The dental associate offer checklist

Use the checklist before the calculator and before the signature

Associate compensation resources from professional bodies emphasize that candidates need to understand the contract terms that govern pay, deductions, and total earnings. Hiring guidance also lists compensation provisions, commission bases, expenses such as lab fees or overhead, benefits, insurance, and dispute resolution as contract areas to clarify. Provincial dental associations similarly highlight questions about compensation, clinical control, production targets, supplies, termination, and right of first refusal.

Use this checklist to prepare your questions before you sign, compare offers, or ask a lawyer, accountant, mentor, or advisor to review the agreement.

1. Compensation formula

The offer should be reducible to a formula. If it cannot be written as a formula, it is too vague to model.

• What is the percentage, salary, daily minimum, guarantee, or salary-plus-commission structure?
• Is compensation based on gross production, adjusted production, billings, collections, net collections, or another base?
• Are there different percentages for different procedure categories, patient types, hygiene exams, radiographs, emergencies, or specialist referrals?
• Are there caps, thresholds, advances, draws, bonuses, or clawbacks?
• How often is compensation calculated and paid?

2. Lab fees and deductions

Lab fees should be clearly defined because they can materially change the associate’s gross pay.

• Are lab fees deducted before or after the split?
• What percentage of lab fees is attributed to the associate?
• Which cases create lab deductions?
• How are remakes, failed cases, redos, lab credits, discounts, and patient refunds handled?
• Can the associate review the lab-fee report used for compensation?
• Are any other expenses deducted, such as supplies, implant parts, aligner fees, advertising, merchant fees, or overhead?

3. Production, collections, and reporting

A collections-based offer depends on the practice’s ability to collect and correctly attribute money. A production-based offer depends on how production is posted and adjusted. Ask for a sample report before relying on projected income.

• What is the practice’s recent collection percentage?
• How are insurance adjustments, write-offs, membership plans, third-party financing, refunds, and payment plans treated?
• How are payments attributed when multiple providers see the same patient?
• What reports will the associate receive each pay period?
• Is there a process to question an error in production, collection, or lab-fee attribution?

4. Schedule, patient flow, and targets

The best formula still needs a schedule that can support it. A high percentage may not help if there are not enough patients, assistants, rooms, or procedure opportunities.

• How many days and hours are expected each week?
• Are evenings, weekends, or emergency coverage required?
• Are there production targets or daily minimum expectations?
• How many new patients and hygiene checks are expected per month?
• Will the associate have dedicated chair time, assistant support, and treatment-plan follow-through?
• How is time off requested and approved?

5. Clinical autonomy and professional fit

An associate role is not only a pay arrangement. It is also a clinical environment. Clarify how decisions are made and whether the practice’s approach fits how you intend to practise.

• Who controls diagnosis, treatment planning, referrals, materials, and lab selection?
• Can the associate refer to specialists or other dentists when clinically appropriate?
• Are there required treatment philosophies, case-presentation scripts, or production pressures?
• What mentorship is available, and who provides it?
• How are complaints, remakes, clinical disagreements, and patient transfers handled?

6. Benefits, expenses, status, and restrictions

The dollar value of an offer includes more than the pay cheque. It also includes covered expenses, insurance, time off, education, status, and restrictions after departure.

• Who pays for licence fees, malpractice coverage, disability insurance, CE, CPR/BLS, uniforms, instruments, loupes, dues, and software?
• Is the role employee, contractor, or another legal structure in the relevant jurisdiction?
• Who is responsible for remitting taxes, sales taxes where applicable, payroll deductions, insurance premiums, or retirement contributions?
• Are there non-solicitation, non-competition, confidentiality, moonlighting, or ownership-purchase provisions?
• What notice is required for termination, and what happens to unpaid collections or lab deductions after departure?
• Is there any path to buy-in, right of first refusal, or future ownership conversation?

7. Red flags to clarify before signing

A red flag does not always mean the offer is bad. It means the term should be clarified before you depend on it.

• The offer uses a high percentage but does not define the pay base.
• Lab fees or adjustments are mentioned but not explained.
• Projected income is shown without patient-flow or collection assumptions.
• The practice cannot explain how associate reports are generated.
• The contract restricts future work but gives little security in return.
• The termination language is unclear, especially around unpaid collections or post-departure deductions.
• You are asked to sign quickly without enough time for review.

How to use the DentiPath tools

Use this checklist first, then use the DentiPath calculators to turn the offer into numbers. The Contract Comparison Calculator helps compare two offers. The Associate Income Calculator estimates monthly and annual income under a single formula. Together they isolate lab-fee deductions, convert income goals into production targets, and show how debt payments interact with expected income.

The goal is not to make a contract decision inside an app. The goal is to make the financial terms clear enough to ask better questions before signing.

Sources

• American Dental Association, Dentist compensation
• American Dental Association, Preparing for the Hire
• Nova Scotia Dental Association, Business of dentistry