What is per square commission in roofing sales?

Robust Roofing Careers · Updated October 2026

Some roofing companies pay salespeople by the square instead of by a percentage. It is easy to calculate and easy to explain, but it ties your pay to the size of the roof instead of what the job earns. Robust Roofing pays its Project Managers a true 50/50 split of job profit with nothing taken off the top, and the role also comes with a $75,000 per year base, a structure significantly better than what most roofing companies pay.

What is per square commission in roofing sales?

Per square commission is a flat rate paid for every roofing square on a job you sell. The company sets the rate, and your commission is that rate multiplied by the number of squares on the contract.

The appeal is predictability. You can estimate your commission in the driveway once the roof is measured, and you never need to see the company's job costs. The trade-off is that the rate is fixed while the job's results are not. A steep, cut-up roof, an upgraded shingle and the final selling price all change what a job earns, yet a per square plan pays the same on every square. Some plans adjust the rate for steep pitch or for the product sold, so ask for the complete rate sheet rather than a single number.

What is a roofing square?

A roofing square is 100 square feet of roof surface. Roofs are measured in squares, so a roof measured at 30 squares covers about 3,000 square feet of roof surface, which is more than the home's footprint because of pitch and overhangs.

Squares are also how shingles are ordered, how jobs are measured and often how installation crews are paid. Architectural shingles typically come three bundles to a square. Measured squares and ordered squares are not the same number, because ordering adds a waste factor for cuts, hips and valleys. If you are offered a per square rate, ask whether it is paid on measured squares or ordered squares.

How is per square pay different from a profit split?

Per square pay follows the size of the roof; a profit split follows what the job actually earns. On a per square plan, everything above your fixed rate stays with the company, so you share in volume but not in how well a job turns out.

The table describes general plan types, not any named company. One more difference: a per square rate pays the same whether the build runs cleanly or needs a second trip, so the rep has no stake in how well the job is run. On a profit split, careful measuring, ordering and build coordination are reflected in your share.

What is a tiered or sliding scale roofing commission?

A tiered commission changes your rate as your sales volume passes set levels, and a sliding scale changes your rate with the price you sell at compared with a target price. Both can be fair, but both make your pay depend on thresholds the company sets.

With a tiered plan, ask where each tier starts, whether the higher rate applies to all of your sales or only to sales above the line, and whether the count resets each month, quarter or year. With a sliding scale, ask how the target price is set, who can change it and how far the rate drops when a price is discounted. There is no standard set of thresholds in roofing, so the written rate sheet is the only reliable answer. Tiers can be added to any plan type, including per square, percent of contract and profit plans.

Which plan type follows what the job actually earns?

A profit split is the only common plan type that rises and falls with what each job actually earns. Per square and percent of contract plans follow size and price, and tiers follow volume.

The catch is that a profit split is only as good as its definition of profit. If an overhead percentage or fee comes off the top first, you are splitting a smaller number, which is how a 10/50/50 works. Roofing sales commission structures explained compares the profit-based plans, and gross profit vs net profit in roofing commission explains the profit terms. For how percentages compare, see what commission percentage roofing sales reps get.

How does Robust Roofing pay instead?

Robust Roofing pays on job profit, not on squares: its Project Managers get a true 50/50 split with nothing taken off the top. That means no rate sheet, no 10% deduction on your pay and no cap, and Robust Roofing also pays a $75,000 per year base.

Measured against other profit plans, Robust Roofing's 50% is more than double the 20% rate the JobNimbus Peak Performance report found most common. Your interviewer walks you through how the base and the split fit together, and uncapped roofing commission covers the no-cap side. Top performers can make upwards of $400,000 a year. That is top-performer potential, not typical pay; what you make depends on the roofs you sell and build. The full structure is on the roofing sales compensation page.

Instead of counting squares, a Robust Roofing Project Manager runs the whole job: the free inspection with photos, documenting storm damage, meeting the insurance company's adjuster alongside the licensed Property and Casualty adjuster on staff, options and colors in the RoofMap portal, and the build, where most replacements finish in one day. No other roofing company in Georgia matches that insurance help. The role is full time around Johns Creek, serving 39 North Georgia cities, and Robust provides training toward HAAG certification. Read the full Roofing Project Manager job description.

How do you apply?

Applying takes three steps on chooserobust.com/careers: a short application, a short questionnaire, and choosing your interview time. If you are weighing a per square offer right now, call or text (470) 887-6637 and ask how Robust Roofing's profit split works instead.

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