Commission Disbursement Authorization (CDA) — Hawaii Edition Template

The Commission Disbursement Authorization is the short document that makes agents' money move. Signed by the broker (or an authorized manager), the CDA instructs the closing agent — title company, escrow officer, or closing attorney — how to disburse the brokerage's commission at closing: how much to the brokerage, and how much directly to the agent per their split. Because license law in every state requires commissions to be paid to the broker (not directly to a salesperson except as the broker directs), the CDA functions as the broker's written payment direction that lets closing agents cut agent checks at the table without violating that rule.

This 2-page template includes: transaction identification (property, closing date, file number, buyer/seller); the brokerage's total commission due with the calculation basis (percentage of sales price or flat fee); itemized disbursement instructions (brokerage company dollar, agent split, team member splits, outstanding fee deductions, referral fees payable to outside brokers); wiring/delivery instructions with payee details; the broker's authorization signature with license number; and a hold-harmless provision for the closing agent relying on the instruction. A second page provides a multi-agent/team split table for deals with multiple participating licensees.

Operationally, CDAs reduce E&O exposure by eliminating verbal disbursement instructions and creating an audit trail that matches the brokerage's commission ledger — important in states that audit trust-account and commission records. The included notes flag states where direct-to-agent disbursement at closing is restricted or where commission checks must pass through the brokerage first, in which case the CDA still documents the internal split instruction. Simple document, big operational value.

About this Hawaii Edition: Every form names the brokerage firm, acting through its principal broker, as the contracting party and routes compensation through the firm, consistent with Hawaii's real estate license law (HRS Chapter 467) and the Hawaii Real Estate Commission's rules. Dual agency is permitted only with the informed written consent of both seller and buyer, so the agency consent document is drafted as a true disclosure-and-consent with an express opt-out and dated signature lines. The seller disclosure is built around HRS Chapter 508D (the mandatory seller disclosure statement, with its timing, update, and rescission mechanics) and adds island-specific items such as leasehold versus fee simple, lava zones, flood and tsunami zones, and cesspools. Electronic signatures are addressed under Hawaii's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act; because Hawaii has no dedicated broker lien statute, the compensation forms rely on contract remedies and escrow instructions. No association forms are reproduced.