Door to door sales pay and commission in the UK

The three pay structures you will be offered

Clawback is the number that changes everything

Most doorstep campaigns pay commission on a sale and then reclaim it if the customer cancels within the cooling-off period, fails a quality check, or does not complete — energy switches, for example, can fall over weeks after the door was knocked.

That is why quality of sale matters as much as volume. Two advisors writing the same number of contracts can earn very different amounts once retention is applied.

• Ask what percentage of sales are typically clawed back on this campaign
• Ask when commission is paid — on signature, on completion, or after a retention window
• Ask whether clawback applies to cancellations outside your control
• Ask to see the commission table in writing before you start

What drives earnings on the same campaign

Two advisors on identical rates will earn very differently, and the causes are usually operational rather than personal.

• Territory quality — address density, housing type and how recently the patch was worked
• Hours actually spent at doors versus travelling between them
• Contact rate, which is largely a function of what time of day you work
• Retention of the sales you write, which decides your post-clawback income
• Whether call backs are diarised and actually revisited

Questions to ask before accepting a doorstep role

Self-employed doorstep work is legitimate and can pay well, but the terms deserve the same scrutiny as any other contract.

• Am I employed or self-employed, and who handles tax and National Insurance?
• Is there a basic, a draw against commission, or nothing until the first sale?
• Who provides the territory, and how often is it refreshed?
• What training and ongoing coaching is provided, and is it paid?
• What are the compliance rules, and what happens if a complaint is raised about me?

Frequently asked questions

Is door to door sales a good job?

It suits people who are resilient, self-directed and comfortable with variable income. Earnings depend heavily on the commission structure, the quality of territory you are given and how much of your written business is retained after the cooling-off period.

Is door to door sales commission only?

Often, but not always. UK campaigns run commission-only self-employed roles, basic-plus-commission employed roles, and tiered structures with accelerators above a weekly threshold. Always ask for the commission table in writing.

What is clawback in door to door sales?

Clawback is commission reclaimed by the company when a sale cancels within the cooling-off period, fails a quality check or never completes. It is why sale quality and retention matter as much as the number of contracts written.

Keep reading