A plan says who is paid, on what, and at what rate. Open Commission plans and press New plan. The page reads top to bottom in the order the plan works, and the line at the top, In one line, says the whole plan in a sentence as you fill it in, so you can check it reads the way you meant.

The Commission plans list: Kitchen, 2.5% of what they invoice, paid outside payroll; Sales team, steps of 2%, 3% and 4% plus 1% on cross-sell, paid with salary, with a note that Priya Sharma is paid by Kitchen. — Each plan in one line, who it pays, and a warning when somebody is in two plans.

Name and who it is for

Give the plan a name people will recognise, such as Tiles sales. For is either a circle, which pays whoever is in it now, or chosen people. A circle is easier to keep right: somebody who joins the circle is on the plan from that month.

The Sales team plan page: the one-line summary, then five numbered steps for paid on, rate, cross-sell, taken back, and approved and paid. — The whole plan on one page, top to bottom in the order it works.

The steps

Paid on: Collected, Invoiced or Won value. Always before GST, and only what is theirs.
Rate: one rate, or steps against the target, or a fixed amount for each deal won.
Cross-sell, shown only where Cross-sell is on: a share of deals another department opened from theirs.
Taken back: credit notes, bounced cheques and invoices unpaid too long.
Approved and paid: who approves each month, and whether it is paid with salary or outside payroll.

One plan per person

Nobody is paid twice. If two plans include the same person, the first plan by name pays them, and the other plan says so in amber: “Priya Sharma is paid by Kitchen, which comes first by name.” Rename a plan, or take the person off one, to change which pays.

On and off

Each plan on the list has a switch. A plan switched off works out no new statements; statements it already worked out stay as they are. Deleting a plan does the same and removes it from the list.

Changing a plan

A change applies to statements worked out after it. An approved statement is never worked out again, so changing a rate in October does not change September’s approved commission. A statement still waiting is worked out again with the new rate the next time it is worked out.

If you are not sure where to start

One plan for each circle, paid on Collected, with steps of 2% up to the target and 3% above it, taking back credit notes and bounced cheques, approved by the circle’s manager and paid with salary. Run it for a month, read the statements, then adjust.

Writing plans needs Create on Commission plans; changing them needs Edit. Who can see and do what.

Next in targets & commission Switching it on, and what appears → The bill a payout makes →

Something missing or wrong here? Tell us. A question that needed asking usually means a page that needed writing.