An accelerator is a higher commission rate that kicks in once a rep exceeds 100% of quota — it's the mechanism that rewards overperformance instead of capping upside once the base target is hit.
A typical accelerator structure
| Attainment | Commission rate |
|---|---|
| 0–100% of quota | Base rate (e.g., 10%) |
| 100–150% of quota | 1.5× base rate (15%) |
| 150%+ of quota | 2× base rate (20%) |
A rep who closes exactly at quota earns the base rate on all revenue. A rep who closes at 160% of quota earns the base rate up to 100%, the accelerated rate on the 100–150% band, and the top rate on everything above 150% — each band is calculated separately, not applied retroactively to the whole number.
Why companies use accelerators instead of a flat rate
A flat commission rate creates a natural ceiling on ambition — once a rep hits quota, the marginal incentive to keep pushing drops sharply if there's another quota reset just around the corner. Accelerators keep the incentive to close "just one more deal" alive all the way through the period, which is exactly the behavior that drives outsized quarters.
The flip side: decelerators
Some plans include the opposite — a reduced rate below a minimum attainment threshold (e.g., under 50% of quota), intended to discourage reps from "sandbagging" deals into a future period once they know they'll miss the current one. Decelerators are less common than accelerators and more controversial, since they can also punish reps for circumstances outside their control.
Modeling total compensation with accelerators
To estimate full-year earnings, don't just multiply expected attainment by the base rate — calculate commission band by band using the attainment percentage, since a rep consistently closing at 120% earns meaningfully more than 1.2× the base-rate commission once accelerators are factored in.
Frequently asked questions
Do accelerators apply per deal or per period? Almost always per period (monthly, quarterly, or annual) based on cumulative attainment — not per individual deal.
Are accelerators standard for SDRs as well as AEs? Less common for SDRs, since their comp is usually tied to pipeline generated rather than closed revenue, but growing in popularity as companies look to reward top-performing SDRs similarly to AEs.
Use the Commission Calculator to model your total compensation and OTE attainment at a given revenue level.