Who negotiates and receives the fee?
The responsible broker oversees referral compensation and the necessary written agreement between participating brokerages. When a referral qualifies and closes under that agreement, payment goes to the referring brokerage; the brokerage then pays its affiliated licensee under the licensee’s written compensation arrangement.
A salesperson generally cannot bypass the responsible broker and receive licensed referral compensation directly from an outside broker.
What determines the referral amount?
The receiving brokerage and referring brokerage agree on terms. The actual fee can depend on the transaction, the referral agreement, the services performed and whether the client ultimately closes.
A percentage such as 25% may sometimes appear in hypothetical examples, but it is not a universal, legally mandated or NEXA-guaranteed referral rate.
Example using NEXA’s standard published fee
Suppose the referring brokerage receives a $5,000 gross referral payment. If the standard NEXA completed-referral fee of $615 applies, the illustrative amount left for the referring associate is $4,385 before taxes and subject to the executed program documents.
For gross referral fees of $2,000 or less, the published NEXA fee is 10% instead of $615. For fees exceeding $10,000, the published fee is $615 plus 0.70% of the portion above $10,000. The separate $99 annual affiliation fee is not included in these per-referral figures.
Use the actual referral fee calculator on the NEXA homepage to explore estimates; it is illustrative only.
When is payment made?
Payment is subject to the written referral agreement, a qualifying closing, receipt of funds by the referring brokerage and any applicable compensation terms. The introduction alone does not establish a guaranteed payment.
Ask for the applicable signed agreements before making referrals.
Can a licensee make referrals while inactive?
A licensee must meet applicable DRE license and responsible-broker affiliation requirements to engage in licensed referral activity. Someone whose license is inactive or expired should resolve eligibility first.