---
title: Accelerator (commission) — what it means and why it matters | Allocate AI
description: A higher commission rate that kicks in once you pass quota, so every dollar sold above target pays more than the dollars below it.
canonical: https://allocateai.io/glossary/accelerator
site: Allocate AI — https://allocateai.io
---

# Accelerator (commission)

A higher commission rate that kicks in once you pass quota, so every dollar sold above target pays more than the dollars below it.

An accelerator is a step-up in commission rate after you cross quota. Below target you might earn 8% of what you sell; above 100% the rate jumps to 12%, and above 125% it might jump again to 15%. The idea is to keep top performers selling hard after they have already hit their number.

Here is how it changes the math. Suppose your quota is $1,000,000 and your base rate is 8%. Hitting quota exactly earns $80,000. Selling $1,300,000 with a 12% accelerator on everything above quota earns $80,000 plus 12% of $300,000, or $116,000. Without the accelerator, the same overperformance would earn $104,000. The accelerator added $12,000 for the same work.

Some plans include the opposite, a decelerator, where the rate drops if you finish well under quota. Others cap total commission, which is worth knowing before a huge deal lands.

For planning, accelerators make income top-heavy and unpredictable. Most of the upside arrives in the final quarter, once quota is behind you. The common mistake is assuming the accelerated rate applies to the whole year rather than only to the slice above target, and then overestimating what a strong year will actually pay. Read the plan document for the tiers, whether they are measured quarterly or annually, and whether the year resets your progress.

[Try the Sales Comp Calculator →](https://allocateai.io/calculators/sales-comp)

## Related terms

- [Commission](https://allocateai.io/glossary/commission) — Pay earned as a percentage of what you sell, so the amount changes with each deal and each month rather than arriving as a fixed salary.
- [OTE (on-target earnings)](https://allocateai.io/glossary/ote) — The total a sales role pays if you hit exactly 100% of quota: base salary plus the commission you would earn at target.
- [Draw (against commission)](https://allocateai.io/glossary/draw) — An advance on future commission paid to a salesperson, often during a ramp period, that is later deducted from commissions actually earned.

**Plan in plain language.**

Allocate answers “can I afford this?” from your own numbers, writes the plan, and stages every change for your yes. It starts from an estimate before you link a bank.

[Get started](https://app.allocateai.io/signup)

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Allocate AI is a budgeting and financial-planning app: link your accounts, say what you want in plain words, and it writes the plan and stages every change for your approval. Read more at https://allocateai.io or see all pages in https://allocateai.io/llms.txt.