The quota attainment formula
Quota attainment = revenue closed in the period ÷ quota for the same period × 100. Closed revenue and quota must use the same measure (bookings, ACV, ARR or gross margin) and the same dates, otherwise the percentage means nothing.
Worked example
A rep has a $450,000 quarterly quota and closes $412,000 of new business by the end of the quarter. Attainment is $412,000 ÷ $450,000 × 100 = 91.6%, and the gap to quota is $38,000. Enter 450,000 and 412,000 in the calculator to get the same numbers.
Had the same rep closed $495,000, attainment would be 110% and the gap $0. Most commission plans pay the extra 10% at a higher rate through accelerators, which is why attainment drives both forecasting and payroll.
How to read attainment levels
| Attainment | What it usually signals |
|---|---|
| Below 70% | Plan at risk: check pipeline coverage, and whether the quota or territory is realistic. |
| 70–90% | Close but short: often a slow start to the period or a few deals that slipped. |
| 90–110% | On plan: the range most compensation plans are designed around. |
| 110–150% | Strong period: accelerators usually apply; check whether the quota was set too low. |
| Above 150% | Exceptional: look for one very large deal before raising next period's quota. |
Common ways sales leaders read attainment, not measured benchmarks. Compare reps with their own history and territory.
Common mistakes
- Counting deals signed after the period closed, or commit-stage pipeline that is not signed yet.
- Giving a new rep the full quota during ramp-up. Prorate it for the ramp months, or attainment says more about the start date than the rep.
- Mixing measures, such as a quota in ARR and closed deals counted at total contract value.
- Changing a quota mid-period without keeping the original, which makes the trend impossible to read.
Quota attainment formula in Excel or Google Sheets
Put the inputs in column B from row 2, then paste the formulas below. They work the same in Excel and Google Sheets.
| Cell | What | Value or formula | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2 | Quota ($) | 150000 | 150000 |
| B3 | Revenue closed ($) | 132000 | 132000 |
| B5 | Quota attainment (%) | =ROUND(B3/B2*100,1) | 88 |
| B6 | Gap to quota ($) | =MAX(0,B2-B3) | 18000 |
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Frequently asked questions
- What does quota attainment mean?
- Quota attainment, also called quota achievement, is the share of a sales target that a rep or team actually closed in the period, shown as a percentage. 100% means the target was hit exactly, 110% means 10% more than the target was closed, and 75% means a quarter of it is still missing.
- How do you calculate quota attainment?
- Divide what the rep or team closed by their quota for the same period. $132,000 closed against a $150,000 quota is 88% attainment, with $18,000 still to close.
- How do you calculate team quota attainment?
- Add up everything the team closed and divide it by the sum of all quotas, instead of averaging each rep's percentage. A rep at 120% of a $200,000 quota and a rep at 60% of a $100,000 quota average 90%, but the team closed $300,000 against $300,000 of quota: 100% attainment.
- What is average quota attainment?
- It usually means the mean of every quota-carrying rep's attainment for the period. Report it next to the share of reps at or above 100%, because one or two reps far above quota can lift the average while most of the team misses.
- What is a good quota attainment rate?
- A healthy plan has most reps between 80% and 120%, and around 60–70% of reps at or above quota. If almost nobody reaches it, the quota is probably set too high.
- Should I measure attainment per rep or per team?
- Both. Team attainment shows whether the plan works; the spread between reps shows whether a few top performers carry the number.
- How do you calculate revenue per rep?
- Divide the revenue the team closed in the year by the average number of quota-carrying reps. $3M closed by 6 reps is $500,000 per rep. Compare it with quota per rep: if most reps sit well below quota, look at the target or the territory before the people.
About the author
Abdessamad Ghanem
Customer Experience & Customer Success Consultant · Founder of Clarivoxx
Abdessamad Ghanem works across Customer Support, Sales, Customer Success, Account Management and Partner Management. He writes Clarivoxx Insights for B2B SaaS professionals who own retention, adoption and customer outcomes.