How Much Do Real Estate Agents Make in Canada?

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How much a real estate agent earns in Canada depends almost entirely on how many homes they help buy or sell. Agents are self-employed and paid a share of the commission on each closed deal, so there is no base salary to fall back on when they don't make any sales.

Job Bank's 2025 wage release puts the median for real estate agents and salespersons at $58,400 a year, but the average at $85,000, which is much higher. The reason is concentration. A small group of agents handles most of the transactions, and a large group handles none, which pulls the average upward.

In 2025, 52.7% of agents registered with Toronto's real estate board closed no transactions at all, and 89.3% closed four or fewer, according to TRREB data compiled by Redatum.

Real estate agents in Canada are almost always self-employed, meaning they are not employees of the brokerage they work under. Thus, they do not receive a salary, and they are not paid for their time. An agent earns only when a deal closes.

A real estate agent's commission is a percentage of the selling price of a home, and the rate differs by province. The total commission rate in Ontario is commonly 5% of the selling price, while in Alberta, commission is typically tiered at 7% on the first $100,000 and 3% on the remaining amount. The tiered structures used in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan result in a lower total commission on higher-priced homes than the flat percentage used in other provinces. The total commission is typically shared between the buyer and seller agents and divided as explained below.

1. The seller agrees to a total commission: Commission comes out of the seller's proceeds at closing. The seller agrees to a total with their listing agent when the property goes on the market.
2. The listing brokerage is paid first: The full commission goes to the listing brokerage at closing.
3. The buyer's brokerage is paid a share: The listing agent's brokerage gives part of the commission to the buyer's agent's brokerage. This is called a cooperating commission, since the seller is compensating the buyer's agent for bringing a buyer to them. It is usually split 50/50, so in Ontario the listing agent would get 2.5% and the buyer's agent 2.5%.
4. Each agent splits with their brokerage: Brokerages take care of the overhead and day-to-day operations of the firm, such as training agents and carrying out transactions. Splits vary widely, from around half of every commission for a new agent to a flat monthly fee for a high producer.

What is left is gross income, not take-home pay. Agents cover licensing, board fees, insurance, marketing, and vehicle costs out of their share, and pay tax on it as self-employment income.

Commission rates are negotiable. No real estate board, association, or regulator sets them, and how the buying side gets paid is currently under review by the Competition Bureau of Canada.

CREA represents more than 160,000 REALTORS® in Canada, and there were 469,761 homes sold through Canadian MLS Systems in 2025, at a national average price of $679,368.

A large number of provinces, from Manitoba through to the Maritimes, use a flat commission percentage that is usually 5%. Assuming that is split evenly, at 2.5% each side, the average commission on a home sold in Canada works out to $16,984 per agent. The agent keeps about 70% of that after their brokerage's share, for a net commission of $11,889.

Most transactions involve two agents, one for the buyer and one for the seller, so 469,761 sales generate roughly 940,000 transaction sides. Spread evenly across the membership, the average agent would have about six transactions per year.

Of course, not every agent completes six transactions. A small number of agents complete a large number of deals, which pulls the average well above what the typical agent earns.

The more lucrative a real estate market is, the more competition there is from other agents. Ontario has a high number of agents relative to the number of homes sold, which leaves fewer transactions for each agent. That is offset by a higher commission per transaction, helped by Ontario's high home prices. Agents in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick can work on far more transactions in a year, but each one pays less.

Job Bank publishes annual earnings for real estate agents and salespersons across Canada. Because most agents are self-employed, the figures are reported as annual earnings rather than an hourly wage.

According to the 2025 Job Bank wage release, Manitoba's real estate agents had the highest median income in the country, and Alberta has the lowest among the provinces with full data. Ontario has the widest range, with a high of $206,000 against a median of $62,400, which reflects how concentrated transactions are in the province.

Agent earnings do not track home prices as one might expect. Within Ontario, the Toronto region has the lowest median of any region in the province, at $57,600, while agents in Muskoka–Kawarthas have a median of $94,000. British Columbia shows the same pattern, with the Lower Mainland lowest at $53,200. Expensive markets attract agents faster than they generate sales, which leaves fewer transactions for each one.

In a field where reputation and experience help drive sales, it can be difficult for new real estate agents to gain clients and make sales. There is also a significant number of agents who work part-time rather than full-time, or who sell homes as a side job while working full-time in another occupation.

Ontario's REALTOR® associations represent nearly 100,000 real estate brokers and agents (salespeople) through 29 local real estate boards, such as the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board and the Ottawa Real Estate Board. Real estate commissions in Ontario are usually 5%, with 2.5% going to each side of the transaction.

The median income of Ontario real estate agents is $62,400, with a high end of $206,000. This higher end is the highest among the provinces, which means that top-performing real estate agents in Ontario can earn among the highest real estate agent incomes in the country.

Toronto has the lowest median of any Ontario region at $57,600, below the provincial figure and well below Muskoka–Kawarthas at $94,000. Expensive markets attract more agents, and the competition outweighs the larger commission cheques.

Alberta REALTORS® number more than 10,000 across 10 regional real estate boards, according to the Alberta Real Estate Association. The median Alberta salary for agents is $46,400 per year.

There were 70,194 homes sold in British Columbia in 2025 at an average price of $952,767, with more than 25,000 BC REALTORS® in the province. BC real estate commissions are usually 7% on the first $100,000 and 2.5% on the remainder.

The median real estate agent salary in BC is $58,400. The Lower Mainland, which covers Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, has the lowest median of any region in the province at $53,200.

The Saskatchewan REALTORS® Association represents more than 1,800 REALTORS®.

There are two real estate commission methods in Saskatchewan, with it being about 7% on the first $100,000 and 2% to 3% on the remainder.

The actual median salary in Saskatchewan is $60,400 per year.

