Commissions Administration

Overview

The Commissions module is used in conjunction with Agency Integrator and is accessed through Administration.

The Commissions module gives your agency the ability to create and compare estimated commissions against the actual commissions received by a carrier to determine whether the carrier is paying the proper amount.  Additional functionality includes the ability to report on and pay additional override sharing agreements within a hierarchy as well as for a variety of “special deals.”

Commissions Areas

There are seven areas to Commissions functionality covered in this article:

• Schedules – Commission schedules will be maintained by your agency from this section.  The purpose behind entering Schedules is to estimate commissions in order to determine whether the carrier is paying the proper amount.  Schedules can also be used in a less formal capacity to gauge the approximate amount of commissions that will be received on a case.
• Role Defaults – Role defaults provides an automated means of grouping commission schedules and then attaching the group of schedules to an agent as opposed to attaching individual schedules to an agent.
• Actual Commissions: Statements – Actual Commissions statements will be maintained by your agency in this section.  The primary purpose for entering Actual Commission statements is to know within the system the amount made on a policy.  Another purpose behind entering Actual commission statements (or receiving automated statement downloads from the carrier) is to compare the estimated commissions against the actual commissions received in order to determine whether the carrier is paying the proper amount.
• Actual Commissions: Posted Batches – After Commissions Statements are entered, they are posted so that they can be reported off of, and are no longer editable.
• Commissions and the Contacts Module – Provides a view of the commission schedules attached to an agent as well as the commissions paid on the Agent’s production.
• Commissions and the Applications Module – Provides a view of the estimated commissions to be received on a pending application as well as a view of the actual commissions received on a paid application.
• Commissions Reports – Details the Legacy Reports available for commissions reporting.

 

Create a New Commission Schedule

Creating a new Commission schedule requires special security rights. If you need access to this function and do not have it, contact your agency’s Agency Integrator system administrator.

In most cases, at least two schedules will be entered for each carrier – a Total Gross schedule and an Agent schedule. Once both schedules have been entered, the system will automatically calculate the agency commission Override by subtracting the Agent Schedule from the Total Gross Schedule.

If you are not interested in tracking the agent schedule, then you can enter the MGA percentages as a total schedule and skip the agent schedule entry process entirely. In this case, and ONLY this case, it is necessary to attach the Total Gross Schedule to the agent via Organization Defaults, Role Defaults or manual agent attachment.  In all other circumstances, the agent schedule is attached to the agent.

Access Commissions Schedules

1. Click the Administration button, then Commissions > Schedules.

The Schedule Management screen displays.

2. To select the Carrier for which you will be entering the commissions schedules, pick the desired Carrier from the drop-down list, or start typing the Carrier name.

Described below are the steps to enter two commission schedules – the Total Gross Schedule and the Agent Schedule.

 

Enter the Total Gross Schedule

The Total Gross Commission Schedule should always be entered first.

1. Make sure the correct carrier name is selected and click Add Schedule.

The Schedule Detail screen displays.

2. Enter the name of the schedule, (e.g. “Schedule A – Total Schedule”) into the Schedule field.

3. Enter any other information related to the schedule into the Description field, such as a version number or information on what the schedule replaces.

4. Select an option for Schedule Type. Your choices include:

• Gross: Used to track the total compensation rates paid to the GA
• Agent: Used to track compensation rates paid to the Agent
• Hierarchy: Used to track compensation rates paid to Contacts belonging to a specific Tier of a Hierarchy
• Override: Total amount retained by the BGA, after payments have been made to Agents or Other third parties.

For this example, we are entering the Total Gross schedule, so Gross is selected.

5. The start and end dates can be left blank and the system will default a low and high date value.

6. The Available for use check box should be checked when the entry of the commission schedule is complete. This makes the schedule and rules available in the “Schedule List” on the prior screen.

7. Click OK to save and exit the Schedule Management or Apply if you want to continue to add a Sub-schedule.

 

Add Sub-Schedules

After you have added the Total Gross Schedule, it is necessary to add the Sub-schedules.  Each sub-schedule is comprised of the rates and rules that are attached to a plan or group of plans.

1. To add a new sub schedule click the Add Sub-schedule button.

The Sub-Schedule Detail screen displays.

2. Enter the name of the sub-schedule in the Sub-Schedule Name field. Names typically identify the plan or plan type that will be using the rates.

The next step is to add Commission Rates and Attach Products, which are available as tabs on the bottom half of the screen.

