Standard commission rates let you define how much commission each agent should receive by default. Tern uses these to calculate the advisor’s share whenever you log a commission payment.
Your setup depends on how your agency applies commission rates. Two models are supported:
Based on booking date: Use the advisor’s rate at the time the booking was made.
Based on commission received date: Use the advisor’s current commission rate when you receive payment from the supplier.
How standard commission rates are applied
When you log a commission payment for a booking, Tern checks the booking date and matches it to the advisor’s commission rate:
It looks for a rate with an effective date on or before the booking date.
If multiple rates exist, Tern uses the most recent effective rate before that date.
If no matching rate exists, the advisor defaults to 0%, and you can manually adjust the split or assign a commission type.
Why this matters
If your agency applies rates based on booking date, keep a running history of all past rates with accurate effective dates to ensure the correct rate gets used based on booking date.
If your agency applies rates based on commission received date, you should keep only one active rate and update it as needed to ensure the latest rate is always being used.
Note: Updating an advisor's rate does not change the split on commission that has already been paid out. If the advisor has commission that's been received but not yet paid out, you'll be able to choose whether the new rate applies to those pending payouts:
Applying a Rate Change to Pending Payouts
If the advisor has commission that's been received but not yet paid out, changing their rate opens a modal asking whether to apply the new split to those pending payouts or leave them unchanged.
Apply to pending payouts: The new split percentage and payout amount update on any received-but-unpaid commission that falls within the new rate's effective date range.
Keep existing payouts unchanged: Pending payouts stay at the old rate. The new rate only applies to commission received after the change.
This applies to both standard commission rate changes and mentor-mentee splits.
Note: Only the split percentage and payout amount update. Eligibility dates and other booking details stay the same.
Note: This does not change an advisor's expected commission amount. Expected commission reflects the rate at the time it was logged and does not update automatically when you change a rate.
Why you might not see the modal
The modal only appears if the advisor has commission that's been received but not yet paid out, with bookings in the new rate's effective date range. If you don't see the option, check:
The advisor has no received commission, or it's already been paid out.
The bookings fall outside the new rate's effective date range.
Applying this to a rate that already existed before this feature
If a rate was set up before this feature existed and you want it applied to pending payouts now, note the effective date, delete the rate, and re-add it identically. The modal will appear if there's impacted received-but-unpaid commission.
Note: This method may not correctly apply the new rate to bookings outside the original effective date range in every case. If payout amounts look wrong after using it, contact Tern support rather than relying on the result.
Prerequisites
• You have admin access to your agency.
• You have a list of your agents' standard commission splits.
Steps
Navigate to your agency's Settings page.
Open the Team section and find the advisor you want to configure.
Click on the row in the table for that advisor to open their settings.
Scroll to the Standard commission splits section.
If your agency uses booking-date-based rates
Use multiple rates. Tern will pick the correct one based on effective date.
Click Add new rate for each rate change in your agent's contract.
Enter a description (e.g., "Standard Rate - 2024" or "Tier 2 Rate - 2025").
Enter the agent commission percentage.
Set the effective date to when this rate should start applying to bookings.
Repeat for each rate tier or change in your contract.
Click Save changes.
Example
If an agent moves from a 60% split in 2024 to a 70% split starting January 1, 2025:
Add 60% with effective date Jan 1, 2024
Add 70% with effective date Jan 1, 2025
Tern will automatically use the correct rate depending on each booking’s date.
If your agency uses commission-received-date rates
Use a single rate and update it over time.
Click Add new rate (or edit the existing rate if one exists).
Enter a description (e.g., "Standard Commission Rate").
Enter the agent commission percentage.
Set the effective date to the advisor's start date.
Click Save changes.
This ensures the advisor’s current rate is used whenever commission payments are logged.
Example
If an agent moves from a 60% split to a 70% split:
Replace their 60% rate with a 70% rate.
Make no changes to their effective date.
Tern will automatically use the latest rate, regardless of booking date.
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