The Real Transaction Coordinator Salary Guide for 2026

You're doing the work of three people. Juggling 15 active files, fielding agent texts at 9pm, triple-checking that nothing falls through the cracks. You've become the person everyone depends on to keep deals from imploding. But when you look at your paycheck, you can't help but wonder: am I getting paid what I'm actually worth?

It's a fair question. And if you've tried Googling "transaction coordinator salary," you've probably seen numbers all over the map. One site says $35,000. Another says $85,000. A Reddit thread mentions someone charging "$400 per file." How do you make sense of any of it?

Here's the thing: the "average" salary for transaction coordinators is almost meaningless without context. Where you live, how you work, whether you're W-2 or freelance, and how many transactions you can realistically handle all change the equation dramatically. A TC in Seattle earning $53,000 and a TC in Miami earning $35,000 might both be "average" for their markets.

So whether you're negotiating a raise, setting freelance rates, thinking about going independent, or figuring out if TC work is the right career move for 2026, this guide gives you the real numbers to make smart decisions. We'll break down the data by state, by city, by employment type, and most importantly, we'll show you what actually moves the needle on TC earnings.

The National Picture: What TCs Are Actually Earning in 2026

Let's start with the baseline. According to Indeed's salary data from December 2025, the average transaction coordinator salary in the United States is $53,612 per year. ZipRecruiter puts it slightly lower at $51,997. Glassdoor comes in higher at $64,380.

Why the spread? Different methodologies, different sample sizes, different job titles getting lumped together. "Transaction coordinator" can mean anything from an entry-level admin handling paperwork to a seasoned professional managing 25 complex files per month. The title doesn't tell you much about the actual work.

But here's what matters: the realistic range for most TCs falls between $34,000 and $84,000 annually. That's a $50,000 gap, and your spot on that spectrum depends entirely on factors you can actually control. Location matters, but it's not destiny. Employment type matters more. And your ability to handle volume without dropping balls? That's the real differentiator.

For context, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median salary for all office and administrative support roles was $46,320 in May 2024. Real estate sales agents (the people you're coordinating for) earned a median of $56,320. So a skilled TC earning in the mid-$50s is right in line with agents, which tells you something about the value of what you do.

The work you do directly impacts whether deals close. You're catching missing signatures, tracking contingency deadlines, coordinating inspections, managing document flow between a dozen parties. When a TC drops a ball, deals fall apart. When a TC runs a tight ship, agents can focus on selling instead of paperwork. That's worth real money, and the market is starting to reflect that.

State-by-State: Where TCs Earn the Most (and Least)

Now here's where it gets interesting. Your state matters. A lot.

According to ZipRecruiter's December 2025 data, the highest-paying states for real estate transaction coordinators are Washington ($53,029), District of Columbia ($52,909), New York ($51,224), Massachusetts ($51,134), and Alaska ($50,423). If you're coordinating transactions in these markets, you're looking at higher baseline salaries across the board.

And the lowest-paying states? That list might surprise you: Florida ($34,989), West Virginia ($36,247), Arkansas ($38,716), Georgia ($39,535), and Louisiana ($40,038).

Wait, Florida? The state with one of the hottest real estate markets in the country pays TCs the least? The state where transactions are happening constantly, where agents are closing deals left and right?

Yep. And there's a reason. Florida has a massive supply of transaction coordinators, relatively low cost of living compared to coastal metros, and intense competition that drives rates down. More transactions happening doesn't automatically mean higher pay. It often means more people competing for the work. Supply and demand, plain and simple.

The flip side: states like Washington and Massachusetts have fewer TCs per transaction, higher costs of living, and markets that value experienced coordinators. When there are fewer people who can do the work well, the work pays better.

But here's what most salary guides won't tell you: geography is becoming less important every year. Remote work has fundamentally changed the TC profession. A coordinator based in Tennessee can serve California agents, charging California rates while enjoying Tennessee cost of living. We see this constantly with TCs using Ava to manage transactions across state lines. The software doesn't care where you're sitting; it reads California purchase agreements just as easily as Tennessee contracts.

