[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":44},["ShallowReactive",2],{"glossary-ote":3},{"slug":4,"path":5,"title":6,"description":7,"term":8,"wordCount":9,"hasExample":10,"inboundLinks":11,"isPublished":10,"html":12,"data":13,"related":27,"lessons":37},"ote","/glossary/ote","What Is OTE (On-Target Earnings) in Sales? Definition","OTE, or on-target earnings, is the income a sales rep should make at 100% quota — base salary plus the commission earned at full attainment. It is the headline comp number a recruiter quotes, not a guarantee.","OTE",255,true,26,"\u003Cp>OTE, or on-target earnings, is the income a sales rep is set up to earn if they hit 100% of their \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/quota/\">quota\u003C/a>. It is the base salary plus the \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/commission/\">commission\u003C/a> earned at full attainment — so a $60,000 base with $30,000 in commission at 100% quota is a $90,000 OTE. It is the headline number a recruiter quotes and the one you compare across offers. It is not a guarantee: you only see the commission part if you actually hit quota.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"in-plain-english\">In plain English\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>OTE is the "if everything goes to plan" paycheck. It is base plus the commission you would make at full quota. It is what the job is designed to pay, not what everyone earns — a strong rep beats it and a struggling one lands far below it. Always ask what the split is and what attainment is realistic.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"why-it-matters-to-you\">Why it matters to you\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>OTE is how you compare two offers, but only if you read the split. A high-OTE job with a tiny base is riskier than a lower-OTE job with a solid base — and as an \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/sdr/\">SDR\u003C/a>, your first-year comp is weighted toward base while you learn. For an \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/account-executive/\">account executive\u003C/a>, OTE leans toward commission. Understand which side you are on before you sign, and you will not be surprised at your first paycheck. If the plan includes a \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/draw/\">draw\u003C/a>, read whether it is recoupable before you rely on it.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>For evaluating an AE offer on quota realism and fit, see \u003Ca href=\"/academy/account-executive/negotiate-your-first-ae-comp-plan/\">Evaluate an AE Job Offer\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n",{"title":6,"description":7,"primaryQuery":14,"term":8,"publishedAt":15,"author":16,"reviewedAt":17,"example":18,"relatedTerms":19,"lessons":23},"what is ote in sales","2026-09-10","closers","2026-09-24","\"My OTE is $90k — a $60k base plus $30k commission if I hit 100% of quota.\"",[20,21,22],"quota","account-executive","sdr",[24,25,26],"/academy/sdr/what-does-an-sdr-do","/academy/sdr/how-much-do-sdrs-make","/academy/sdr/what-is-ote",[28,31,34],{"slug":20,"path":29,"title":30},"/glossary/quota","What Is a Quota in Sales? Definition and How It Works",{"slug":21,"path":32,"title":33},"/glossary/account-executive","What Is an Account Executive (AE)? Sales Role, Explained",{"slug":22,"path":35,"title":36},"/glossary/sdr","What Is an SDR? Sales Development Representative, Explained",[38,40,42],{"path":24,"title":39},"What Does an SDR Do? The Real Job, Without the Hype",{"path":25,"title":41},"How Much Do SDRs Make? (~$50k Base / ~$90k OTE in the US, 2026)",{"path":26,"title":43},"What Is OTE? On-Target Earnings Explained (and How to Read a Split)",1792888523875]