3. Click the New Commission Rate button. A line appears in the grid with the cursor in the Rate field. The Tab key on your keyboard will quickly take you from column to column, and row to row. To add a new rate, Tab one additional time to move to the New Commission Rate button and then click Enter on your keyboard.

A new blank row of rates appears, with your cursor in the first box of the row. You can also click with your mouse to edit any rate, add new rates, etc.  You can also use the F6 function key on your keyboard to add a new commission rate.

4. Enter the commission percentage in the Rate field. For example, if the percentage is 75.25%, enter 75.25

5. Select one of the following Payment Type options:

• Commission: Used to estimate traditional commission payments.
• ERA: Used to estimate Expense Reimbursement Allowance payments typically used by New York carriers.
• Bonus: Used to estimate Bonus payments.

6. Make a selection in the Based On field.

The Based On field determines the premium value to be used to calculate the commission.  This premium selection corresponds with the premium screen on the application and should reflect how premium is being entered.  For example, if annuity premium is being entered in the Excess Premium field, then a corresponding entry will need to be made in the schedule using Excess Premium as a Based On. If the rate varies based on state, face amount, age or premium, the Banding column will capture that information. It is not uncommon to have several rate records for each sub-schedule.

Sub-Schedule Import

1) Click Add Schedule button.

2)There are two new links found on this screen: Download Template File and Import Subschedules.

Download the Template File

In order to import your subschedules into Agency Integrator, they must first be input into the Commission Subschedule Import Template to ensure uniformity of data for processing.  To access this new template, click on the Download Template File link and the template will open in Excel:

Populating the Template

The Commission Subschedule Import Template has rules assigned to each column of data to assist with the import to Agency Integrator.  Rules must be adhered to, or the system will report errors and may not successfully import the Subschedule.

• Columns may not be added or removed from the template. Even if a column is blank and contains no data, it must be left on the spreadsheet.
• Columns with red font are required and must be completed before importing the template.
• Columns with black font are not required and do not need to be completed before importing the template.
• Exact spelling and spacing are required
• You can combine multiple Schedules on one import template, if you list the appropriate Schedule ID
• Can attach to custom Payment Types you have created in your system
• Only one Carrier can be included per template
• If you leave the States blank it will assume All Other States
• Populate Commission Custom Field values
• By hovering over any column, a comment box will appear with information on what data is allowed in that field, and the way it needs to be formatted for successful import:

Once you have completed the Subschedule_Import_Template, save as an Excel workbook.  Now you are ready to import the template into Agency Integrator.

Importing the template file

To import the completed template into your environment, click the Import Subschedules button on the Schedule Management screen.

1) The Import Subschedule modal window will display:

2)Click Select Upload File link, browse for your completed template file, and select it.

Processing the Template File

Once you have selected the Excel file to upload, the system will indicate that the file is done loading.  Click the Import button. The data will load onto the Schedule Detail screen.

You will receive a message showing the number of records loaded.

If the import data was inputted without errors, you can continue with your usual Subschedule entry process. To continue click the “x” in the top right-hand corner of the Import Statement window to close it.

Error Handling

If there are one or more errors in the data you import, the file will not upload or process, and you will need to fix the errors on the spreadsheet and re-upload.  A red warning box will appear at the bottom of the Schedule Management screen notifying you of the errors.  The box will contain which row on the template file contains the error to assist in correcting the imported data.

To fix the imported data, open your saved excel file, proceed to the rows that the warning box referenced, and correct the data.  Save the excel file with the changes and then repeat the steps to import the subschedule template.  If all the errors were corrected, you will be able to continue.

Export Commission Schedules and Subschedules

To export Commission schedules and Sub-schedules in an Excel file format.

Export Schedules

1) Select a Carrier

2) Click Search

3) Click Export Schedules and Subschedules.

Schedule export in Excel.

Export Subschedules

1)Double click on the schedule you wish to export

2) Click Export Schedules and Subschedules.

3) Subschedules in Excel.

Create Commission Payment Types

You can create custom Payment Types to help track different types of commission payments, including those from IMOs and third parties.

Access Payment Types

1. Once the proper User Rights have been assigned, click Administration in the top menu bar.

2. Click Commissions and then on the sub-menu bar, click on Payment Types.

The Commission Payment Types screen displays.

Add a New Payment Type

1. To create a new Payment Type, click Add.

2. Add the Name of the Payment Type to describe the payment.

3. Select the Default Paid By.

Setting this default will enable this selection to be automatically selected when entering in Rates in Sub-schedules.

