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HVAC commission

How HVAC companies pay comfort advisors

Comfort advisor plans come down to two choices: pay on the sale or on the gross profit, and how to carry a new advisor until their pipeline fills. The examples use round numbers, not benchmarks.
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Pay models

Five ways to pay a comfort advisor.

Each with a worked example. Your price book, margins and lead mix will change the answer, so run your own numbers in the commission calculator.
Commission calculator
  1. 01

    Percent of sale

    The advisor earns a percentage of every system they sell. ServiceTitan's target rate is 9% of sales. Easy to explain in a sales meeting, and easy to recruit with.

    Fits
    Shops with a fixed price book where discounts need a manager's sign-off.
    Watch for
    Without a price floor it pays the same rate on a discounted job as on a full-price one.
    One home, two optionsExample
    Better system sold
    $11,000
    Commission at 8%
    $880
    Best system sold instead
    $15,000
    Commission at 8%
    $1,200

    Moving the homeowner up a tier paid the advisor $320 more on the same appointment.

    Round hypothetical numbers to show the mechanics. Not a benchmark.

  2. 02

    Percent of gross profit

    The advisor earns a share of the job's GP: sale price minus equipment, labor and materials. EGIA's example plan pays 15% / 12% / 15% of GP by trimester, plus 20% of GP above budget, and sets a target of $4,500 a day in GP.

    Fits
    Shops with clean job costing and a wide spread of margins across equipment lines.
    Watch for
    Advisors need to see job costs, or they won't trust the check.
    The same job, with and without a discountExample
    Sold price
    $12,000
    Equipment, labor and materials
    $6,600
    Gross profit
    $5,400
    Commission at 15% of GP
    $810
    Sold $1,000 cheaper: gross profit
    $4,400
    Commission at 15% of GP
    $660

    The discount cost the advisor $150 and the company $850. On a percent-of-sale plan at 8%, it would have cost the advisor $80.

    Round hypothetical numbers to show the mechanics. Not a benchmark.

  3. 03

    Training wage, then a draw

    A wage while the advisor learns your price book, then a draw against commission, then straight commission. EGIA's example starts with a training wage for the first 90 days, one it says isn't meant to be livable.

    Fits
    Advisors new to HVAC sales, and technicians moving into a sales seat.
    Watch for
    Decide up front whether the draw is recoverable, when it ends, and what happens to a balance if they leave.
    A new advisor's first monthsExample
    Months 1-3: training wage
    $3,500/mo
    Months 4-6: draw against 8% of sales
    $4,000/mo
    Month 4: $40,000 sold, commission
    $3,200
    Shortfall carried forward
    $800
    Month 5: $70,000 sold, commission
    $5,600
    Paid in month 5, after repaying
    $4,800

    On a recoverable draw the $800 came back out of month 5. On a non-recoverable draw it would have been forgiven.

    Round hypothetical numbers to show the mechanics. Not a benchmark.

  4. 04

    Straight commission

    No base and no draw. The Treeline posting for a straight-commission seat advertised $120,000-$200,000 in first-year potential; read that as a pitch, not a record.

    Fits
    Proven advisors with steady issued leads and a record they can show you.
    Watch for
    A hard start for anyone still learning your equipment and price book.
    Same plan, two different yearsExample
    Busy year: $1,000,000 sold at 10%
    $100,000
    Slow year: $500,000 sold at 10%
    $50,000

    The plan didn't change. The lead calendar did.

    Round hypothetical numbers to show the mechanics. Not a benchmark.

  5. 05

    SPIFFs on top

    Small flat bonuses for selling a specific item: a maintenance agreement, an air quality add-on, a higher-efficiency system. See SPIFF.

    Fits
    Steering attention to the items that build the service side of the business.
    Watch for
    Too many SPIFFs and nobody can read the plan. Keep the list short and review it each season.
    A month of maintenance agreementsExample
    Agreements sold
    12
    SPIFF per agreement
    $50
    SPIFF pay on top of commission
    $600

    Small, flat and easy to check.

    Round hypothetical numbers to show the mechanics. Not a benchmark.

Pitfalls

Where HVAC pay plans go wrong.

  • No rule for tech leads

    Tech-generated leads close far better than marketed ones: 75-85% against 25-35% in ServiceTitan's targets. Decide up front whether the advisor's rate differs by lead source and whether the tech gets a SPIFF, or the best leads turn into an argument.

  • Full commission on a discount

    If the rate doesn't move with the price, the advisor can buy the sale with your margin. EGIA's sample plan shares the lost GP 50-50 between advisor and company; a percent-of-GP plan does it automatically.

  • Straight commission for a first advisor

    Remodelers Advantage calls commission-only a poor fit for a first sales hire, because it draws reps who push underpriced deals to get paid. Its pick is base plus commission. It writes about remodeling, but we see the same with comfort advisors: a base or draw for the first two to three months keeps a new advisor on your pricing while they learn your leads.

  • Paying at signing

    Finance denials and cancels unwind sales after the paperwork is signed. Paying at install, or when the job is paid, saves you clawing back commission you already handed over. Whichever you pick, pay on the day the plan says. Late or short checks are one of the main reasons good advisors leave.

How to choose

Which plan fits your shop.

Which hvac commission plan fits which situation
If this is youConsiderWhy
Fixed price book, discounts need a manager's sign-offPercent of saleSimple to explain, and the price book protects margin.
Margins vary a lot by equipment, and job costing is cleanPercent of GPPays for profit, not just volume. EGIA's example is a worked model to start from.
New to HVAC sales, or a tech moving into salesTraining wage, then a drawCarries them through the ramp without a permanent salary.
A proven seller with steady tech leadsStraight commission or a higher percent of saleThey carry the risk and want the upside.

Put your own ticket, close rate and lead count into a plan before you write it into an offer.

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Keep reading

All commission structures

FAQ

Questions owners ask about pay plans.

  • What percentage commission do HVAC comfort advisors make?

    ServiceTitan's target is 9% of sales. Plans that pay on gross profit use a higher percentage of a smaller number, such as EGIA's example of 15% / 12% / 15% of GP by trimester.

  • Should comfort advisors be paid on gross profit?

    If your job costing is solid, a GP plan protects margin because a discount costs the advisor too. If advisors can't see or trust job costs, start with percent of sale and a price floor.

  • How do you pay a comfort advisor during training?

    EGIA's example plan pays a training wage for the first 90 days, which it says isn't meant to be livable, before commission starts. Others use a draw against commission. Put the end date in the offer.

  • Should technicians get paid for turning over leads?

    A tech SPIFF on leads that sell is one way to keep turnovers coming. Set it so the advisor's rate on tech leads still makes sense, since those leads close far better: ServiceTitan's target is 75-85%.

Worked examples use round hypothetical numbers. Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

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