Off-the-top deductions go wrong in three recognizable ways: the option isn't there at all, the splits underneath them come out short, or there's nothing left in the gross to take them from. Each has a clean fix.
The Off-the-Top Option Isn't There
The Enter off-the-top deductions dropdown only appears when the transaction's location has the setting turned on. If it used to be there and isn't now, check the location — a transaction in a different office won't show it unless that office is set up too.
To turn it on:
- Click the [Gear] in the upper-right corner, then [Admin / Settings].
- Click [Manage Locations] in the left menu.
- Click the [Gear] next to the location, then [Commission & CDA Settings].
- Under Off-the-Top Deductions, check [Allow off-the-top deductions].
- Click [Save Settings].
If you've just saved the setting and the dropdown still isn't showing, do a hard refresh so the browser picks up the change.
Percentage Splits Came Out Wrong
An off-the-top deduction reduces the gross commission before Step 2 runs. So a split entered as a percentage there is a percentage of the Distributable Commission — the already-reduced figure — not of the gross. If your agreement is written against the gross, the percentage allocates the wrong amount to both the agent and the brokerage.
The fix is to do that arithmetic yourself: work out each party's dollar share of the gross and enter dollar amounts in Step 2 instead of percentages. The totals come out exactly as intended.
The Deduction Is More Than What's Left
Pipeline calculates the distributable commission as gross commission minus referral commission minus off-the-top deductions. When the referral consumes all or nearly all of the gross, there's nothing left for the deduction to come out of and you'll see an error saying the fee is greater than the commission.
On a referral transaction where a fee also has to come off the top, subtract the fee from the referral amount first and enter the referral as that reduced dollar figure. The fee then has room to be taken, and the two amounts total correctly.
Still Stuck?
If the numbers still don't land, send us the transaction name and the split you're trying to produce, and we'll work through the entry with you.
Learn More
Take an amount out of the gross commission before Pipeline calculates anyone's split, so the figure the brokerage and its agents divide is already net of it.
See Off-the-Top
Still Have Questions?
Email us at help@paperlesspipeline.com and we'll help.