4. Adjust Override Check box will be checked by default.

Payment Types (Bonus and ERA) and all custom Payment Types. If desired, you can check the new Adjust Override box on any Payment Type that you would like to “Adjust” or share with other parties.

Once checked, any Payment Type that is “Adjusted” will be included in the system’s calculation of the Override on each case. Then, any Payments based on Override will use that new value to calculate the Adjusted Override. Continuing through the process, any payments based on Adjusted Override will then use the new value and subtract from it to calculate the Net Override, payments based on Net Override will also use the new value, and so on.

5. Click OK.

5. Enter the policy years for which this rate should apply in the From Year and To Year field.

The initial entry should always be for the first year commissions for the plan or plan types. In the From Year field, enter 1 and in the To Year field, enter 1. When there are renewal rates associated with the sub-schedules, enter the rates for the subsequent years accordingly.

6. If the rate is banded by State, Face Amount, Age, or Premium, click the hyperlink labeled States: All other states. The following window displays:

As a rule, the system assumes no state variations in the commission schedules and automatically assumes all states.  If the rates do vary by State, select the appropriate states in the State Banding table.

7. Enter any minimum or maximum ages, face amounts, or premium amounts as dictated by the Carrier schedule.

When entering different Face Amount, Age, Premium and State bands, be certain to enter all combinations as separate rates.  For example, if your rates vary by age and face then you will need to enter all the combinations.  If you have a situation where the banding is 0-45 and 46-99 and 100,000-1,000,000 and 1,000,001-99,999,999 then you would enter 0-45 and 100,000 – 1,000,000, 0-45 1,000,001-99,999,999, 46-99 100,000 – 1,000,000, 46-99 1,000,001 – 99,999,999 with the corresponding percentages.

8. Select Apply to save your changes and remain on this screen.

When you have finished entering the rates for the sub-schedule, the completed Sub-Schedule Detail screen displays.

 

Attach a Sub-Schedule to Products

A Sub-schedule needs to be attached to one or more Products for it to be applied to future applications.  From the Sub-Schedule Detail screen, the Products tab displays with an attachment indicator to let you know how many Products have been attached to that Sub-schedule. The example below shows Products (0), so we know we need to attach Products.

1. Click the Products tab, and the below screen displays available products and attached products for this Carrier.

Initially the Attached Products table will be blank.

2. To attach a product, select the appropriate product from the Available Products table and click the Attach button.

The Product Type filter at the top of the screen will help you narrow the list down to the product(s) you are looking for: Term Life, Universal Life, Annuity, etc. If there are multiple products that share the same rates, you can multi-select products to be attached.

3. Click Apply. The Sub-schedule has now been attached to the select plan(s).

4. Select OK to save the sub-schedule and return to the Schedule Detail screen.

5. Continue to enter additional sub-schedules, as needed, and attach the corresponding Products. When all sub-schedules have been entered, the completed Schedule Detail screen will look similar to the below screen.

Notice that a Y appears in the Products column for those sub-schedules that have been attached to products. Make sure all sub schedules have a Y in this column.

You can hover over the Y in the Products column to view a list of attached products.

6. Once your Total Gross schedule is complete, select the Available For Use checkbox. This indicates to the system that your schedule is complete.

7. Select OK to save the Total Gross schedule and return to the main Schedule Management screen.

 

Enter the Agent Schedule

Once you have entered the Total Gross Schedule, it is necessary to enter the Agent Schedule.  After both schedules have been entered, the system will be able to calculate the agency commission on an application (also known as the override) by subtracting the Agent Schedule from the Total Gross Schedule.

The data that needs to be entered for the Agent schedule is identical to the data already entered for the Total Gross Total Gross schedule, with one exception – the rates.  Because you have already entered the data in the system on the Total Gross schedule, you can copy the Total Gross schedule, with all the related detail (including the attached plans), change the name to the Agent schedule and then change the rates to reflect the Agent percentages.

 

Copy a Commission Schedule

1. From the Schedule Management screen, highlight the schedule you want to copy, right click, and select copy.

2. Select Yes when the message window displays, confirming that you want to copy the highlighted schedule and all related detail.

The Schedule Detail screen displays, with a copy of the highlighted record.

3. Enter the name and description of the agent schedule in the Schedule and Description fields.

4. Change the Schedule Type from Gross to Agent.

When the value is changed to something other than Gross, a new required field called Gross Schedule displays, asking you to associate this Agent schedule with a Gross schedule. This is necessary so that the system will be able to calculate the agency commission on an application (also known as the override) by subtracting the Agent Schedule from the Gross Schedule. The drop-down list displays any active Gross schedules that already exist for this carrier.

