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Free OTE calculator: split on-target earnings into base and variable pay, check your quota-to-OTE ratio and see earnings at any quota attainment.
This OTE calculator splits on-target earnings into base salary and variable pay, then shows what the package pays at every level of quota attainment. It runs live in your browser, with no signup.
Seven role presets load an OTE, a pay mix and a quota. They are example defaults, not benchmarks: overwrite them with the numbers from your offer or comp plan.
Three tabs match the three ways a package is written. The calculator derives the other side and the implied commission rate.
Move the attainment slider, set a typical team attainment for realistic earnings, then add a ramp, a threshold, an accelerator or a cap. Switch on offer B to compare two packages, and copy a summary or export to CSV.
Every lever of an on-target earnings package, from pay mix to accelerators, in one calculator.
Split OTE into base and variable with 50/50, 60/40, 70/30 or 80/20, or enter base salary and variable pay directly.
Compare annual quota with OTE, then read the implied commission rate and the cost of sales the plan creates.
Set a typical team attainment to see what reps actually take home, not only what they earn at 100% of quota.
Pay nothing below a threshold, boost the rate above quota and cap variable pay. The earnings curve bends at each point.
Switch on offer B to compare two packages at the same attainment, then copy a summary or export the scenario to CSV.
Split on-target earnings, test quota attainment and compare two offers. Free, no signup.
Same attainment, threshold and cap as offer A.
| Offer A | Offer B | B − A |
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Presets are example defaults, not benchmarks. Inputs stay in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.
OTE is the total a rep earns at exactly 100% of quota; the full definition is in what OTE means. Candidates use the tool as an on-target earnings calculator to read an offer, RevOps and Finance as a sales compensation calculator to design a plan.
OTE = base salary + target variable pay. Every other number in the calculator follows from that line.
Target variable pay is the commission or bonus paid at exactly 100% of quota. An $80,000 base salary plus $80,000 of target variable gives a $160,000 OTE, or $13,333 a month when the rep is exactly on plan.
Base salary = OTE × base share, and variable = OTE × variable share. A $160,000 OTE on a 50/50 mix gives $80,000 of base and $80,000 of variable. On 70/30, the same OTE gives $112,000 of base and $48,000 of variable.
Target variable = quota × commission rate. An $800,000 quota at 10% gives $80,000 of variable; add an $80,000 base and the OTE is $160,000. In reverse, variable ÷ quota is the implied commission rate, the number to check before it goes into an offer letter.
Take the Account Executive example: $160,000 OTE, 50/50 mix, $800,000 quota and a ×1.5 accelerator. At 80% attainment the rep earns $144,000, at 100% $160,000, and at 120% $184,000, because revenue above quota pays 15% instead of 10%. The scenarios table works as a quota attainment calculator for any level you enter.
An OTE figure alone does not tell you how much is guaranteed. The split does. Base and variable for the four common splits, as shown in the Pay mix tab:
It means $120,000 of total pay over a year at 100% of quota, base included. On a 70/30 split, $84,000 is guaranteed and $36,000 depends on results. At 80% attainment, that package pays $84,000 + $28,800 = $112,800.
Usually, that variable pay is 20% of OTE: an 80/20 pay mix, or $80,000 + $20,000 on a $100,000 OTE. Some offers mean variable equal to 20% of base instead, which gives a $120,000 OTE on a $100,000 base. Ask which figure the percentage applies to.
Pay mix, or OTE split, is the share of OTE paid as base versus variable. It reflects how much the rep controls the result.
Qobra's SaaS sales compensation plan template uses these reference splits: 50/50 for Account Executives, about 65/35 for SDRs and about 80/20 for Customer Success Managers.
A 50/50 split is also the norm for SaaS Account Executives cited by Scaling GTM, where a $200K OTE becomes $100K of base and $100K of variable.
An Account Executive owns the deal through to signature, so a large variable share ties pay to the outcome. A CSM or a sales engineer influences revenue without closing it alone, so more of the package is fixed. Account managers and sales managers sit in between.
On a $120,000 OTE with 70% typical attainment, 70/30 pays $84,000 + $25,200 = $109,200, while 60/40 pays $72,000 + $33,600 = $105,600. More variable means more upside above quota, more exposure below it and a higher implied commission rate, shown in the Pay mix tab.
When the plan pays on ARR, ACV or multi-year contracts, check that rate deal by deal with the saas commission calculator.
The quota-to-OTE ratio compares what a rep has to sell with what they earn at target. It is the third KPI of the calculator.
Divide annual quota by OTE: $800,000 ÷ $160,000 = 5x. The target ratio field works in reverse: enter 5 and the calculator suggests an $800,000 quota for a $160,000 OTE.
To build the quota itself from capacity, pipeline or a top-down target, use the sales quota calculator.
According to SaaStr, quota sits at 3x to 5x OTE in most SaaS companies: lower for SMB, closer to 5x in enterprise. Scaling GTM gives a 4x to 6x benchmark, with 5x often treated as the steady state. The KPI badge uses these ranges.