City-Level Data: Some Surprises Here

State averages are helpful, but city-level data tells a more complete story. According to Indeed, the highest-paying metros for transaction coordinators are Chicago, IL ($66,309), Los Angeles, CA ($65,682), Denver, CO ($64,240), Phoenix, AZ ($62,830), and Portland, OR ($63,951).

Notice anything? Chicago leads the pack. Not New York, not San Francisco. And Phoenix pays more than Houston, even though Texas has way more transaction volume overall.

The lesson: don't assume that "big market" equals "big salary." Sometimes mid-size metros with strong real estate activity and fewer TCs offer the best combination of opportunity and pay. Phoenix has been growing rapidly, attracting new residents and driving real estate activity, but the TC talent pool hasn't kept pace. That creates opportunity.

Denver tells a similar story. Strong housing market, tech-driven economy bringing in new buyers, but not enough experienced TCs to handle the volume. If you're considering relocation (or remote work serving a specific market), these second-tier cities often offer better earning potential than the obvious choices.

Here's something else worth noting: different cities have different transaction complexity. Illinois transactions often involve attorneys, adding coordination steps. California has some of the longest purchase agreements in the country, with more contingencies to track. Texas uses standardized TREC forms that are more straightforward. This complexity affects how many transactions you can realistically handle, which impacts your earning potential in ways that raw salary data doesn't capture.

W-2 vs. Freelance: Two Completely Different Games

Here's where the salary conversation gets really interesting. Because when we talk about "TC salary," we're actually talking about two completely different career paths with completely different economics.

The W-2 Path: You work for a brokerage, team, or title company. You get a steady paycheck, maybe some benefits, probably a predictable schedule. The ceiling is also predictable. You're earning what the job pays, and raises come slowly. Most employed TCs fall in the $40,000 to $60,000 range, with senior roles at major brokerages occasionally hitting $80,000 to $100,000 or more.

The Per-Transaction Path: You're running your own show. You charge per file, typically somewhere between $275 and $450 for standard contract-to-close work. No benefits, no steady paycheck, but also no ceiling on what you can earn.

Let's do the math. At $350 per transaction: 10 transactions per month equals $42,000 per year. 15 transactions per month equals $63,000 per year. 20 transactions per month equals $90,000 per year. And 25 transactions per month at $400 per file equals $120,000 per year.

See how fast it scales? The TCs earning six figures aren't necessarily working twice as hard. They've figured out how to handle higher volume without things falling apart. They've built systems that let them manage more files in less time.

This is exactly where Ava changes the equation. Traditional TC intake (reading a contract, extracting dates, building a timeline, setting up tasks) takes 20 to 30 minutes per file if you're fast. Ava does it in about 60 seconds. She reads the purchase agreement, pulls out every relevant date and deadline, calculates contingency periods, and builds your task list automatically.

Think about what that means for your capacity. If intake takes 25 minutes and you're doing 15 files per month, that's over 6 hours just on intake. Cut that to 15 minutes total (60 seconds per file), and you've freed up 5+ hours. That's enough time to add 3 to 5 more files to your monthly load. At $350 per file, that's an extra $1,000 to $1,750 per month, or $12,000 to $21,000 per year, just from faster intake.

The real question isn't "what's the average salary?" It's "how many transactions can I realistically handle while maintaining quality?" Because that number determines everything.

What Actually Moves the Needle on TC Pay

So how do you get from the $40K range to the $80K+ range? A few things make the difference, and they're all within your control.

Volume capacity is everything. The math is simple: more files, more money. But handling more files without dropping balls requires systems, tools, and ruthless efficiency. The TCs stuck at 8 to 10 transactions per month usually have a process bottleneck somewhere, often in the intake phase where reading contracts and building timelines eats up hours. If you're looking to increase your capacity, start by auditing where your time actually goes. Most TCs are shocked when they track it.

We built Ava specifically to eliminate the intake bottleneck. She reads any state's purchase agreement in real time. No pre-setup required, no templates to configure. Hand her a California PRDS or a Texas TREC contract or a handwritten counteroffer with terrible handwriting, and she figures it out. She extracts dates, parties, property info, financial terms, and contingency periods. She calculates complex timelines like "7 business days before closing" or "within 10 days of acceptance." She follows logic across multiple counteroffers to find the final agreed terms.