5. Click Apply to save your changes.

6. To edit the Rates for this agent schedule, double-click any Sub-schedule name to open the Sub-Schedule Detail screen and begin editing:

7. Edit the amount in the Rate field to accurately reflect what the Agent should be getting from the carrier, rather than the total gross payout. You may also need to add new Rates to accommodate for any additional monies going to the agent. You can still tab between fields and add additional rates as needed.

8. Make a selection in the Paid By column. If the Carrier is paying the agent all amounts, leave the column to be Paid By: Carrier. If you, the MGA, will be paying the agent anything additional, you can add a new rate and select Paid By:  MGA.

When the actual commissions statements are entered into the Statements module, the system will generate Automatic Adjustments for the amounts indicated as Paid By: MGA. Those automatic adjustments will be subtracted from the Agency’s commission to yield an amount called Adjusted Override.

In the example below, the Carrier is paying the agent 75% of Base Premium for the first year, and we, the MGA are paying 25% of Base Premium for the first year from our Override.

9. Select OK to save your changes and return to the Schedule Management screen.

10. Repeat the process for the remaining records in the table, making sure to change the rates from the Total Gross Schedule you copied.

11. Visit the Products tab if any products need to be added or removed from the original list you attached for the Gross Schedule.

12. Repeat the process for the remaining sub-schedules in the table as needed.

When the rates for all sub-schedules have been modified to reflect the agent commission percentages, the Commission Schedule is ready to be marked Available For Use.

13. Check the Available For Use checkbox and select OK.

 

Delete Rates

Renewal rates are often not offered on Agent schedules. If this is the case, it is necessary to delete the subsequent years’ record(s) from the Sub-Schedule Detail screen.

1. To delete a record, right-click the record and select Delete.

A message window appears, confirming that you want to delete the highlighted record.

2. Select Yes.

 

Enter a Hierarchy Schedule or Net Override

Net Override allows you to pay out another “layer” of payees before arriving at the Agency’s final Net amount.  Net Override is calculated by taking the Override minus all payments for the Hierarchy, ECP, and Special Deals. Then, you can base additional payments on that Net Override value through Schedules and ECP.

1. To use Net Override in an Agent or Hierarchy schedule, open the desired Schedule (or create a new Schedule) and navigate to the Sub-schedule to enter the Rate.

2. Select the Schedule.

3. Select a Sub-schedule.

4. Enter the Rate. For the Based On option, select Net Override:

 

Net Override in ECP

To base an Employee Compensation payment on Net Override, complete the following:

1. Navigate to Administration > Commissions > Employee Compensation.

2. Click New Grid or double click to open an existing Grid.

3. Add a new Override Share or edit an existing Override Share, and note that there is a new Based On option for Net Override.

Net Override Sample

Below is a sample of net override with the subtracted payment based on override and subtracted payments based on net override.

 

Override Schedules Overview

Override Schedules are an alternative to Gross Schedules (the schedules all agencies currently use) and do NOT need to be used by your Agency if you don’t have a payout scenario that requires them.

If you choose to use Override Schedules, you do not need to use them for all Carriers, or even completely within a single carrier.  You can use an Override Schedule for one particular Product Type or Product for a certain Carrier where it makes sense, and continue to use Gross Schedules for all other Carriers.

Currently, using Gross Schedules, Override is determined by a calculation from the rates in the gross schedule less the total commission calculated in the agent schedule (Gross minus Agent).  Using Override schedules, that calculation no longer occurs and Override is determined by whatever rates are entered in the Override Schedule.

 

Add an Override Schedule

1. To create a new override schedule, click Add Schedule.

2. Select the Carrier of the schedule.

3. Add a Schedule Name.

4. Select Override from the Schedule Type drop down.

5. Click Apply.

After creating the sub-schedule, you need to create an agent schedule where you will attach the Override schedule.

 

Modify Commission Schedules

You can choose to copy, delete, or replace a Commission Schedule.

Copy Records

The Copy Record functionality can be accessed from several levels within the Commission Module.

Schedule Level – In most cases, all Total Gross and Agent schedules are the same, except for the rate percentages.  Copy Record can be used to copy a completed Total Gross schedule, renaming the copy as an Agent schedule, and changing the rates.  This significantly reduces the amount of work spent entering Agent schedules.

Sub-schedule Level – In many cases, the rate detail behind a sub schedule is the same from plan to plan, except for the rate percentages.  Copy record can be used to copy a completed sub schedule, renaming as another sub schedule, and changing the rates.  This significantly reduces the amount of work spent entering sub schedules.

