Deleting Commission Rules
A commission rule defines how sales commissions are calculated for the employees assigned to it. This article explains how to delete a commission rule, when the system prevents deletion, and the alternative if the rule has already been used to calculate commissions.
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Note: You need the Manage Commission Rules permission. You can review each role’s permissions from Roles.
Contents
How to get there
- Direct link: Commission Rules.
- From the menu: click Sales Target & Commissions, then Commission Rules.
Steps
- Open Commission Rules.
- Click the commission rule you want to delete to open it, or open the actions menu next to it in the list.
- Click Delete.
- The confirmation message Are you sure you want to delete this Commission Rule ? appears. Click Yes.
Rules and restrictions
- You can’t delete a commission rule that has been used to calculate any sales commission.
- Ignored commissions stay linked to the rule, so they also prevent deletion.
- There’s no direct delete for a sales commission; a commission is removed only by deleting or editing the invoice linked to it.
- If the commission is in a commission sheet whose status is Approved, Paid or Rejected, you can’t edit the linked invoice until you revert the sheet to Open.
- Deletion is permanent, and the rule can’t be restored after it’s deleted.
Error messages and solutions
| Cause | Message | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| One or more sales commissions were calculated through the rule. | You cannot delete the commission rule as there’s sales commission calculation takes place (followed by the number of one of the linked commissions, as a link) | Click the commission number to open it and see its linked invoice. Stop the rule by changing its status to Inactive, or remove the linked commissions as described in Alternatives, then delete the rule. |
| The user doesn’t have the permission to manage commission rules. | You are not allowed to access this page | Ask the account owner to add the Manage Commission Rules permission to your role from Roles. |
Effect on the system
- The rule is deleted along with its items, tiers and the employee assignments linked to it.
- Employees who were assigned to the rule become available for assignment to another commission rule.
- Deleting doesn’t create any journal entries.
Alternatives
1. Stop the rule instead of deleting it (the recommended option)
Use this option if the rule has already calculated commissions and you only want to stop using it:
- Open Commission Rules, and click Edit for the rule.
- Change the Status to Inactive.
- Click Save.
The rule stops calculating new commissions, and the previous commissions stay as they are.
2. Remove the linked commissions, then delete the rule
A sales commission is removed through the invoice linked to it:
- If the invoice is incorrect: delete the invoice, and its commission is deleted with it.
- If the invoice is correct but the commission isn’t due: edit the invoice, remove the Sales Person or change them to an employee not linked to the rule, then save it. The system recalculates the commission and deletes the old one.
- If the commission is in an Approved, Paid or Rejected commission sheet: revert the sheet to Open first, then edit or delete the invoice.
After you remove all the commissions linked to the rule, delete it with the steps above.
FAQ
A message says the rule is linked to sales commissions, and there’s a commission calculated for an employee. What do I do?
You can’t delete the rule while there’s a commission calculated through it. The best solution is to change the rule’s status to Inactive from Edit, so it stops calculating new commissions and the previous commissions stay as they are. If you want to delete it permanently, remove the commission through its invoice: delete the invoice, or edit it and remove the sales person or change them to an employee not linked to the rule, then delete the rule.
I ignored the commission, so why is deletion still blocked?
Ignoring a sales commission excludes it from calculations and reports, but it doesn’t delete it, so it stays linked to the rule and prevents deleting it.
Can I delete a sales commission directly?
No. A commission is removed by deleting the invoice linked to it, or by editing the invoice to change or remove the sales person and then saving it.
Does deleting the rule affect previous commissions?
A rule that has commissions can’t be deleted in the first place, so deleting doesn’t affect any calculated commissions. If you want to stop the rule while keeping its commissions, change its status to Inactive.