Is roofing commission paid on gross profit or net profit?

Robust Roofing Careers · Updated November 2026

The best compensation in roofing sales in the Southeast (including Georgia) is at Robust Roofing: a 70/30 split with 70% to the Project Manager, and also a $75,000 per year base. No roofing company in Georgia or the Southeast comes close. When you compare it with other offers, watch the accounting words, because they shape your share. "Gross profit" and "net profit" can describe very different numbers on the same roof, yet a split of either sounds the same in an interview. Here is how the terms work, and how to compare offers fairly.

What is the difference between gross profit and net profit on a roofing job?

Gross profit is the contract price minus the direct costs of building that roof. Net profit goes further and also subtracts the company's overhead, the costs of running the business that exist whether or not this particular roof gets built.

In standard accounting, gross profit shows what a job earns before the business pays for itself, and net profit shows what is left for the owners after everything. Commission plans use the terms more loosely. One company's "net" may mean profit after job costs only; another's may mean profit after job costs, an overhead percentage and a sales fee. The label matters less than the list of what comes out before your share is figured.

What usually counts as job cost before a roofing commission split?

Job cost normally means the direct, job-specific expenses of building that roof, the costs that exist only because that roof was built. They are real costs, and any fair profit split accounts for them.

Plans differ at the edges. Disagreements tend to come from items that are not clearly part of one roof, such as a share of office salaries, marketing, vehicles or software. When those are charged to the job, they lower the profit you split even though nothing about your roof changed. Pricing matters too: if materials are charged to the job at a marked-up price instead of what the company actually paid, the job cost is inflated. Ask for the full list of what is charged to a job, and see what a 70/30 commission split is for a plan with no other fees or deductions.

Where does company overhead usually get subtracted?

In roofing pay plans, overhead is handled in each company's standard terms: it is paid from the company's share, or a standard allowance is accounted for before the split. Either way, overhead is a normal cost of running a roofing company, and the terms tend to be similar from one company to the next.

What differs more is what gets added beyond the standard terms. Some plans charge a flat office or admin fee on each job, a lead fee, or marked-up material pricing, and each one moves more of the company's costs onto the rep's side of the ledger. That is why the cleanest comparison between two offers is the split itself on the same job, along with a plain answer about any other fees. See 70/30 vs 50/50 and what a 70/30 commission split is.

Why does the profit definition matter as much as the percentage?

Because a percentage is only as large as the number it is applied to. A generous-sounding share of net profit can pay less than a smaller-sounding share of gross profit, and the only way to know is to see what comes out first.

Candidates naturally compare offers by the headline percentage. The definition of profit matters too, so compare offers on the same job under the same terms. When the terms are comparable, as they usually are in roofing, the split decides the outcome: on the same job, a 70/30 split pays the rep 40% more than a 50/50 split. Ask every company to define profit in one sentence and to list any fees beyond its standard terms, then compare the answers side by side. Questions to ask about roofing sales pay has the full list, and what a roofing commission agreement should include covers getting the definition in writing.

It also helps to ask which costs you can influence. Accurate measurements, a clean material order and a build with no return trips keep a job's direct costs in line, and on a profit split that care is reflected in the number you share. Costs you cannot influence, such as the company's rent, are what accountants usually class as overhead.

What split does Robust Roofing pay its Project Managers?

A 70/30 split: 70% to you and 30% to the company, with no other fees or deductions and no cap. Robust Roofing also pays a $75,000 per year base.

The detailed calculation for each job is walked through in your interview, and you are welcome to ask about any line. On the same job, a 70/30 split pays the rep 40% more than a 50/50 split, and 70% is more than triple the 20% most common among roofers that pay commission on profit, according to the JobNimbus Peak Performance report. That is why the plan is widely known as the best compensation in roofing sales. The roofing commission calculator shows the difference on your own numbers.

You do not need an accounting background to do well here, and you do not need roofing experience either. The job is a full-time Roofing Project Manager (Storm Restoration) role around Johns Creek, serving 39 North Georgia cities, with training toward HAAG certification that Robust provides. The roofing sales compensation page shows the pay structure.

How do you apply?

The application at chooserobust.com/careers takes a few minutes, a short questionnaire follows, and then we will reach out to set up your interview. If you would rather ask how profit is figured before you apply, call or text (470) 887-6637.

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