Who this is for
Independent agents working under a brokerage, brokers, transaction coordinators, property managers, and real estate consultants. Useful any time a real estate professional bills outside the standard HUD-1/closing-statement flow.
What goes on a real estate invoice
Property identification. Full address (no abbreviations), MLS number when applicable, and sale price. These create the audit trail for the commission calculation.
Closing date as the invoice anchor. Commission is typically earned at closing, not at offer acceptance. Invoice dated to closing keeps the broker, the title company, and the IRS happy.
Commission split disclosure. If you're billing on a split (e.g., 70/30 with the brokerage), state that on the invoice or referenced agreement. It avoids future internal disputes about who's owed what.
Fees agents commonly bill alongside commission
- Transaction coordination fee (typically $300–$500)
- Marketing & professional photography
- Staging coordination
- Open house signage and refreshments
- MLS / listing service fee (if not covered by brokerage)
Pitfalls
- Issuing the invoice before closing. If the deal falls through, you've created a paper trail of a fee you never earned. Always date the invoice to actual closing.
- Mixing seller-side and buyer-side fees. Keep them on separate invoices; co-mingling causes accounting issues for the brokerage.
- Forgetting the IRS form 1099 thresholds. Commissions over the threshold ($600 in the US) require a 1099 from the brokerage to the agent.
How to use this template
- Open the real estate template.
- Replace placeholders with property address, sale price, and MLS #.
- Adjust the commission line based on your split.
- Add the closing date as the issue date.
- Download the PDF for your brokerage's records.