What you earn for each piece of business you write is important. Understanding the Commission Schedules for each of the carriers you represent, and each of the products in their respective portfolios, is essential.
Overview of Commissions
Word & Brown offers overview documents on Small Group and Large Group broker commissions for California and separate summaries for Nevada.
These Word & Brown commission documents include:
- Carriers
- Plans, including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life and AD&D, and others (if applicable)
- Group size
- Commission offered, including commission tiers if applicable
With some carriers, the commission paid varies by product, production tier, or the number of lives in a group. For example, in the Ancillary market, some carriers offer one level of commission for 2-9 lives and a different level at 10+ lives.
In addition, different commission rates may apply to commission tiers. For example, 15% may be available on the first $5,000 in commission, then 10% on the next $10,000, 8% on the next $10,000, and 5% on the next $20,000; above that level, a different percentage (e.g., 2.5%) may apply.
You can download copies of the Word & Brown broker commission summaries using these links:
- California Large Group Products & Broker Commissions
- California Small Group Products & Broker Commissions
- Nevada Large Group Products & Broker Commissions
- Nevada Small Group Products & Broker Commissions
In addition, all carriers make available their own broker commission schedules. Some are product specific, while others are more general. As an example, Kaiser Permanente developed a “Broker Commissions and Rewards” summary of 2022 compensation for California brokers.
The Kaiser Permanente piece outlines commissions for Large Groups (Medical and Dental), Small Groups (Medical and Dental), and Kaiser Permanente’s Total Replacement reward program, Individual and Family Plan reward, and Group Production reward.
Aetna’s commission overview for California includes information on the “per employee” credit reward on Small Group fully insured plans with 1-100 eligible employees. It also includes information on eligible participants (i.e., brokers) and relate disclosures and payments.
Where to Find Commission Schedules
Word & Brown’s commission summaries (direct links above) – and others in different formats from a roster of carriers – can be found in the Insurance Forms Library on the Word & Brown website. Just search “commission” in the Form Search field and select your preferred insurer. Click on the link to download or view the form.
Changes: We update our commission overviews – and post revised documents from our carrier partners – whenever new information is made available to us. If in doubt, always look up the latest editions online.
Also available online in our library is the newly required Agent Compensation Disclosure required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), which took effect in December 2021. For details on CAA, refer to Paul Roberts’s column in the Word & Brown Newsroom.
We’re Here to Help!
If you have any commission-related questions, you can always contact your Word & Brown representative. All of us at Word & Brown are committed to providing you with the tools, resources, and information you need to better do your job – and earn more while doing it. Don’t hesitate to reach out.
If you’re not already doing business with us, contact any of our regional offices to get started.
