Account Executive, enterprise
Enterprise AE commission plan template
A $1.6M enterprise AE plan with a 15% kicker at quota and accelerator bands adjusted for a small number of large deals.
50/50 split at $300k OTE — 9.375% effective rate on a $1.6M quota
- Annual quota
- $1,600,000
- OTE / base
- $300,000 / $150,000
- Effective rate
- 9.38%
| Attainment | Payout rate | Kicker |
|---|---|---|
| 0% – 100% | 1× | — |
| 100% – 130% | 1.5× | 15% at 100% |
| 130%+ | 2× | — |
Drag the attainment slider, edit the tiers, and see the payout and cost curves respond.
Why the plan is shaped this way
Fewer, larger deals change the shape
An enterprise rep might close six deals a year, so attainment moves in big steps: one signature can take a month from 40% to 180%. The accelerator bands account for that. The 1.5x band is narrower here (100% to 130%) and 2x starts earlier than on the mid-market plan, because a single extra deal routinely carries a rep past 130% and the plan should pay well when it does.
Why the kicker is 15%
Larger than the mid-market plan's 10%, because hitting quota is a rarer event. With six chances a year instead of thirty, finishing at 100% involves more risk carried by the rep, and the bonus for getting there should be bigger.
Consider quarterly evaluation
This calculator models a single month, and a monthly window fits enterprise deal flow poorly: one big month followed by two empty ones makes pay swing for reasons that have nothing to do with performance. Most teams run this plan quarterly or quota-to-date so the months net out. Earnest supports both; model the shape here, then set the cadence in the product.
What breaks this plan
- Running it monthly anyway. The rep absorbs all of the deal-timing noise in their paycheck, and unpredictable pay is a common reason enterprise reps leave.
- Deciding credit splits at commission time. On multi-rep deals, agree the split when the opportunity is created.
- Setting quotas by dividing the region target evenly across territories of very different quality.
These numbers are a conventional starting point, not a benchmark. Adjust them to your team; the reasoning is what carries over. Related templates: SaaS AE commission plan template · Sales manager commission plan template. Or read how comp plans are built in Earnest.
Set it up for a real team
The same tiers, kickers, and caps configured here run actual payouts in Earnest — free for up to 5 users, no credit card required.
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