Commission Disbursement Authorization (CDA) — Nebraska 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 Nebraska Edition: These forms are adapted to Nebraska's limited-agency framework under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-2401 et seq., using the state's own vocabulary (limited seller's agent, limited buyer's agent, limited dual agent, designated broker, affiliated licensee) and permitting dual representation only as a limited dual agent with informed written consent under § 76-2422, including the statutory confidentiality limits. The seller disclosure and transaction forms are keyed to the Nebraska Seller Property Condition Disclosure Statement requirement of § 76-2,120 (the Commission's prescribed form still controls), the statute of frauds (§ 36-105 for land contracts; § 36-202 for commission/brokerage agreements), and the Nebraska UETA (§ 86-621 et seq.) for electronic execution. Broker-side forms reflect the Nebraska Real Estate License Act (§ 81-885.01 et seq.) — broker supervision, commissions flowing only through the designated broker, broker-to-broker-only referral fees — and note that lien rights for unpaid commissions exist only for commercial property under the Nebraska Commercial Real Estate Broker Lien Act (§ 76-2601 et seq.).