How to configure your agency when commission statements come from a host agency
This is a common area of confusion in Tern today. At the moment, Tern does not have a dedicated way to track host agency commission splits separately for expected commission reporting. Improving this is on our product roadmap, but for now, the setup can feel unintuitive depending on how your host agency pays commissions.
Key concept to understand
Most host agencies (including TPI, based on feedback from other advisors) deduct their commission split before paying the advisor. This means the commission amount shown on your host agency’s payout statement is typically the net amount you actually earned, not the full gross commission from the supplier.
Because of this, you generally should not apply the host’s split again inside Tern, or your expected commission numbers will be incorrect.
We always recommend confirming payout details directly with your host agency to be sure this applies to your specific agreement.
Recommended setup if you are a solo advisor on an agency team, with no sub-agents
If:
You are an agency of one, and
You receive 100% of the commission paid out by your host agency, and
You do not split commissions with sub-agents
Then the recommended setup in Tern is:
Set your individual agent split to 0%
This tells Tern that the agency receives 100% of the commission paid out.
How to update this setting:
If your agency reconciles commission, go to Back office → Settings → Team & billing and open the member to set their split.
If your agency does not reconcile commission, set the split under Business Settings.
Note: Only one of these applies to your agency. If you are not sure which, contact Tern support.
Even though this may feel counterintuitive, this setup correctly reflects that the agency keeps the full commission amount received from the host.
Where to record the commission you receive
Once you've set up an agency in Tern, you don't type the received amount on the booking — the booking's Received Commission field will read "Payment received by [your agency] will automatically be added." Record it in Back Office instead:
1. Go to Back Office → Commission.
2. Create a statement for the payment you received from your host (upload the statement or enter it manually).
3. Match that payment to the booking.
Once matched, the booking's Received Commission fills in automatically and your reporting stays accurate. Enter the amount your host actually paid you — you don't need to reconfigure your split per payment. See How to Record Commissions in Tern for the full walkthrough.
Why your 'Commission received' dashboard tile shows $0
Once your split is set to 0%, you may notice the 'Commission received' tile on your main dashboard shows $0. This is expected — not a data error or sync delay.
That dashboard tile reflects your personal advisor commission split — the portion allocated to you as an individual. With a 0% split, all commission stays with the agency, so the tile correctly shows $0.
To see the full amounts your agency has received, go to Your Commission Statements instead. This page shows the complete commission amounts regardless of how your split is configured.
Agency owners: If you are the sole advisor and want the dashboard tile to reflect your earnings, you can set your split to 100%. Keep in mind that some advisors prefer to leave it at 0% and take withdrawals from the agency rather than splitting revenue as it comes in — either setup is valid.
Why you should not apply the host split on each booking
If your host agency has already taken their percentage before paying you, you do not need to apply an additional split per booking in Tern.
For example:
If your host agency pays you $655.50, that amount already reflects their split.
You should not apply another split to that amount, unless you are splitting commissions again internally. Doing so would cause Tern to underreport your expected commission.