Real Estate Commission Calculator: Ontario
Enter your sale price and the rates you've been quoted to see the real estate commission for both agents with tax, and what a flat fee MLS® listing saves you.
Updated October 9, 2026
Calculate your real estate commission
The same sale with a flat fee MLS® listing
With a flat fee you receive $728,677 after these costs. Estimates before your lawyer, mortgage and moving costs. Commission isn't set by law: it's negotiated, so enter the rates you've been quoted. The buyer agent's commission is only paid if that agent's buyer buys.
The calculator turns the commission rate you've been quoted into dollars for the listing agent and the buyer's agent, with 13% HST. Choose a percentage for each agent or the tiered structure, then see what you receive after commission and what the same sale costs with a flat fee.
What's included
- Your home on the MLS® System through PropTx, which feeds 14 Ontario boards, including Toronto (TRREB), Ottawa, London, Niagara and Oakville-Milton
- Your home on realtor.ca, typically followed by MLS®-fed sites such as HouseSigma, Zolo and Condos.ca
- Up to 40 photos, your description, your price and the full property details
- Showing requests from buyer agents sent straight to you to confirm, and realtor.ca inquiries forwarded to you
- Price, photo and detail changes while you're listed, plus the conditional and sold updates
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Flat fee MLS® prices
| Plan | Price | 🎁 With code FREEUPGRADE |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Subscription | $69.99 / month | — |
| 2-month Listing | $99.99 | You get the 3-month Listing, free |
| 3-month Listing | $119.99 | You get the 6-month Listing, free |
| 6-month Listing | $149.99 | You get the MAX Exposure Listing, free |
| MAX Exposure Listing | $239.99 | — |
Plus 13% HST. The monthly plan can be cancelled any time.
How real estate commission works
When you sell with an agent, commission usually has two parts: one for the listing agent who markets your home and negotiates for you, and one for the buyer's agent who brings the buyer. Both are usually paid by the seller out of the sale proceeds on closing, and both have tax on top.
No law sets the commission rate in Ontario. Ontario's regulator says the amount "is not fixed or approved by RECO, any government authority, or any real estate association or real estate board" (RECO Information Guide). It's negotiated with the brokerage and written into your listing agreement, so two agents can quote you very different amounts.
In Ontario, one Toronto-area brokerage's 2026 guide puts the total at "between 4% and 5% of the sale price in the Greater Toronto Area" (Ferreira, September 2026). The calculator uses your own quote, so enter the rate you've actually been offered.
What you receive is the sale price minus the commission and its tax, before your lawyer, your mortgage payout and moving costs. For who pays, when and what the rules say, see real estate commission in Ontario.
How to calculate commission on selling a house
Multiply the sale price by each agent's commission rate, add the two together, then add the tax: 13% HST in Ontario. With a tiered structure, apply the higher rate to the first $100,000 and the lower rate to the rest. Here's each structure worked through on a $750,000 sale.
- Percentage structure: multiply the sale price by each agent's rate, then add tax. Example in Toronto or anywhere in Ontario: $750,000 × 2.5% = $18,750 for the listing agent, plus $18,750 for the buyer's agent at 2.5% = $37,500, plus 13% HST = $42,375.
- Tiered structure: a higher total rate on the first $100,000 and a lower one on the rest, split between both agents. Example at 7% and 3%: 7% of $100,000 = $7,000, plus 3% of the remaining $650,000 = $19,500, so $26,500, plus 13% HST = $29,945.
- Flat amount: some agents quote a fixed dollar figure for their side instead. Add the tax, then add the other agent's side.
- With a flat fee MLS® listing: there's no listing agent commission. You pay the flat fee and, if you offer one, the buyer agent's commission. In the Ontario example: about $136 for a 3-month listing with HST, plus $21,187.50 for the buyer's agent with HST, instead of $42,375.
Commission at common sale prices
Here is the total commission, with tax, at four sale prices: 2.5% to each agent, and a 7%/3% tiered structure, both with 13% HST. They're examples at the rates shown, not standard rates, and a $750,000 home in Ottawa costs the same as one in Toronto at the same rate.
