Commission Disbursement Authorization (CDA) — Oregon 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 Oregon Edition: Every form has been redrafted around Oregon's real estate license law in ORS chapter 696, including the Initial Agency Disclosure Pamphlet requirement (ORS 696.820), the statutory duties of seller's and buyer's agents (ORS 696.805 and 696.810), and Oregon's "disclosed limited agency" regime (ORS 696.815), which replaces dual agency and requires written consent from both the seller and the buyer. The seller disclosure, addendum, counteroffer and buyer agreement forms are built around the statutory Seller's Property Disclosure Statement (ORS 105.462–105.490) and the buyer's five-business-day revocation right under ORS 105.475, while the listing, buyer, referral and termination forms rely on Oregon's statute of frauds for broker compensation agreements (ORS 41.580) and Oregon's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (ORS chapter 84). The independent contractor and team agreements track Oregon's independent contractor standard (ORS 670.600) and the principal broker / associated broker supervision structure, and the commission disbursement form addresses the commercial real estate broker lien under ORS 87.925 et seq.