North Life Group
How we are paid
Two sources, both paid by insurance companies. No client pays us a fee, and no agent pays us to apply.
The short version
All of the agency's income comes from insurance companies. When one of our agents places a policy, the insurer pays a commission. When an agent we contract places a policy, the insurer pays that agent at the agent's contract level and pays the agency an override on top. Clients do not pay us a fee for a policy, and applying to contract with us costs nothing.
Where commission money starts
Commissions are part of what an insurer budgets for selling a policy. NerdWallet reports that life insurers paid $63 billion in commissions in 2024, citing the 2025 ACLI Fact Book.1 That money flows through a chain. The insurer pays at the top, and each layer between the insurer and the writing agent keeps a share.
- Commission money moving down the chain
- The writing agent
The middle layers are usually called IMOs or FMOs. One agent-facing publication describes an IMO as a layer that holds high carrier contracts, contracts agents beneath itself and takes an override on everything they write.2 The same source notes that tier names are market vocabulary and are not standardised.
When a client buys through one of our brands
A family that calls one of our consumer brands speaks with one of our licensed agents. If they buy, the insurer pays commission on that policy. The premium is the price the insurer sets for that policy and that person. The client pays us nothing separately.
If a policy lapses early, the insurer may take back commission it already paid. NerdWallet puts it plainly for consumers. If premiums stop in the first few years, the insurer might ask the agent to pay back what was earned.1
When an agent contracts through us
Every agent has a contract level, a percent the insurer applies to the premium it pays commission on. The agency's level sits above the agent's. The difference between the two, applied to the same premium, is the agency's override.
Contracting terms are shared on a call. We would rather show a recruit the actual schedule on a call than print a number here that changes by insurer and product.
What industry pay looks like
For context, these are published ranges from outside sources. They are industry data, dated as shown. They are not what this agency pays.
| Measure | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Term life, first-year commission | 60% to 80% of premium | NerdWallet, May 20261 |
| Whole life and universal life, first year | 70% to 120% of target | Kadence, July 20263 |
| Life, renewals in years 2 to 10 | 2% to 5% | Kadence, July 20263 |
| Months advanced | 6, 9, 12 or 15 | Kadence, July 20263 |
Industry data checked November 10, 2026. The Kadence figures, which it attributes to Stallion Leads, sit at the agency-of-record level, above the writing agent. Ranges vary by insurer, product and contract level.
What we will not do
- We will not charge an agent to apply or to talk with us.
- We will not promise an income or quote a pay level that is not in a written schedule.
- We will not sell an application to another agency or a lead company.
- We will not hide our override. If you contract with us, it is on the call and in the paperwork.
Agents and future agents
Ask us to walk through the split on a real policy
Contracting terms are shared on a call. Send the short application and we call you, or call us now.