Technician commissions can get complicated when a job evolves over time—especially when a diagnostic visit is completed, paid, and commissioned in one month, and the customer later calls back to proceed with a repair. ServiceWorks is designed to track commissions accurately across these changing scenarios, while giving you the tools to make manual adjustments when unique situations arise.
This article explains how ServiceWorks handles commissions, how the system prevents double-paying on previously commissioned amounts, and what workflows work best for diagnosis-to-repair situations.
1. The Core Principle: ServiceWorks Tracks What’s Already Been Paid
Commission calculation in ServiceWorks is cumulative.
- The system always looks at the total job amount, as defined by your commission rules/formula.
- It then checks how much commission was already paid to the technician for previous work on the same job.
- The system only recommends paying the difference between the new commission amount and the amount already paid.
Example
Trip #1 (Diagnosis)
- Diagnostic Charge: $119.95
- Tech Commission Rate: 10%
- Commission Paid: $11.99 (or $12 depending on rounding)
Trip #2 (Repair)
- You update the invoice to include $221.60 for labor (either by editing or replacing the line item).
- New total job amount: $221.60
- New commission: $22.16
- Amount already paid: $12.00
- Commission remaining to pay: $10.16
ServiceWorks recognizes that $12.00 was already paid, and it will NOT issue the full $22.16 again.
You will only owe the difference.
2. What If You Delete the Original Diagnostic Line?
Many companies prefer to replace the diagnostic fee with a single labor line so the invoice is clean.
Deleting the original $119.95 line will NOT erase the fact that the tech was already paid commission on it.
ServiceWorks tracks commission activity by:
- Technician
- Job
- Amount previously commissioned
So even if you delete the $119.95 diagnostic line and add the $221.60 labor line, the system will still say:
- Commission earned so far: $12.00
- Total commission on new invoice: $22.16
- Commission balance due: $10.16
You will NOT accidentally overpay the tech.
3. When the Technician Changes for Trip #2
If a different technician handles the second trip:
- Tech A is paid for Trip #1 based on the diagnostic.
- Tech B will be owed commission based on the current total amount.
For example:
| Trip | Tech | Job Total at Time of Trip | Commission Rate | Commission Due | What You Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tech A | $200 | 10% | $20 | $20 |
| 2 | Tech B | $500 | 10% | $50 | $50 |
ServiceWorks does not automatically know whether Tech A or Tech B should “own” the job financially, which is why this scenario may require manual adjustment.
4. Why Commission Automation Can’t Be Fully One-Size-Fits-All
Every service company pays commissions differently:
- Some count only the labor amount
- Some include parts
- Some pay on payment date
- Some pay on job completion date
- Some split a job by trip
- Some assign the full amount to the diagnosing tech
Because of these variations, ServiceWorks lets you manually adjust commissions at the job level to ensure your final payout is correct.
5. The Two Reports You Should Run When Paying Commissions
ServiceWorks provides two key reports that ensure you never double-pay:
1. Employee Commission by Job Completion Date
- Used by owners who want commissions tied to job completion.
- Shows what was earned and what has already been paid.
2. Employee Commission by Payment Date
- Used when commissions are based on customer payment collection.
- Also tracks paid vs. remaining commission.
Both reports include:
- Total commission earned
- Commission already paid
- Remaining amount owed
- Ability to mark commissions as paid
These reports are the best way to catch any scenario where a job was reopened, updated, or involved multiple techs.
6. How ServiceWorks Handles Reopened Jobs vs. Actual Recalls
Reopened for Repair (Customer Initially Declined, Later Agrees)
- The original job is reopened.
- A new trip is added.
- Commission recalculates based on the new invoice amount.
- It still counts as one completed job (not a recall).
True Recall
- The job is reopened because the original repair failed.
- You must change the Call Type to Recall manually.
- The system will then track:
- 1 job completed
- 1 recall
Reopening alone does not mark it as a recall; the call type must be updated.
7. Why You Don’t Need to “Clone” a Job for Repair
Cloning a job:
- Does NOT bring over all notes or part tracking
- Makes keeping the financial trail harder
- Breaks continuity on commission calculation
The correct workflow is always:
- Reopen the original job
- Add Trip #2
- Edit or replace invoice line items
- Let the commission report handle the math
8. Customer Request: Report for Reopened Jobs and Multi-Tech Jobs
In the conversation, Adam requested a report that:
- Shows all jobs that were completed and then reopened
- Shows any job with more than one technician assigned
This report would help owners quickly identify:
- Jobs needing commission adjustments
- Jobs that may require manual review
- Jobs with multi-tech involvement
- Jobs where the invoice changed after a commission run
This enhancement can be added as a future feature request.
9. Summary: What You Need to Know
- Deleting or adjusting line items does NOT break commission tracking.
- ServiceWorks always calculates the difference between total commission owed and what was already paid.
- Reopened jobs should be handled through new trips, not new jobs.
- Only true recalls should use the Recall call type.
- Two commission reports help you catch and review all edge cases.
- Multi-tech or reopened jobs may require manual review—but the system gives you all the data needed to do so.
