Work From Home Sales Jobs: Types, Pay, and How Commission Works
Work from home sales jobs are mostly inside sales roles: you sell by phone, video call, email, and chat instead of driving to meet customers. The common versions are business-to-business sales reps, sales development reps who book meetings, phone-based insurance agents, and inbound sales for subscriptions and services. Pay usually mixes a base salary with commission or bonuses, so two jobs with the same title can pay very differently. This guide covers the job types, what federal pay data says, how to read a commission plan, and how to tell a real sales job from a recruiting scheme. There are no job listings here, because those go stale within weeks.
What remote sales jobs actually involve
Sales has always split into outside reps, who travel to customers, and inside reps, who sell from a desk. Remote sales jobs are inside sales done from home. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes sales reps who spend much of their time on the phone and use chat, email, and video conferencing to reach clients. That is the day-to-day of most remote sales work.
A typical day: a list of leads in a CRM (the software that tracks every contact), a target number of calls or emails, a few video demos, and notes after each conversation. You're measured on activity and on deals closed. If you dislike being judged by a number every week, sales will wear on you.
Types of work from home sales jobs
Sales development rep (SDR or BDR)
This is the usual entry point at software and service companies. You don't close deals. You contact potential customers, ask a few qualifying questions, and book meetings for an account executive. Expect a lot of "no." SDRs who hit their numbers often move up to closing roles.
Account executive
Account executives run demos, handle objections, negotiate, and close. Much of this moved to video calls, so it is one of the better-paid remote sales jobs, but companies usually want proof you have closed before.
Inbound sales
People call or chat in because they already want something: an internet plan, a gym membership, a software upgrade. You answer questions and sign them up. This overlaps with call center work, and our guide to work from home call center jobs covers inbound and outbound phone roles in more detail.
Insurance sales by phone
Many insurers and agencies sell policies by phone, especially health, Medicare, life, and auto coverage. You need a state license before you can sell. BLS says insurance sales agents must be licensed in the states where they work, and that life and health licenses are separate from property and casualty. Some employers pay for the course and exam. Ask before you start.
Financial services sales
Selling investments by phone needs securities licenses. BLS says most require employer sponsorship, so you aren't expected to have them before you're hired.
What work from home sales jobs pay
BLS doesn't publish separate pay for remote workers, so the closest official numbers are for the sales occupations these jobs fall into. All figures are national medians for May 2025.
| Occupation (BLS) | Median pay, May 2025 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale and manufacturing sales reps, non-technical products | $72,080 a year | High school diploma |
| Wholesale and manufacturing sales reps, technical and scientific products | $104,920 a year | Bachelor's degree, often in a related field |
| Insurance sales agents | $62,280 a year | High school diploma, plus a state license |
| Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents | $78,660 a year | Bachelor's degree, plus licenses |
The range inside each job is wide. For non-technical sales reps, BLS puts the lowest 10% under $39,090 and the highest 10% above $137,550. For insurance agents, the lowest 10% earned under $37,330 and the highest 10% over $138,140. That spread is mostly commission: a few strong sellers earn far more than the median, and new reps often start near the bottom.
On job outlook, BLS projects little or no change in wholesale and manufacturing sales jobs from 2025 to 2035, but still about 123,400 openings a year, mostly from people leaving the work. Insurance sales agents are projected to grow 3% over the same period, with about 43,100 openings a year.
How commission and base pay work
BLS says most employers of sales reps combine a salary with commission (usually a percentage of sales) or bonuses. For insurance agents, it notes that independent agents may be paid by commission only, while employed agents may get salary only, salary plus commission, or salary plus bonus.
When you look at an offer, ask for these in writing:
- Base pay. The amount you get whatever you sell. Judge the job on this number first.
- On-target earnings (OTE). Base plus the commission you'd earn if you hit 100% of quota. Ask what share of the current team actually hits quota.
- Quota and ramp. How much you need to sell, and how many months you get before the full quota applies.