But intake is just the start. Ava remembers your process and applies it to every new deal. She learns from your edits to improve future transactions. She builds document checklists by state, brokerage, and transaction type. She can draft emails from vague prompts ("send the buyer a congrats message, include the timeline, make it friendly") and send them directly from your Gmail without any AI branding.

Specialization pays. TCs who focus on luxury transactions, commercial real estate, or new construction often command premium rates. A $400 to $500 per-file rate is common for specialized work, and some licensed TCs doing contract negotiation charge $600 or more. If you can become the go-to TC for a specific niche in your market, you can charge accordingly.

Geography still matters, but less than it used to. Remote work has changed the game permanently. You can live in a low-cost state and serve clients in high-cost markets. A TC based in Tennessee charging California agents $400 per file is living very well. The key is having systems that work regardless of which state's contracts you're handling.

Reputation compounds. The TCs charging top rates aren't constantly hunting for clients. They have agents coming to them through referrals. Building that reputation takes time, but it's the difference between competing on price and competing on value. When agents know you won't drop balls, they'll pay more to work with you.

The 2026 Outlook

What's ahead for TC salaries in 2026? Several trends are working in your favor.

The real estate market is stabilizing after two years of rate volatility. Transaction volume is expected to tick up as buyers adjust to the "new normal" of mortgage rates in the 6% to 7% range. The National Association of Realtors projects gradual recovery in home sales throughout 2026. More transactions means more demand for TC services.

More agents are outsourcing transaction coordination than ever before. The solo agent trying to do everything themselves is becoming the exception, not the rule. NAR data shows that team-based real estate is growing, and teams need TCs. Even solo agents are realizing that their time is better spent prospecting and showing homes than chasing signatures.

AI tools are reshaping the profession, not replacing it. This is the most important trend to understand. AI isn't coming for TC jobs. It's coming to make TCs more productive. The coordinators who embrace AI for contract reading, deadline tracking, and communication are handling more volume with less stress. The ones ignoring it are working harder for the same money. We wrote more about this shift in our breakdown of AI vs. automation for transaction coordinators.

The bottom line for 2026: demand is strong, the tools are better than ever, and the TCs who invest in efficiency will see the biggest gains.

Building Systems That Scale Your Earnings

Let's talk specifically about what separates a $50K TC from a $100K TC, because it's not working twice as many hours.

The highest-earning TCs all have one thing in common: they've systematized the repetitive parts of their work. Contract intake, deadline tracking, status updates, document requests. These tasks happen on every single file. If you're doing them manually each time, you're capping your capacity.

Consider the numbers: a typical transaction involves 50+ individual tasks from contract to close. Multiply that by 15 files per month, and you're looking at 750+ task touches. Every minute you can shave off each task compounds across your entire workload.

Ava was built around this insight. She doesn't just read contracts. She remembers your process and applies it consistently. She learns which documents you need for different transaction types. She knows that your buyer's agent wants weekly updates on Mondays and your listing agent prefers Friday summaries. She drafts those updates automatically, in your voice, ready for you to review and send.

The TCs we work with typically see their capacity increase by 30% to 50% within the first few months. That's not because they're working harder. It's because they've eliminated the friction that was eating their time. At $350 per transaction, a 40% increase in capacity translates to roughly $25,000 more per year. That's the difference between $60K and $85K, or between $80K and six figures.

The key is choosing tools that actually fit how TCs work, not tools built for brokerages that happen to have TC features bolted on. We've written more about evaluating TC software options if you're comparing solutions.

The Bottom Line

The average transaction coordinator makes around $52,000 per year. But honestly? That number is almost meaningless for your situation.

Your actual earning potential depends on where you live, whether you're W-2 or freelance, how specialized your work is, and (most importantly) how many transactions you can handle without dropping balls. The TCs making $80K, $90K, even $100K or more aren't working twice as many hours. They've built systems that let them do more with less friction.

If you're looking at these numbers and thinking you're underpaid, you probably are. And if you're considering going freelance or scaling up your volume, the math is on your side, as long as you have the right systems in place.

Ready to see what's possible? Ava's first intake is completely free. Upload a contract and watch her read it in real time. See your timeline built automatically. Experience what it feels like to have AI handling the tedious work so you can focus on what matters: keeping deals on track and growing your business.