Where available, the Copy function is accessed by right-clicking.

Delete Records

The Delete Record functionality can be accessed from several levels within the Commission Module.

Schedule Level – A schedule can be deleted as long as it has not been marked Available For Use.  When a schedule is deleted, all detail within that schedule is also deleted, including the sub schedule and the rate detail.

Sub-schedule Level – A sub schedule can be deleted as long as its corresponding schedule has not been marked Available For Use.  When a sub schedule is deleted, all detail within that sub schedule is also deleted, including the rate detail.

Rate Detail Level – A rate detail can be deleted as long as its corresponding schedule has not been marked Available For Use.

The Delete Record functionality is accessed where available by right-clicking.

Replace a Schedule

Occasionally, a carrier will replace an existing commission schedule with a new commission schedule.  In this case, it is necessary to reflect this change in the system.  To replace an existing commission schedule that is marked Available For Use with a new commission schedule, follow the steps below.

1. Create a copy of the existing schedule using the right click function.

2. Rename the new schedule.

3. Make the necessary modifications to the copy.

4. Click the arrow next to the Replaces Schedule

A list of schedules will appear.

5. Select the appropriate schedule that you are replacing.

6. You must end-date the old schedule and start date the new schedule. The system compares these dates to the Application signed date to determine which schedule to use on Applications.

Once the new schedule has replaced the old schedule, the old schedule is no longer available.  The system automatically finds instances of the old schedule in the system (attached to organizations, roles and agents) and automatically replaces it with the new schedule.

 

View Commission Schedules Attached to a Plan

From the main Schedule Management screen, you can view the Commission Schedules that have been attached to a Plan.

1. Click the arrow next to the Carrier field and select the Carrier.

2. Click the arrow next to the Product field and select the Plan.

3. Hit Search.

A list of the schedules attached to the selected plan displays in the grid at the bottom of the screen.

 

Attach Commission Schedules to Agents

After Commission Schedules are created and attached to plans, they need to be attached to agents.  There are four ways to attach Commission Schedules to Agents, as described below.

• Organization Defaults
• Hierarchy/ Tiers
• Role Defaults
• Individual Agent Attachment

 

Use Organization Defaults

Organization Defaults should be used when more than 50% of the agents in an Organization have the same commission schedule. The Commission Schedule is assigned to the entire Organization and as a result, all agents within that Organization are automatically assigned the Commission Schedule.  Those agents within the Organization that have a different Commission Schedule can be changed on a manual basis.

Since you are attaching the schedule to the agents via Organization Default, it is very important that you select an Agent commission schedule as opposed to a Total Gross schedule.

1. To attach a Commission Schedule to an Organization, select Attached Organizations tab from the Schedule Management screen and click Add Organization.

2. Select the desired organization from the drop down.

3. Click Apply or OK to save your changes.

The Start and End dates indicate the effective dates the selected Commission Schedule will apply to the selected Organization.  These dates are based on the application signed date.  The system will check the Application Signed date against the Organization Schedule Start and End dates to determine which commission schedule to apply to the application.

These date fields are optional up until the time you are replacing the initial schedule within an organization with a new schedule.  For example, if you have a Preferred total schedule with Banner and at some point you qualify for the Super Preferred schedule, you need to end date the Preferred schedule association with the Organization and add the new Super Preferred schedule association to the Organization.  The dates are inclusive and there are no overlapping days so the start date on the new schedule needs to begin the day after the end date on the old schedule.  It is important that you do not have two active schedules containing the same plans assigned to the same Organization because the system will not know which to apply and it will cause unpredictable results.

4. Repeat the process to attach additional Organizations to Commission Schedules.

To delete a Commission Schedule from an Organization, highlight the organization and right-click and select Delete.

A message window appears, confirming that you want to delete the attached organization.

5. Select Yes.

 

Use Hierarchy/Tiers

Schedules can be attached to all contacts on a certain Tier within a Hierarchy. Since you are attaching the schedule to the agents via Hierarchy/ Tier, it is very important that you select an Agent commission schedule as opposed to a Total Gross schedule.

1. To attach a Commission Schedule to a Hierarchy, select Hierarchy/Tiers tab from the Schedule Detail screen.

2. Click the Add Hierarchy button.

The following fields appear.

