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Reference guide · updated 2026-09-12

Multi-inspector home inspection firms most commonly pay each inspector a percentage of what the client pays for the base inspection, plus separate commission on add-on services — radon testing, termite/WDO inspection, sewer scope, pool or spa inspection — that are often sold and performed at the same visit.

The base commission

A commonly cited range among multi-inspector firms is roughly 45-50% of the base inspection fee paid to the inspector who performed it, with the firm supplying the client relationship, scheduling, and often a vehicle or equipment in exchange for the remainder. There's no single universal number — it varies by firm — but this is the range that comes up repeatedly when inspectors compare notes on multi-firm pay.

Worked example
Base inspection fee: $450.00 · commission rate: 45%.
$450.00 × 45% = $202.50

Add-on services carry their own rate

Add-ons are frequently commissioned separately from the base report, since they take extra time and often extra equipment — a radon test needs a monitor left on-site and picked up later; a sewer scope needs a camera and a different skill set. Paying the same percentage on an add-on as on the base report can quietly over- or under-pay relative to what the business actually intended for that service.

Worked example, continued
Same appointment. Radon test add-on: $150.00 at 50% commission.
$150.00 × 50% = $75.00.
Base ($202.50) + add-on ($75.00) = $277.50 total for the visit.
Common mistake Applying the base inspection's commission rate to every add-on automatically, instead of the rate actually agreed for that specific service. Add-ons often carry thinner margins once equipment cost and extra time are accounted for — a flat "same percentage for everything" approach can silently pay out differently than the business intended.

When different inspectors handle different parts

On some appointments, one inspector performs the base report and a different inspector (or a specialist) performs an add-on like a sewer scope. When that happens, each inspector should be paid commission only on the portion they actually performed — the base commission to whoever did the report, the add-on commission to whoever did that specific service, not split between them.

  • Doing this by hand for one period: the free calculator handles the percentage + full-tip-passthrough case for a single service.
  • Running this every pay period: the sheet template supports a per-technician commission rate, so a base rate and an add-on rate can be tracked as separate line items.
  • Would rather not touch the data entry: send us your appointment data — base inspections and add-ons both — and get a payroll-ready file back within 24 hours.
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