The KW Split Structure

Keller Williams uses a 70/30 split — you keep 70%, your market center keeps 30%. Unlike many brokerages, that 30% is capped. Once your market center has received its cap amount (typically $21,000 per year, though this varies by market center), you keep 100% of every commission for the rest of your anniversary year.

There is also a 6% royalty to KW International, capped at $3,000/year. So the true cap is approximately $21,000 market center cap + $3,000 royalty = $24,000 total before you go to 100%.

When You Hit the Cap

At a 70/30 split, you pay 30% of each commission to the market center until they have collected $21,000. To hit the cap, you need to generate approximately $70,000 in gross commission income (GCI). At 3% buyer agent commission and $400,000 average sale price, that is roughly 6 closed transactions.

If you close 6 deals before your anniversary year ends, every deal after that is 100% yours (minus post-cap fees of roughly $200–$500 per transaction at most KW offices).

KW Profit Share

KW agents who recruit other agents into their market center earn a percentage of that agent's 30% contribution. This is called profit share and is paid monthly. Top KW profit share earners receive $10,000–$50,000+/month from their downline — but building that takes years and should not be a factor in your brokerage decision at the start of your career.

KW vs. eXp vs. RE/MAX: Which Pays More?

This depends almost entirely on your production level and local market center fees. KW's 70/30 with a $21,000 cap is slightly less favorable than eXp's 80/20 with a $16,000 cap for most production levels. However, KW's in-person training, market center culture, and agent services are significantly better developed than eXp's virtual-only model — and those resources can meaningfully increase your GCI, which matters more than the split percentage.

Run a direct comparison at your exact production level using the brokerage comparison calculator.