Golden Data

Tools · Incentive math

Comp Plan Payout Curve

A comp plan is a curve, not a paragraph. Put in the OTE, the pay mix, and the plan mechanics — threshold, accelerator, cap — and see the whole thing drawn: where the cliff is, where the kink pays double, and exactly what the next point of attainment is worth.

50/50 is the classic closing-role mix; senior and overlay roles often run base-heavy.

Move it and watch the dot ride the curve.

Below this, variable pays $0. Set 0 for no threshold. Cliffs breed sandbagging — watch the jump appear.

Each point past 100 pays this many points of target variable.

0 = uncapped. A cap saves finance money and costs you your best rep’s best month.

Total cash at attainment —
Variable earned —
Next point worth —
Effective rate on bookings —

—

Payout as % of target variable, by attainment. Dashed line is 1:1; the shaded band is the accelerator zone. The dot is the plan above.

The mechanics (textbook, on purpose): target variable = OTE × variable share. Below the threshold, variable pays zero; from threshold to 100% it pays point-for-point; past 100% each point pays the accelerator multiple; the cap flattens everything after it. These are the standard levers every published comp guide describes — real plans add SPIFFs, splits, and clawbacks this deliberately doesn’t model. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere unless you ask for the readout below.

Want this plan design sanity-checked?

Leave an email and I'll send back your curve with the three questions I'd ask of any plan — where the sandbagging incentive lives, what the accelerator really costs at P90 attainment, and whether the cap is saving money or exporting your best rep. Written by me, not a sequence. Usually within a day.

A comp plan is a message about what the company wants sold. The capacity planner shows whether the team carrying these plans actually covers the number.

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