Service Advisor Pay Plans Explained | In Plain English | ServiceAdvisorJobs.com
Two jobs can both say "$80k" and pay very differently. Here's what each pay plan means, and what to ask before you say yes.
- Salary
- The same amount every paycheck, no matter how many ROs you write. Steady, but you don't earn more in a busy month.
- Hourly
- Paid for every hour you work, with overtime past 40 hours. Some shops add a bonus for hitting sales or CSI goals.
- Commission
- Paid a percentage of the parts and labor you sell. A busy drive pays well. A slow month means a smaller check.
- Base + commission
- A smaller guaranteed base, hourly or salary, plus a percentage of what you sell. The most common plan at dealerships.
- Draw
- An advance on your commission each pay period. If you earn less than the draw, ask whether it's recoverable: recoverable means the shortfall comes out of future commission, and non-recoverable means you keep it.
Questions to ask about any pay plan
- What did your advisors actually make last year, low and high?
- What's commission paid on: parts, labor, or both? Customer pay only, or warranty and internal too?
- Is there a guaranteed base or draw, and for how long when you start?
- How many ROs does each advisor write on a normal day, and how many advisors share the drive?
- Are CSI or survey scores part of pay? What happens if a score dips?
- How many Saturdays a month, and what are the hours?
- When can the pay plan change, and how much notice do you get?
Reading pay on this site
Pay on every job is what the employer posted. We don't guess it or change it. Jobs posted directly on this site must show a pay plan and Saturdays, and they carry a "Pay plan shown" badge.