What is a reasonable SLA for resolving a commission dispute?

Aim for initial acknowledgment within 2 business days and full resolution within 10 business days. Complex cases involving multi-rep crediting or retroactive adjustments may need up to 20 business days, but communicate that timeline to the rep upfront.

How many commission disputes per quarter is normal?

A well-run comp program typically sees disputes on 3-5% of total commission payments. If your dispute rate exceeds 10%, you likely have a systemic issue with plan clarity, crediting rules, or data quality in your CRM - not just individual disagreements.

Building a Comp Dispute Resolution Process That's Fair and Fast

Commission disputes are inevitable. A rep checks their paycheck, the number does not match what they expected, and within minutes you have a frustrated email in your inbox. The question is not whether disputes will happen - it is whether you have a process that resolves them quickly, fairly, and with enough documentation to prevent the same issue from recurring. Here is how to build one.

Why You Need a Formal Process
The Dispute Intake Form
Define Your SLA
The Escalation Path
Documentation Requirements
Root Cause Tracking
Key Takeaways

Why You Need a Formal Process¶

Without a defined process, disputes get resolved based on who complains the loudest, who has the friendliest relationship with RevOps, or who escalates to the VP of Sales first. This creates inconsistency, perceived favoritism, and a growing backlog of unresolved cases. A formal dispute resolution process ensures every rep gets the same treatment, and your team can track patterns that point to systemic problems.

The Dispute Intake Form¶

Every dispute should start with a standardized intake form. Require these fields:

Rep name and role
Commission statement period (e.g., January 2026)
Disputed amount (what the rep expected vs. what was paid)
Deal(s) in question (Salesforce opportunity ID or equivalent)
Dispute category (crediting, calculation error, missing deal, quota issue, timing)
Rep’s explanation (free text - what do they believe happened?)
Supporting documentation (emails, CRM screenshots, Slack messages)

Tip: Host this form in a system that creates a trackable ticket - Jira, Zendesk, or even a shared Google Form that feeds a spreadsheet. Do not accept disputes via Slack DMs or hallway conversations.

Define Your SLA¶

Publish a clear service level agreement for dispute resolution:

Stage	SLA	Owner
Acknowledgment	2 business days	RevOps analyst
Investigation	5 business days	RevOps analyst + deal desk
Resolution decision	3 business days	RevOps manager
Payout adjustment (if applicable)	Next payroll cycle	Finance/payroll
Total end-to-end	10-15 business days	RevOps team

Communicate this SLA to every rep during comp plan onboarding. When a dispute is submitted, send an automated acknowledgment with the expected resolution date.

The Escalation Path¶

Not every dispute will be resolved at the first level. Build a three-tier escalation path:

Tier 1 - RevOps Analyst: Reviews the dispute against CRM data, commission calculations, and plan documents. Resolves straightforward cases (data entry errors, missing deals, calculation mistakes).

Tier 2 - RevOps Manager + Sales Manager: Handles disputes involving crediting disagreements, quota adjustments, or plan interpretation. Both parties review the evidence and make a joint recommendation.

Tier 3 - VP of Sales + CFO: Final authority for disputes exceeding $10,000 or involving policy exceptions. Decisions at this level are final and documented.

Escalation rule: A dispute moves to the next tier only if the rep formally disagrees with the Tier 1 or Tier 2 resolution. Do not allow reps to skip tiers by going directly to the VP.

Documentation Requirements¶

Every dispute - whether resolved in the rep’s favor or not - should produce a written record containing:

Original dispute details (from the intake form)
Investigation findings (what data was reviewed, what was discovered)
Resolution decision (approved, partially approved, or denied)
Rationale (why the decision was made, citing specific plan language)
Payout adjustment amount (if applicable)
Root cause category (CRM data error, plan ambiguity, crediting rule gap, calculation bug, rep misunderstanding)

Store these records centrally. They become invaluable during annual comp plan redesign - patterns in root cause categories tell you exactly what to fix.

Root Cause Tracking¶

After each quarter, aggregate your disputes by root cause category and review the data:

CRM data errors (35% of disputes in a typical org) - tighten data hygiene processes
Plan ambiguity (25%) - revise plan language and add worked examples
Crediting rule gaps (20%) - expand your crediting decision tree
Calculation bugs (10%) - audit your commission calculation tool or spreadsheet
Rep misunderstanding (10%) - improve onboarding and provide a personalized earnings calculator

If one category represents more than 30% of your disputes, that is your priority fix for the next plan cycle.

Key Takeaways¶

Require a standardized intake form for every dispute - no Slack DMs or hallway resolutions
Publish a 10-15 business day end-to-end SLA and communicate it during onboarding
Use a three-tier escalation path with clear authority at each level
Track root causes quarterly to identify systemic issues and feed improvements into your next plan design