The Manitoba Real Estate Association represents more than 2,800 real estate professionals. Real estate commissions in Manitoba are roughly 5%. The actual median salary in Manitoba is $68,000 per year, the highest of any province.

Real estate agents are called real estate brokers in Quebec and number more than 15,000 registered with the Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers (QPAREB).

Quebec real estate commissions are usually 5% of the home's sale price, split equally between the buyer and seller agents.

New Brunswick REALTORS® represents over 1,400 licensed real estate managers and salespeople in the province, formed in January 2024 from the amalgamation of the former Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John, Northern and Valley boards. Real estate commissions in New Brunswick are usually 5%.

The median salary of agents in New Brunswick is $50,000, with a high end of $115,000.

The Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® represents more than 2,000 brokers, salespeople, and affiliate members. Nova Scotia real estate commissions are 5% of the home's sold price.

The median annual pay of real estate agents in the province is $51,600, with a high end of $152,000.

There are more than 700 REALTORS® in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of REALTORS®, with real estate commissions at around 5%, split equally between buyer and seller agents.

The median income is $56,000, with a high end of $158,000.

Not consistently. The commission is usually split 50/50, so in most transactions both agents earn the same amount.

In some cases, it works in the buyer agent's favour. Many home sellers want to lower the cost of selling their home, which is why discount brokers might offer a lower commission for sellers, with the discount taken out of the listing agent's commission. The buyer agent will usually still be offered their full commission rate. For example, if the total commission is 5%, the buyer's agent might receive 2.5% while the listing agent accepts 1.5%.

Meanwhile, some buyer agents may give up part of their commission to close a deal at the buyer's preferred price.

Commission splits are negotiable, so neither side earns reliably more. What an agent takes home depends far more on how many deals they close than on which side of the transaction they represent.

Yes. No real estate board, association, or regulator sets commission rates, and the rates quoted on this page are typical rather than fixed.

How the buyer's side gets paid is also under active review. In June 2024, the Competition Bureau of Canada opened an investigation into CREA's Buyer Broker Commission rule and REALTOR® Cooperation Policy, obtaining a Federal Court order in October 2024 requiring CREA to produce records. In February 2026, the investigation was expanded to include Greater Vancouver REALTORS®. As of September 2026, it is ongoing, and no conclusion of wrongdoing has been reached.

Separately, British Columbia now requires buyers to sign a buyer representation agreement setting out how their agent is paid before the agent works on their behalf.

For agents, the practical effect is that the cooperating commission can no longer be assumed. Buyers are more likely to negotiate directly over what their agent is paid.

In a field where reputation and experience help drive sales, it can be difficult for new real estate agents to gain clients and make sales.

A new agent faces the full cost of licensing, registration, insurance, board dues, and marketing before earning a single commission. Those costs are the same whether they close twenty deals or none.

The distribution reflects this. Among agents registered with Toronto's real estate board in 2025, 52.7% closed no transactions at all. A large share are agents in their first year or two who have not yet made a sale.

At the national average, a single transaction pays an agent about $11,889 after their brokerage's share. An agent who closes one deal in their first year will not have covered their costs.

Agents have to pay for their own expenses, which can eat away at their commission earnings. This includes:

• Licensing and registration fees
• Insurance premiums
• Travel expenses (car, gas, and parking)
• Operational expenses (office supplies, laptop, phone, and internet costs)
• Marketing (home staging, advertisements, professional photography)
• Education (continuing education costs)
• Taxes

Fixed costs do not change with the number of sales. An agent who closes three transactions pays the same licensing, insurance, and board fees as one who closes twenty.

Agents also pay tax on their income as self-employment income, cover both the employee and employer portions of CPP, and receive no employment insurance, paid leave, or employer benefits.

You can be a part-time real estate agent who works on the weekends or in the evenings. You can work as little or as much as you'd like, but since your income is based on commission, you'll need to put in at least some effort to make money.

There are costs to being a real estate agent that can make it not worth becoming one as a side job if you don't expect your commissions to cover your costs. These include your licence registration fee, required education and training courses, examinations, and insurance, which can cost thousands of dollars upfront. There are also recurring costs, such as licence renewal and real estate board membership fees. The time it takes to get licensed can be up to a year.

Being a part-time real estate agent can be a safe way to enter the industry. You can try it out and see if real estate is right for you, but you still have another full-time job to fall back on.

However, you might not be able to be as responsive to your clients during the day when you're at your full-time job, which can cause you to lose sales. You might not be able to juggle the requirements that some home sellers or home buyers expect, such as prompt replies and frequent showings. It can also be more difficult for part-time agents to find a brokerage willing to take them on.

Becoming a full-time agent allows you to focus on your clients, but it will only make sense if you can expect to make a livable income. Since fixed costs are the same either way, the question is whether you can complete enough transactions to cover them and earn beyond that.

Real estate agents are incentivized to sell more homes, as more transactions allow them to earn more commissions. However, home sellers won't generally be able to pay a lower commission if their listing agent is able to sell their home quickly. Listing agents are still providing the same services, such as marketing and home staging, which they would do for any other listing. It might be possible for an agent to agree to discount their selling commission if they feel the home would sell very quickly.

Agents pay for licensing and registration fees, insurance premiums, travel, office and equipment costs, marketing, continuing education, and taxes. Fixed costs such as licensing, insurance, and board dues are the same regardless of how many homes they sell.

Real estate agents have to pay income tax on their commission income. How agents are taxed depends on whether they are employed by a real estate brokerage or if they are self-employed. Real estate agent commissions are taxed as personal income, rather than at the corporate income tax rate. Some provinces, such as Ontario, do not allow real estate agents to incorporate, but agents can indirectly save tax through strategies such as creating a management corporation to funnel income through.