Med spa commission structure

First: check what your state allows

Paying licensed medical providers a percentage of what they bill can run into fee-splitting and corporate-practice-of-medicine rules, which vary by state and by the type of licence. Many med spas pay providers this way lawfully; some structures are not allowed everywhere. Before you settle on one, run it past a healthcare attorney in your state. Nothing here is legal advice.

Providers: net, not gross

Injectables and fillers carry a real product cost, and paying a percentage of the ticket price ignores it:

On gross, the provider takes the same share of a treatment whose product cost you absorbed entirely. Paying on net — price minus product cost — keeps high-cost and low-cost treatments equally worthwhile to you. Whichever you choose, state it in writing with how product cost is calculated, because it is the first thing a provider will question.

Providers: base plus tiers

Many med spas pay an hourly or salaried base plus commission that rises with monthly production — for example 20% of net up to $15,000, 25% above. As with any tier, decide whether the higher rate applies to the whole month or only to the part above the line; the difference is large and it changes behaviour near the threshold. How thresholds and tiers behave.

Front desk: packages and memberships

Front-desk staff don't perform treatments, but they sell the things that keep the schedule full: treatment packages, memberships and rebooking. A flat bonus per package or membership — $15 or $20 — is the usual answer, because it is simple enough to track at the desk. If memberships churn, pay part of it after the member's second or third draft. The membership commission guide compares the options in detail.

Retail

Skincare lines are often the highest-margin thing in the building. A percentage of the retail price is easy but rewards discounting; a flat bonus for hitting a product share rewards recommending products to every client. The retail commission guide walks through both with worked numbers.

Keep it visible

Three groups on three rules is exactly where commission disputes start. Whatever you pick, each person should be able to see, during the month, what they've earned and how it was worked out.

CommissionBoard shows each person their own figures on their phone, updated from your POS through the day, while coworkers only see earnings — see how it works. To model it yourself first, start with the free commission spreadsheet.