What Dubai real estate agents actually earn per deal
The standard agency fee is 2% of the sale price, plus 5% VAT. Against 0 recorded off-plan sales (January to November 2026), the middle of the market is AED 0 — so a typical deal pays the agency AED 0, and the agent keeps AED 0 on a 50% split or AED 0 on a 70% split.
Work out your own deal
VAT is charged on the agency fee and passed to the FTA, so it is not income. Agency splits in Dubai commonly run 50% to 70% to the agent, sometimes higher for self-generated leads; the ones shown here are the common brackets, not a rule.
Commission per deal by area
The busiest off-plan areas, with the fee a single sale pays at the standard 2%. Median price is the middle of every recorded sale in that area, January to November 2026.
| Area | Recorded sales | Median price | Agency fee (2%) | Agent at 50% | Agent at 70% |
|---|
Source: Dubai Land Department recorded off-plan sales, January to November 2026. Medians are never averaged or combined — each figure is the middle of that area's own sales. How we calculate them.
How many deals for the income you want
| Monthly income target | Deals/month at 50% split | Deals/month at 60% split | Deals/month at 70% split |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED 20,000 | — | — | — |
| AED 50,000 | — | — | — |
| AED 100,000 | — | — | — |
| AED 200,000 | — | — | — |
At the median sale of AED 0. A bigger ticket changes everything: one AED 5,000,000 sale at a 50% split pays AED 50,000.
Broker Pulse reads the developer and broker groups you are already in, and turns the noise into a list: what launched, what got discounted, which units were cancelled — with every asking price checked against recorded DLD sales.
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How much commission do real estate agents get in Dubai?
The standard agency fee on a Dubai sale is 2% of the sale price, plus 5% VAT on the fee. On a AED 0 sale — the middle of recorded off-plan prices, January to November 2026 — that is AED 0 to the agency before VAT. The agent keeps their split of it, typically 50% to 70%.
How much do real estate agents make in Dubai per month?
It depends entirely on closed deals, not salary. On the median recorded sale of AED 0, an agent on a 50% split keeps about AED 0 per deal and on a 70% split about AED 0. Two deals a month at 50% is roughly AED 0 a month before costs. Most Dubai agents are commission-only.
Is the 2% commission paid by the buyer or the seller?
On a resale the seller pays the 2% agency fee in most cases, and the buyer pays the 4% DLD transfer fee separately. On an off-plan sale the developer pays the agency, so the buyer pays no agency fee; developer rates vary and are agreed per project.
Do agents pay VAT on commission in Dubai?
Yes. Agency commission is a taxable service, so 5% VAT is added to the fee. The VAT is not income — it is collected and passed to the FTA by the registered brokerage.
Related: the broker index · check a deal against DLD sales · every recorded sale this year · buyer fees calculator