Flip the ratio and you get the cost of sales: OTE ÷ quota. At 5x, rep compensation costs about 20% of the new ARR it brings in, according to Scaling GTM. With accelerators, as Insight Partners notes, that cost grows faster than bookings above quota.
An OTE range tells you whether an offer is in line with the market. Ranges vary by source, segment and region: read them as orders of magnitude.
For SaaS Account Executives, Scaling GTM gives indicative OTEs of $125K to $175K in SMB, around $200K in mid-market and around $300K in enterprise. At a 5x ratio, those packages imply quotas of roughly $625K to $875K, $1M and $1.5M.
For SDRs, account managers, CSMs, sales engineers and managers, the OTE range depends on location, deal size and scope. Enter both ends of the range from the job posting or your compensation benchmark and test them against the quota.
Four levers change the shape of the earnings curve. Each one has a control in the calculator.
An accelerator multiplies the commission rate above quota. With a 10% rate and ×1.5, every dollar beyond quota pays 15%. On the Account Executive example, 150% attainment pays $80,000 of base plus $140,000 of variable: $220,000.
This tool keeps one rate and one accelerator so the OTE stays readable. For plans with several tiers, use the tiered commission calculator.
A threshold sets the attainment below which no variable is paid. With a 50% threshold, the Account Executive example at 40% of quota earns the $80,000 base only; at 50%, variable pays from the first dollar: $40,000.
An uncapped plan keeps paying as long as the rep keeps selling, a clear signal for top performers. A cap gives Finance a ceiling. With a cap at 200% of target variable, the Account Executive example at 200% attainment earns $240,000 instead of $280,000.
A ramp lowers quota and target during a new hire's first months. With a three-month linear ramp (25%, 50%, 75%), the Account Executive example at 100% of the ramped quota earns $70,000 of variable in year one instead of $80,000: $150,000 in total, detailed month by month in the Year 1 ramp tab.
OTE is what the plan pays at 100% of quota, not what a rep should expect. Run three checks before signing or publishing an offer:
Then switch on offer B. With the default example, offer A ($160K OTE, 50/50, $800K quota, ×1.5) pays $10,000 more than offer B ($150K OTE, 70/30, $600K quota) at 100% of quota, $500 less at 70%, and $25,000 more at 120%.
So are OTE jobs worth it? They are when the quota is attainable and the plan is clear.
From calculator to automation
The calculator models one package at one point in time. Once the plan is live, each closed deal moves every rep's attainment, ramp, accelerator and cap.
Qobra connects to your CRM and payroll and calculates commissions deal by deal for every plan, with ramps, thresholds, accelerators and caps built in. Each rep sees earnings to date against OTE, RevOps stops rebuilding the same spreadsheet every month, and Finance gets payouts it can audit.
See live OTE tracking in a Qobra demo →
Add your annual base salary to the variable pay you earn at 100% of quota: an $80,000 base plus $80,000 of target commission gives a $160,000 OTE. From a quota and a rate, target variable = quota × rate, for example $800,000 × 10% = $80,000.
It means $120,000 of total annual pay at 100% of quota, base salary included. The split decides what is guaranteed: $84,000 of base and $36,000 of variable at 70/30, or $60,000 each at 50/50. Likewise, a $100K OTE at 70/30 is $70,000 + $30,000, and a $200K OTE at 50/50 is $100,000 + $100,000.
It usually means variable pay is 20% of OTE, an 80/20 pay mix: $80,000 of base and $20,000 of variable on a $100,000 OTE. Some offers mean variable equal to 20% of base salary instead: $100,000 of base plus $20,000 gives a $120,000 OTE, where variable is 16.7% of the total.
Most SaaS closing roles sit between 3x and 6x. SaaStr puts quota at 3x to 5x OTE in most SaaS companies, closer to 5x in enterprise, and Scaling GTM gives a 4x to 6x benchmark with 5x as a steady state. At 5x, rep compensation represents about 20% of the new ARR it generates.
It depends on role, segment and location. For SaaS Account Executives, Scaling GTM gives indicative OTEs of $125K to $175K in SMB, around $200K in mid-market and around $300K in enterprise. For other roles, take the range from the job posting or your compensation benchmark and test both ends against the quota.
Multiply OTE by each share. At 70/30, a $150,000 OTE becomes $105,000 of base and $45,000 of variable. At 60/40, it becomes $90,000 + $60,000. In the calculator, click the 70/30 or 60/40 chip: base, variable and the implied commission rate update instantly.
Yes. OTE is base salary plus variable pay at target, so a $150,000 OTE with a $105,000 base includes $45,000 of variable, and only the base is guaranteed. OTE excludes employer payroll taxes, expenses, tools and stock-based compensation, which matters when Finance models the full cost of a rep.
No. Only the base salary is guaranteed. The variable part depends on attainment: at 70% of quota, a $160,000 OTE on a 50/50 mix pays $136,000 with no threshold. Above quota, accelerators can push pay beyond OTE. A draw or a ramp for new hires, when offered, should be spelled out in the plan.
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