The gap between the columns is the structure: the tiered rate falls to 3% above $100,000, so at higher prices it costs less than 5% in total. Your own quote may be lower or higher than either, so use the calculator with the rates you've been given.
| Sale price | 2.5% + 2.5% + 13% HST | Tiered: 7% on $100,000 + 3% on the rest + 13% HST |
|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | $22,600 | $18,080 |
| $500,000 | $28,250 | $21,470 |
| $750,000 | $42,375 | $29,945 |
| $1,000,000 | $56,500 | $38,420 |
Is there tax on real estate commission?
Yes. Real estate commission is a taxable service, so the tax is added to what each agent charges. In Ontario it carries 13% HST, which adds $130 for every $1,000 of commission. The rate is the Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA, GST/HST rates by province).
The tax is on the commission, not on the price of a resale home: the CRA says "sales of used owner-occupied homes are usually exempt" (CRA, GST/HST info sheet GI-004). On a $750,000 Ontario sale at 5% in total, the HST on the commission alone is $4,875. The calculator adds it to both agents' sides, and to our flat fee.
Can you negotiate realtor commission?
Yes. Rates are set by each brokerage and agreed with you, not by the government or the boards. The Canadian Real Estate Association says "consumers have always been able to negotiate commissions with their agent either as sellers or buyers" (CREA to Global News, 2024). Ask two or three agents for their rate in writing, and what's included.
Compare photography, staging, open houses and how often they'll report back: a lower rate can mean less service, so compare like with like. The buyer agent's side is set by the seller too. On an MLS® listing it's shown to agents, so offering much less than is usual in your area can mean fewer showings.
Can you claim realtor fees on your taxes?
On the sale of your principal residence, the gain is usually tax-free, so commission doesn't change your tax. On a rental or investment property, the commission and legal fees you pay to sell are "outlays and expenses" that reduce your capital gain (CRA guide T4037). Keep the statement of adjustments from your lawyer and ask your accountant how to report it.
How a flat fee MLS® listing changes the math
A flat fee replaces the listing side. With Robin Hood Realty Limited, Brokerage, a flat fee MLS® listing puts your home on the MLS® System and realtor.ca for $69.99 a month, $119.99 for 3 months or $239.99 for MAX (renews free until sold). You show the home and negotiate the offer yourself.
You still decide whether to offer a buyer's agent commission, and it's only paid if that agent's buyer buys. It suits sellers who can take calls, run showings and review an offer with their lawyer. If you'd rather an agent handled all of that, the calculator above shows what that service costs so you can decide.
Buying your next home too? The land transfer tax calculator shows the Ontario and Toronto tax on it.
Questions
What percentage do most realtors charge in Ontario?
In the Toronto area, one brokerage's 2026 guide puts the total at 4–5% of the sale price, split between the two agents, plus 13% HST; 5% is the traditional figure. It isn't a rule: RECO says the amount isn't fixed or approved by any regulator or board, so enter your own quote in the calculator.
What percentage do most realtors charge in Canada?
It varies by province and brokerage, and no law sets it. Ontario totals are often 4–5% of the price, and some brokerages charge less. Tax is added on top: HST, or GST where there's no HST.
What is the lowest commission a realtor will take?
There's no minimum: it's whatever you and the brokerage agree. Some offer 1% or a fixed fee for the listing side. With a flat fee MLS® listing there's no listing commission at all, from $69.99 a month; the only commission is the one you choose to offer a buyer's agent.
Who pays the buyer agent's commission?
Usually the seller, out of the sale proceeds. The seller decides what to offer when listing, and it's only paid if that agent's buyer buys.
Is 2% a good commission?
It depends on what's included. Compare quotes on the same terms: the rate for each side, the tax, and the services you get. If you only need your home on the MLS® System and realtor.ca, a flat fee from $69.99 replaces the listing side entirely.
Is commission charged on the full sale price?
With a percentage structure, yes: the rate applies to the whole price. With a tiered structure, a higher rate applies to the first part of the price and a lower rate to the rest.
Does a flat fee listing include tax?
Our plans have 13% HST added. The calculator includes it.
Keep the listing commission
List on MLS® from $69.99 a month. Use FREEUPGRADE at checkout to get the next plan up free.