or tab, open Commission → Agent Payouts
Choose Add adjustment, and fill out the adjustment details with the mentor as the agent and the amount you want added to their next paycheck.
Best practice: put the upcoming payout date (for example, “Pay period 2025-08-31”) in the adjustment Name so it’s easy to find later.
Optional: add an adjustment for the mentee
If the mentor will earn a portion of the agent's earnings, you'll need to add an adjustment for the agent to remove their mentor's commission from their earnings.
Follow the same steps as above to add an adjustment for the mentee
Tips & best practices
Have agents add the secondary agent in the booking notes (the booking’s expected commission notes). This makes it easier to find bookings that need adjustments during reconciliation.
Use a consistent naming convention on adjustments:
SupplierName • Confirmation #for single-booking splits, orPayout 2025-08-31 — Mentor Feefor recurring mentor adjustments.Use commission types for recurring splits: If the split is ongoing (mentor fee, referral program), create a commission type that applies a flat percentage or an adjustment so you don’t have to make manual adjustments each time. Commission types live in the agency settings and let you define flat rates or adjustment-style rules.
Work in multiple tabs when reconciling many statements — it speeds up creating multiple adjustments in real time.
Audit before paying — always scan the payout statement to confirm both the booking commission and any adjustments show the expected agent amounts before marking paychecks as paid.