How the commission is worked out
An agency's commission (its fee, or honorarios) is set in the agreement it signs with its client, usually the listing agreement, the nota de encargo. It takes one of two shapes: a percentage of the sale price, or a fixed amount in euros. Either way, the number in the agreement is normally the fee before tax, and the tax goes on top.
There is no official or standard rate. Each agency agrees its own fee with its own client, and professional associations may not set or even recommend fees (article 14 of the Ley de Colegios Profesionales). That is why the calculator starts empty: the numbers are yours.
Say an agreement sets a fee of €12,000 plus IVA. The €12,000 is the base. IVA at 21% adds €2,520, so the client pays €14,520. When the fee is a percentage, the calculator first multiplies the sale price by it, then does exactly the same.
Everything after that is division: how much of the base goes to another agency when the sale is shared, how much of your agency's side is yours, and what your own invoice says once IRPF is withheld. The calculator above does each step in cents, so the parts always add up to the whole.
VAT on the fee: “más IVA” or “IVA incluido”
An estate agency's fee carries IVA at the general rate, which is 21% (see the Agencia Tributaria's page on IVA rates). In the Canary Islands there is no IVA: the tax is IGIC, and its general rate is 7% (see the Canary Islands tax agency's page on IGIC). For any other rate, choose “Other” and type it in.
Fees are quoted in two ways, and they are easy to mix up:
- “Más IVA” (plus VAT): the amount quoted is the base, and the tax is added on top. €12,000 más IVA means the client pays €14,520.
- “IVA incluido” (VAT included): the amount already contains the tax. To find the base, divide by 1.21. €14,520 IVA incluido is €12,000 of fee and €2,520 of IVA.
If the number you have is the second kind, switch on “This fee already includes IVA” and the calculator takes the tax out before splitting anything.
Rentals: months of rent or a share of the annual rent
On a rental, the fee is set as a number of months of rent, as a percentage of a year's rent, or as a fixed amount. Choose “Rental”, enter the monthly rent and the fee as your agreement states it; the tax, the split with another agency, your share and IRPF then work exactly as they do on a sale.
On a housing rental (arrendamiento de vivienda), the law puts the agency's fees on the landlord: since Ley 12/2023, article 20.1 of the Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos makes real estate management and contract formalisation costs the landlord's.
How a shared commission flows between two agencies
On a shared sale, one agency usually holds the listing and another brings the buyer. The fee is still one fee, and it moves in steps:
- The client pays the agency they signed with: the whole fee, plus tax.
- The other agency invoices that agency for its share of the fee, plus tax.
- A freelance agent who works with an agency invoices the agency for their cut, plus tax, usually with IRPF withheld (see the next section).
There is no set split. Every collaboration agreement sets its own, and the calculator takes whatever yours says. Each side is worked out on the fee before tax; each agency then adds tax to its own invoice.
When you are done, “Copy the split” gives you a short message for the other agency: the fee, the tax and the two sides in euros. It never includes your personal share.
IRPF withholding on your invoice
If you are self-employed and your activity is registered as a professional one, a business or a professional who pays your invoice withholds IRPF from it and pays it to the tax agency for you. The rate is 15% in general, or 7% in the year you start and the two years after, as long as you had no professional activity the year before; you tell the payer in writing that the lower rate applies (article 95 of the IRPF regulation).
Invoices to private clients carry no withholding: a person buying a home for themselves does not withhold anything. The tax authority confirmed both points for an individual estate agent in binding ruling V2188-21.
Withholding comes off the base, never off the tax. On a base of €4,000 with IVA at 21%, the invoice adds €840 of IVA and withholds €600 at 15%, so you receive €4,240. The €600 is not lost: it is an advance on your income tax, and it counts towards what you owe when you file your return.
How much does an agent earn per sale?
There is no single answer, because it rests on three numbers that change from deal to deal: the fee your agency agrees with its client, the split with another agency when there is one, and your own share of your agency's side. Put your numbers into the calculator and change one at a time to see what each is worth to you.
The figure the calculator gives you is what your invoice says. It comes before your own income tax and your costs, which only you can work out.
Keeping track of the deals behind the numbers
LeadWing is a CRM for independent estate agents in Spain. It keeps every client with the agency they came through, with their viewings, their offers and the follow-ups that are due, so when a sale closes the deal is already in one place. It works in English and Spanish, and it is free for up to 10 clients.
This calculator does arithmetic; it isn't tax or legal advice.