Door-to-door sales pay and commission: questions and answers

Usually by commission on each completed sale, paid weekly, biweekly or at a project milestone. Setters and canvassers are often paid per appointment that takes place, sometimes on top of an hourly wage. Summer programs commonly hold part of the commission until the season ends.

More: How door-to-door sales pay works

Canvassing and appointment-setting roles in windows, siding, HVAC and gutters most often do. Some fiber and telecom providers pay an hourly or training wage for the first weeks. Closing roles in solar, roofing, pest control and security are usually commission only.

More: Commission-only vs. base plus commission

Six things: the commission rate, the number of conversations you have, how many become signed sales, how many signed sales complete, how long you stay, and the territory and season. New reps tend to focus on the rate, but completion matters as much: a canceled sale pays nothing.

More: Cancellation rate · Close rate

There is no reliable single figure. Pay is commission, results vary widely between reps on the same team, and many reps leave in the first weeks, so averages mislead. The useful number is specific to a company: what a middle-of-the-pack rep who stayed the whole season earned, after chargebacks and costs.

It follows the product. Fiber, telecom and retail energy usually pay weekly or biweekly after the install or enrollment. Pest control and security pay part during the season and part after it. Solar and roofing pay at a milestone such as install or final payment, which can be weeks or months after the sale.

A bonus pays extra for reaching a target, such as a number of installs in a week. A spiff is a short-term prize or cash incentive for a specific result. An override is a manager's or team lead's commission on the sales of the reps they lead. Read how each is earned and whether it can be taken back.

More: Spiff · Override · Commission tiers

Sell only to people who understand what they bought. Confirm the price, the term and the install date before you leave, be honest about what happens after any promotion ends, and check in before the install. Chargebacks mostly come from customers who felt rushed or surprised.

More: Chargeback

You should never pay to be hired. As a contractor you will usually cover fuel, your phone plan and sometimes a tablet or company shirts, and on traveling teams housing and travel may be yours too. Ask for a list of every cost and deduction in writing before you start.

Source: Federal Trade Commission: job scams

Common ones are chargebacks for canceled sales, repayment of a draw, housing on summer programs, equipment or software fees, and amounts held back until accounts prove out. None of these is unusual, but each should be written in the pay plan or rep agreement with the amount and the timing.

More: Holdback · Draw · Rep agreement

A W-2 employee has taxes withheld and is covered by employment laws. A 1099 contractor is self-employed: nothing is withheld, and the contract sets the pay. Most commission-only door-to-door reps are 1099. Federal tax law has a "direct seller" category for people who sell consumer products in the home, are paid by sales and not hours, and work under a written contract saying they are not employees.

More: 1099 contractor

Source: Internal Revenue Service: statutory nonemployees (direct sellers)

Often not. Contractors are paid under their contract, and federal law exempts employees who work as outside salespeople from both minimum wage and overtime. Some states apply a stricter test, and hourly canvassers are paid for their hours. Ask how you are classified and why.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet 17F, outside sales exemption

No tax is withheld, so you pay it yourself. Self-employment tax is 15.3 percent of net earnings, covering Social Security and Medicare, on top of income tax. People who expect to owe 1,000 dollars or more for the year generally make estimated payments each quarter. Set aside part of every check, keep a mileage log, and talk to a tax professional about your own situation.

Source: Internal Revenue Service: self-employment tax · Internal Revenue Service: estimated taxes

For payments made in 2026, a company reports contractor pay of 2,000 dollars or more on Form 1099-NEC; for payments made before 2026 the threshold was 600 dollars. You owe tax on what you earned whether or not a form arrives, so keep your own record of every payment.

Source: Internal Revenue Service: Form 1099 reporting thresholds

Ask what the typical rep earned, not the top rep, over a whole season, after chargebacks and costs, and ask for it in writing. The Federal Trade Commission says a company must be able to support what it says people can earn, and a handful of unusually high earners does not support a general claim. A recruiter who answers with a screenshot of one big week has not answered.

More: How to vet a company

Source: Federal Trade Commission: backing up earnings claims (2026)

Ask what triggers commission and when it pays, whether there is a base or a draw and whether the draw is recoverable, how long chargebacks last, how any back end is calculated, what is deducted, and what happens to unpaid commission if you leave. Get the answers in the rep agreement or the pay plan, not in a text message.

More: The six pay questions