Solar Dealer Margin Calculator

A dealer fee is a charge that a solar lender assesses to the sales organization (dealer) on loan products. It is typically expressed as a percentage of the system price — commonly 5–20% depending on the loan product and term — and is deducted from the amount the lender pays out on the deal. The dealer fee effectively reduces your gross margin per deal. TPO products (leases and PPAs) generally do not have dealer fees in the same form; instead, TPO providers may pay a smaller upfront amount to the dealer.

Dealer margins vary widely by market, product type, and fulfillment model. A well-structured deal with an experienced fulfillment partner typically yields $3,000–$8,000 in gross margin per residential system, before sales rep compensation and overhead. Higher-priced markets (CA, NJ, MA) allow larger system prices, but competitive sales pressure and higher dealer fees often compress net margin. This calculator lets you model your specific numbers rather than rely on industry averages.

Seamless Home handles installer connections, material procurement (Direct Pay), design, permitting, and project management — so a sales org's fulfillment costs are predictable and bundled into one platform fee rather than spread across multiple vendors. This predictability makes it easier to model margin per deal accurately. The calculator's 'install cost' field should reflect what you pay for fulfillment (installation + back-office) through your current or planned model.

Dealer fees are typically assessed on the full system price (the amount the homeowner finances), not on the net amount after install cost. So a 10% dealer fee on a $40,000 system is $4,000 — regardless of what you pay the installer. This calculator applies the dealer fee to the system price and subtracts both the fee and the install cost from the system price to arrive at gross margin per deal.