There is the moment you close the deal, and there is the moment the money actually lands. In commercial leasing those are rarely the same day, and they are often months apart. This guide walks the real payment timeline milestone by milestone, so you know when each piece of your commission is supposed to arrive and what triggers it. This is about the payment schedule once the commission is earned. For the timeline of the deal itself, from first tour to signature, see the guide on how long a commercial lease takes to close.
Your commission does not pay on a calendar date. It pays when specific events happen. Four milestones matter.
Once the lease is fully executed, the first half of your commission is earned and due. How fast it actually pays depends on the agreement and the payor. Many agreements specify a window, payment within a set number of days of execution, and a reliable payor will hit it. The first half is the easy half. It is tied to an event that has already happened, the signing, so there is little left to wait on except the payor cutting the check.
Then comes the wait. The second half is tied to occupancy, and occupancy is tied to the tenant actually being able to use the space. If there is a build-out, and in commercial leasing there usually is, the second half cannot pay until that work is done and the tenant moves in. This gap is the defining feature of leasing payment timing. It can be a few weeks on a simple space or many months on a heavy build-out. The reason the gap exists, and why it is structured this way, is covered in the guide on the 50/50 trap.
When the tenant takes occupancy, the second milestone is met and the final half becomes due. As with the first payment, the agreement usually defines how quickly it must be paid after the trigger. Once that final payment lands, the commission is fully collected and the deal is closed out for you.
Say you sign a lease in January with a commission that pays half on execution and half on occupancy, and the tenant has a four month build-out. Your first half might pay in late January or February. Your second half waits until the tenant occupies, perhaps May or June, and then pays within the agreement's window after that. So a deal you closed in January is not fully paid until roughly mid-year. That is normal, not a problem with your deal.
You control how clean your paperwork is and how clearly the agreement defines the triggers and payment windows. You do not control the build-out schedule, the tenant's move-in, or how promptly the payor performs. That mix of controllable and uncontrollable is why leasing income is lumpy even when your pipeline is strong. When the uncontrollable part stretches too long, an advance is the lever that puts the timing back in your hands, which is covered in the guide on commission advances.
The first half is usually paid within a defined window after lease execution, often specified in the agreement. The second half waits on occupancy and can land months later, depending on the build-out.
Because it is tied to the tenant taking occupancy, which waits on the build-out. The heavier the tenant improvement work, the longer the second half sits. See the guide on the 50/50 trap.
You can tighten your paperwork and the agreement's payment windows, but you cannot speed up the occupancy trigger itself. To convert an earned commission to cash before occupancy, a commission advance is the option.
This guide is general information for commercial real estate brokers and is not financial, tax, or legal advice. Payment timing depends on your agreements and payor. Confirm specifics with your brokerage.