- Clawbacks. Whether commission is taken back if a customer cancels within a set period.
- Employee or contractor. This changes almost everything, including who pays your taxes.
One legal point catches people out. Under federal law, "outside" sales employees can be paid without minimum wage or overtime. The Department of Labor's outside sales fact sheet says that exemption doesn't cover sales made by mail, telephone, or the internet (unless they only support in-person calls), and that a home used as a salesperson's headquarters counts as the employer's place of business. So a remote sales employee selling by phone usually doesn't fall under the outside sales exemption. Independent contractors are not covered by minimum wage at all, which is why "commission-only, 1099" offers need a hard look.
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Can you get a remote sales job with no experience?
Yes, at the entry level. SDR, inbound sales, and phone insurance roles hire people from retail, restaurants, and customer service, because those jobs already involve talking people into a decision. BLS lists a high school diploma as typical for non-technical sales reps and insurance agents. In interviews, bring a number from your old job, like how often you upsold or where you ranked in your store. If you're comparing sales with other first remote jobs, see our guide to work from home jobs with no experience.
Where to search
Search by title, not just "sales." Useful terms are "inside sales representative," "sales development representative," "business development representative," "inbound sales," "licensed insurance agent remote," and "account executive remote." Then read the duties. "Outbound dialer" means cold calls. "Warm leads" or "inbound" usually means people already asked to hear from you.
Apply on the company's own careers page when you can. If you want fewer hours while you test whether you like sales, our guide to part time work from home jobs lists other flexible roles.
How to spot fake sales job offers
Sales is a common cover for schemes, because "unlimited earning potential" sounds normal in a sales ad. The FTC's job scam guide says not to pay for the promise of a job, and that work-from-home scams often charge for starter kits, training, or certifications that are useless. It also says an "employer" who sends you a check and asks you to send part of the money on is running a fake check scam.
Some "sales jobs" are multi-level marketing. The FTC's page on MLMs and pyramid schemes warns about promoters who say recruiting new distributors is the real way to make money, who require you to buy product at regular intervals, and who make extravagant earnings promises. It also says most people who join legitimate MLMs make little or no money, and some lose money.
Other red flags:
- You buy your own leads or inventory before your first sale.
- No base pay, no written plan, and pressure to start this week.
- The interview is a group webinar that ends with a sign-up fee.
Outbound phone sales also have rules. The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule bars sales calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. and calls to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry. A legitimate employer trains you on these. One that tells you to ignore them is putting you at risk too. Our guide to legit work from home jobs has a longer checklist.
Taxes on commission and contract sales work
If you're paid as a contractor, the income is taxable and nothing is withheld for you. The IRS says you owe self-employment tax once net earnings from self-employment reach $400, at a rate of 15.3%. Ask a tax professional about your own case.
Another kind of side income
Sales income stops when you stop dialing. If you want something you build on your own schedule, some people start a faceless YouTube channel next to a job. VidPuff drafts the script, narration, and visuals for a long-form video from a title, and you review each stage before it renders. Expect months before a channel earns anything.
FAQ
Are work from home sales jobs legit?
Many are. Inside sales is a normal way companies sell software, insurance, and services. The fakes ask you to pay for training, leads, or inventory, or focus on recruiting other people instead of selling a product.
How much do remote sales jobs pay?
BLS doesn't track remote sales separately. In May 2025, the median was $72,080 a year for non-technical sales reps, $104,920 for technical and scientific sales reps, and $62,280 for insurance sales agents. Commission makes the range wide.
Do work from home sales jobs pay commission only?
Some do, usually contractor roles and some independent insurance agent setups. Most employed sales reps get a base salary plus commission or bonuses, according to BLS. Judge an offer on its base pay.
Do I need a license for remote sales jobs?
Only for some products. Insurance agents need a state license, and selling securities needs FINRA licenses, which usually require employer sponsorship. For other products, ask the employer what, if anything, you need before you start.
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