Sales and Related: S-Corp Reasonable Salary Benchmarks
22 occupations, with medians from $32,880 to $124,900. 9 of them clear $60,000, roughly the point at which an S-corp election starts repaying its own overhead.
Sales roles are commission-shaped in the market, so a base-only comparison understates them. Where the owner personally closes the business, the market comparable is base plus commission, not base.
| Occupation | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales Engineers | $92,890 | $124,900 | $161,230 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $75,030 | $104,920 | $158,160 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $63,940 | $87,520 | $122,050 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | $56,540 | $78,660 | $129,950 |
| Real Estate Brokers | $46,480 | $73,220 | $103,360 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $50,470 | $72,080 | $99,640 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $47,670 | $69,990 | $100,480 |
| Advertising Sales Agents | $47,020 | $64,820 | $99,990 |
| Insurance Sales Agents | $46,870 | $62,280 | $96,950 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents (below the S-corp threshold) | $40,040 | $52,830 | $82,020 |
| Travel Agents (below the S-corp threshold) | $41,950 | $50,160 | $63,060 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers (below the S-corp threshold) | $38,590 | $48,520 | $62,130 |
| Models (below the S-corp threshold) | $35,710 | $48,470 | $99,320 |
| Sales and Related Workers, All Other (below the S-corp threshold) | $36,860 | $48,280 | $70,650 |
| Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers (below the S-corp threshold) | $36,470 | $41,380 | $47,390 |
| Counter and Rental Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $35,630 | $41,300 | $50,190 |
| Demonstrators and Product Promoters (below the S-corp threshold) | $35,160 | $39,320 | $53,640 |
| Parts Salespersons (below the S-corp threshold) | $33,110 | $38,630 | $49,850 |
| Gambling Change Persons and Booth Cashiers (below the S-corp threshold) | $29,630 | $36,220 | $41,530 |
| Telemarketers (below the S-corp threshold) | $29,640 | $35,450 | $40,230 |
| Retail Salespersons (below the S-corp threshold) | $29,900 | $35,410 | $38,670 |
| Cashiers (below the S-corp threshold) | $28,720 | $32,880 | $36,330 |
What is a reasonable salary for a sales S-corp owner?
It depends on the specific occupation, which is why the table lists all 22 separately instead of giving one number for the group. 9 carry a median at or above $60,000, roughly where an S-corp election starts repaying its overhead. Medians here run $32,880 to $124,900.
National figures, and a percentile is evidence rather than an answer.Model your own state and profit, or see all occupation groups.