An Agent Sliding Scale lets you set the tiers your agency pays on once, then have Rex apply the right percentage to every allocation automatically. This article walks through building a structure, setting the commission period and earning trigger, and applying the structure to your agents.
If you are not yet familiar with how sliding scales work in Rex, start with Financials & Commissions: Introduction to Agent Sliding Scales.
Before You Start 🔒
- You need administrator access to Rex settings to create a sliding scale or change an agent's defaults.
- Agent Sliding Scales are available in Australia and New Zealand only.
- The feature needs to be switched on for your account. If you cannot see Agent Sliding Scale under Settings > Finance & Commissions, contact Rex Support and we can enable it.
- Have your tier bands, percentages and commission period dates ready before you begin, so you are not part way through a structure while you check them.
How Do I Create an Agent Sliding Scale Structure?
- Go to Settings > Finance & Commissions > Agent Sliding Scale.
- Create a new structure and give it a name that will make sense to whoever maintains it later, for example "Sales Team FY Scale".
- Click Add Tier.
- Enter the tier's from amount, its to amount, and the percentage the agent earns within that band.
- Repeat Add Tier for each additional tier, working upward so the bands run continuously without gaps.
- Save the structure.
⚠️ Please Note: Both the from and the to amount are required on every tier, so the highest tier needs an explicit ceiling. There is no open ended "and above" option. If your top tier has no natural upper limit, set a to value high enough that it will not be reached in practice.
How Do I Set the Commission Period?
The commission period is the window Rex measures an agent's running total across. When the period ends, the running total resets and the agent starts again at the bottom tier.
- On the structure, choose the period length. You can set a period of 3, 6 or 12 months.
- Set the period start date.
Between the two settings you can align the period to your financial year, the calendar year, or a custom period that suits your agency. For example, a 12 month period starting 1 July aligns the running total to the Australian financial year.
When Does a Listing's Commission Count Toward a Tier?
The earning trigger decides at what point in a sale a listing's commission starts counting toward the agent's running total. It is set on the structure using the only calculate listing when it reaches setting.
You can choose the contract status the listing needs to reach, such as:
- Unconditional
- Deposit released
- Agent commission paid
- Settled
Pick the point that matches when your agency treats commission as genuinely earned. Once a listing reaches that status, the calculated amount locks in and does not change if the agent later moves into a different tier.
How Do I Apply a Sliding Scale to an Agent?
A structure does nothing until it is assigned to an agent.
- Go to Settings > Finance & Commissions > Agent Defaults.
- Select the agent.
- Assign the sliding scale structure you created as their default commission structure.
- Save.
Repeat for each agent the structure applies to. Sliding and flat percentage structures remain available side by side, so you can assign a sliding scale to some agents and leave others on a flat structure. For flat structures, see Financials & Commissions: Commission Structures.
How Do I Set a Starting Amount for an Agent?
If your agency starts using sliding scales part way through a commission period, an agent will already have earned commission that Rex does not know about. The starting amount carries that figure across so the agent is placed in the correct tier from their very first allocation in Rex.
- Go to Settings > Finance & Commissions > Agent Defaults and select the agent.
- Enter the starting amount, which is the commission they have already accumulated in the current period.
- Save.
Rex adds new allocations on top of that figure. You do not need to load any historical listings into Rex to make the running total correct.
What Happens If I Edit a Sliding Scale Structure? ⚠️
Editing a structure that is already in use changes the maths on worksheets that have already been calculated using it.
⚠️ Please Note: When you change a tier structure, Rex recalculates every affected commission worksheet. This is all or nothing, there is no option to recalculate only some worksheets. Rex will warn you before the change is applied, so read the warning carefully and check the resulting figures afterwards.
Before editing a live structure, it is worth considering whether you should instead create a new structure for the next commission period and assign that to your agents when the period rolls over. That leaves existing worksheets untouched.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create more than one sliding scale structure?
Yes. You can build as many structures as you need, for example a different scale for sales agents and for a principal, then assign the right one to each agent under Agent Defaults.
Can I mix sliding and flat structures across my team?
Yes. The structure is set per agent, so some agents can be on a sliding scale while others stay on a flat percentage.
Why can I not leave the top tier open ended?
Every tier requires both a from and a to amount, so the highest tier needs a ceiling. The usual approach is to set a to value high enough that it will not be reached. If an open ended top tier is important for your agency, let Rex Support know so we can pass the request on.
What period lengths can I choose?
3, 6 or 12 months, with a start date you set, so the period can align to your financial year, the calendar year or a custom cycle.
What happens at the end of a commission period?
The running total resets and the agent begins the new period at the bottom tier. Amounts already calculated and locked in on completed worksheets are not affected.
Can I change a structure after commission worksheets have been created?
Yes, but every affected worksheet will be recalculated. See What Happens If I Edit a Sliding Scale Structure? above.
Do agents need any extra access to use a sliding scale?
No. Agents see the resulting percentage and commission amount on the worksheet as normal. Only the setup requires administrator access.