What is the commission rate for life insurance?

Asked by: Ardella Gottlieb  |  Last update: June 10, 2025
Score: 4.4/5 (4 votes)

Commission structures vary by policy and company. But typically, life insurance agents receive as commission 60% to 80% of the premiums you pay in the first year. They collect smaller commissions in subsequent years. Added up, 5% to 10% of all the premiums you pay over the life of the policy could go to commissions.

What is the average commission for life insurance?

Typically, a life insurance agent receives anywhere from 30% to 90% of the amount paid for a policy (also known as the premium) by the client in the first year. In later years, the agent may receive anywhere from 3% to 10% of each year's premium, also known as "renewals" or "trailing commissions."

How much does a life insurance agent make per deal?

The most common way life insurance agents make money is through commissions. Generally, agents receive front-loaded commissions of 40% to up to 115% of the policy's first-year premiums, although the figure for renewals falls steeply to about 1% or 2%.

What is the commission ratio in insurance?

Commission expense ratio

This ratio measures the commission paid by the insurance company against the net premiums earned by it. The higher the ratio of the insurance company, the higher is the commission which the company is paying its middlemen.

How to calculate life insurance commission?

Take your base commission and multiply that by the premium that's paid on the insurance policy you sold. If you have an override, multiply that amount by the premium as well. Take the amounts of both of those calculations and add them together to get the final amount you will earn in commission.

For New Insurance Agents - How Commissions Work!

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What is a good commission split in insurance?

Commissions can vary widely, but it's common for independent carriers to pay 12% to 15% on new business and 10% to 12% on renewals. So, being independent and working with more insurance carriers will almost always mean you'll make more money.

How profitable is selling life insurance?

Whether you are selling them to employers or individuals, these policies tend to be large, with significant annual premiums. In the first year, a life insurance agent can earn anywhere from 30% to 90% of this premium, along with 5% to 10% of premiums paid in later years.

Which insurance company pays the highest commissions?

Some of the companies that offer high commission rates to their agents are HDFC Life, Max Life, ICICI Prudential, and Kotak Mahindra. These companies also have attractive incentive schemes and bonus programs for their top-performing agents.

Why do financial advisors push life insurance?

Many financial advisors view life insurance as an important part of the financial planning and wealth protection services they offer their clients. Life insurance offers financial protection to surviving beneficiaries in the event the insured policyholder dies.

How do I calculate my commission?

Lesson Summary. Commission is earnings from a sale. Typically, companies pay out a percentage based on total sales revenue. Commission can be calculated with this formula: commission = total sales revenue * commission rate.

Who is the highest paid insurance agent?

Gideon du Plessis failed in the 10th standard and never went to college. He is today the highest earning insurance agent in the world, with annual commissions amounting to Rs 7 crore (Rs 70 million) plus.

How do life insurance brokers get paid?

An insurance broker makes money off commissions from selling insurance to individuals or businesses. Most commissions are 2% to 8% of premiums, depending on state regulations. Brokers sell all insurance types, including health insurance, homeowners insurance, accident insurance, life insurance, and annuities.

Why are insurance commissions so high?

Insurance Company, Policy Type, and Coverage Level

For example, a life insurance agent might earn higher commissions on whole-life policies compared to term-life policies. Similarly, policies with higher coverage often yield higher commissions, as they typically have higher insurance premiums.

Why did I quit being an insurance agent?

There's two big reasons why insurance agents quit: they don't feel valued, and they aren't given the technology they need to do their jobs well. In addition, managing commissions while hitting performance goals is a stressful part of the job for many insurance agents.

How much do you get for selling a life insurance policy?

While the amount you will receive from selling your life insurance will vary depending on a few factors, including your specific policy and its amount, a general rule of thumb is that most people receive 40-70% of the policy's face value through their viatical settlement.

How much commission do you make on a life insurance policy?

But typically, life insurance agents receive as commission 60% to 80% of the premiums you pay in the first year. They collect smaller commissions in subsequent years.

What percent commission do insurance agents make?

For auto and home policies, captive insurance agents earn about 5% to 10% of the entire premiums paid for the first year, while independent agents receive about 15%. Commission rates for renewals range between 2% and 15%, averaging around 2% to 5%, regardless of the type of agent.

What company pays the best commission?

The highest paying affiliate programs in 2025
  1. Wishup ($1000 Per Sale) ...
  2. SEMrush ($200 Commissions) ...
  3. Trip Advisor. ...
  4. Coursera (Up to 45%) ...
  5. Amazon Associates Program (Up to 10%) ...
  6. Rakuten Advertising (Most Prominent Brands) ...
  7. eBay Partner Network (Up to 4%) ...
  8. CJ Affiliate (7.69% of the Market Share)

Why is life insurance so hard to sell?

Why Is Life Insurance So Hard To Sell? It's hard to sell because it deals with the topic of death. That's something many people find difficult to consider or discuss. Furthermore, it's hard to keep trying to sell because agents find that they can't make enough money to support themselves.

What is the most lucrative insurance to sell?

Life insurance is the most profitable—and the hardest—type of insurance to sell. With the highest premiums and the longest-running contract, it brings in cash over a long period of time. In the first year, agents make the largest annual sum on a policy, bringing in anywhere from 40–120% of the policy premium.

Why do life insurance agents make so much money?

Many life insurance agents receive sales commissions for the products or services they sell. Agents will receive a large upfront commission based on the cost of the first year's policy premium.

What is a good commission rate?

The industry average for sales commission typically falls between 20% and 30% of gross margins. At the low end, sales professionals may earn 5% of a sale, while straight commission structures allow a 100% commission.

What is a good commission ratio in insurance?

"An ideal ICR range should be between 75 and 90%, which indicates a healthy settlement of claims by the insurer against the premium collection," says Narula.

Is 20% a good commission?

Because there are so many variables, there's no true average sales commission rate. However, many agree that 20%-30% is a typical range for sales representatives. Most companies pay a base rate (either by the hour or as an annual salary) in addition to the salesperson's earned commission.