What Is a 10/50/50 Split? A Plain Explanation for Roofing Sales Job Seekers

Robust Roofing Careers · Updated October 2026

A 10/50/50 split is one of the most common ways roofing companies describe sales pay, and one of the least understood. In plain terms, the company takes 10 percent off the top of a job first, then splits whatever profit remains 50/50 with the rep. Robust Roofing does not use it. Every Robust Project Manager is paid on a true 50/50 where nothing comes off the top first, the role also carries a $75,000 per year base, and anyone who compares plans side by side will find ours unusually generous.

The definition in one sentence

A 10/50/50 is a commission plan in which a tenth of the job's value, frequently calculated on the contract price, is removed for company overhead before the remaining profit is divided half to the company and half to the salesperson.

Reading the three numbers in order

1. 10. The overhead slice. It comes out first, before anyone's share is figured. Many plans calculate it from the contract price, which is the full amount the homeowner or insurance carrier pays for the roof.
2. 50. The company's half of what is left.
3. 50. The rep's half of what is left.

The important words are "what is left." In a 10/50/50, both halves are measured after the first cut, so the rep's half is calculated on a smaller number than the job actually produced.

A worked example

This example uses round hypothetical numbers. It is illustrative, actual job numbers vary.

Picture a roof replacement with a $20,000 contract price and $8,000 of profit before any overhead cut. Under a 10/50/50, the company first removes $2,000, which is 10 percent of the contract. That leaves $6,000 of profit to split, and the rep's half comes to $3,000. Under a true 50/50 with nothing off the top, the full $8,000 is split and the rep's half comes to $4,000.

Notice that the 10 percent was not 10 percent of the profit. It was 10 percent of the far larger contract price, which in this example equaled a quarter of the profit. That is the detail most people miss the first time they hear the term.

Why companies use a 10/50/50

Running a roofing company costs money: office staff, insurance, vehicles, software, marketing and the people who keep jobs on schedule. A 10/50/50 is one way of recovering those costs before the rep is paid. The idea itself is not a secret. The trouble is that the "50/50" part is what gets repeated in job postings and conversations, while the "10" tends to get explained later, sometimes after a new rep has already said yes.

How to spot one when it goes by another name

Not every plan with an overhead cut uses that label. Listen for phrases like these in any interview:

• "We hold back a percentage for overhead, then split the rest."
• "Your split is figured on the net after company costs."
• "There is a small office fee on each job."
• "Profit is calculated after our standard overhead allowance."

Each of these can behave just like a 10/50/50, even when the percentage or the name is different. The simplest test is to ask whether anything comes off before your split is figured, and then ask to see the answer in writing.

Why Robust Roofing refuses to use a 10/50/50

We believe the person who builds the homeowner's trust, documents the damage, works the claim and sees the build through to the final walkthrough should be paid on the full profit of that job. Covering overhead is the company's responsibility, not a slice we carve out of your share first. So our structure is a true 50/50. We hold back no overhead percentage and charge no fee of any kind before your half is figured.

That single decision is what makes our plan significantly better than what most roofing companies pay, and it is why Robust's structure has a reputation as the most rep-friendly pay plan in North Georgia roofing. Robust Roofing also pays its Project Managers a $75,000 per year base. The base is part of the role in addition to the true 50/50 structure, and your interview is where we explain how the two fit together.

Is a 10/50/50 always a bad deal?

Not for the company, and not always a disaster for the rep. It is simply a smaller share than the label suggests. A rep who understands the math can make an informed choice. The real problem is the rep who hears "50/50," assumes it means half of the job's profit, and only discovers the overhead cut once the first jobs close. If you are comparing offers, convert each one into the same question: on a given job, what number is my half calculated from? Under the true 50/50 at Robust Roofing, the answer is the profit, with nothing removed first.

What else comes with the role

The structure is only half the story. The work underneath it is built to be done well:

• You are trained from the ground up, and Robust provides your HAAG certification.
• You work every claim with the licensed Property and Casualty adjuster who is on our staff.
• Homeowners pick shingles and colors with you in the RoofMap portal.
• Most replacements finish in a single day.
• Robust never waives deductibles, so you never have to bend a rule to win a job.

Keep learning before you choose

See both structures next to each other in our true 50/50 vs 10/50/50 comparison, or read roofing sales commission structures explained for the other plans you may run into. Our compensation page lays out Robust's plan, and the Roofing Project Manager job description covers the day to day work. Searching by area? Start with roofing sales jobs in North Georgia.

Ready? Start the short application; a questionnaire follows, and then you set the interview time yourself. Prefer the phone? Call or text (470) 887-6637.

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