3. Select a Hierarchy and Tier from the drop-down lists.

The Start and End dates indicate the effective dates the selected Commission Schedule will apply to the selected Hierarchy Tier.  These dates are based on the application signed date.  The system will check the Application Signed date against the Hierarchy Schedule Start and End dates to determine which commission schedule to apply to the application.

4. Click OK or Apply to save your changes.

5. Repeat the process to attach additional Commission Schedules to Hierarchy Tiers.

To delete a Commission Schedule from a Hierarchy tier, highlight the Hierarchy and right-click and select Delete.

A message window appears, confirming that you want to delete the attached organization.

6. Select Yes.

Use Role Defaults

Role Defaults should be used when you offer a small number of commission schedules and you have groups of agents using the same commission schedules.   For example, you may have Bronze, Silver and Gold levels that agents fall within, and each level has a different set of commission schedules associated with it.  The advantage to using Role Defaults is that you can group commission schedules and then attach the group of schedules to an agent, as opposed to attaching individual schedules to each agent.

Using Role Defaults, you can create a Role for each level, assign a group of Commission Schedules to each Role, attach an Organization to the Role, and attach the Role to an Agent within that Organization.  As a result, all agents that fall within that Organization and assigned that Role are automatically assigned the Commission Schedules.

Access Role Defaults Administration

To attach a Commission Schedule to a Role, hover over Commissions on the top menu bar and select Role Defaults.

Add a Role

When initially entering the Role screen, the Role table will be blank.

To add a Role, select Add Role.

1. The Add/Edit Role screen appears:

2. Enter the name of the Role in the Role Name field.

3. Select the Organizations you would like the Role to be available to be attached in.

Attach Schedules to a Role

1. To attach a Commission Schedule to the Role, click the Add Schedule button at the bottom of the screen.

The Add/Edit Schedule screen appears.

2. Start typing the Carrier’s name or choose the desired Carrier from the drop-down list to see a list of available Schedules for that Carrier.

3. Once you’ve selected the Carrier, pick the desired schedule from the drop-down list.

Because you are attaching the schedule to Agents, it is very important that you select an Agent commission schedule as opposed to a Total Gross Commission schedule.

The Start and End dates indicate the effective dates the selected Commission Schedule will apply to the Role.  The system will check the Application Signed date against the Role Start and End dates to determine which Agent commission schedule to apply to the application.

These date fields are optional up until the time you are replacing the initial schedule within a Role with a new schedule. For example, if you have a Gold Role with a Banner Schedule C and you determine that you want to replace the Schedule C in the Role with a new schedule – C Supreme, you need to end-date the Schedule C and add the new Schedule C Supreme. You don’t want two schedules containing the same plan attached to the same role, active at the same time because the system will not know which to apply and it will cause unpredictable results.

4. Click OK to save your changes and you will be returned to the Add/Edit Role screen with the selected Commission Schedule populated in the Role Commission Schedule List. 

5. Click Add Schedule to continue to add Commission Schedules to the Role until you’ve added all desired Schedules.

Attach a Role to an Agent

When you have completed attaching Commission Schedules to the Roles and attaching Organizations to the Roles, it is necessary to attach the Roles to Agents.

1. To attach a Commission Schedule to an Agent, search for the Agent. From the Contact Detail screen, click Tabs and select Commission Roles & Schedules.

The Commission Roles & Schedules tab displays.

2. Click the Assign Role button.

The Attach Role section appears on the right-hand side of the screen:

3. Select the Role Name from the drop down list.

The Start and End dates indicate the effective dates the selected Role will apply to the Agent.  The system will check the Application Signed date against the Role Start and End dates to determine which commission schedule to apply to the application.

These date fields are optional up until the time you are replacing the initial Role with a new Role.  For example, if an agent is assigned a Bronze Role and later qualifies for a Silver Role, you need to end date the Bronze Role and add the Silver Role.   The dates are inclusive and there are no overlapping days so the new one needs to start after the old one.  You don’t want two Roles with Schedules containing the same plan active at the same time because the system will not know which to apply and it will cause unpredictable results.

4. Click Apply to save your changes.

The schedule and role will populate in the table on the left-hand side of the tab.

To delete a Role from an Agent, right–click the desired role and select Remove Attachment.

5. Repeat the process to attach Roles to additional Agents.

Delete Within a Role

There are three areas where Delete Record can be used within a Role:

• Deleting a Role – a Role can be deleted if it has not been attached to an Agent
• Deleting a Schedule – a Schedule can be deleted from a role if an application is not using the schedule
• Deleting an Organization – an Organization can be deleted from a role if the Organization has not been attached to an Agent

 

Use Individual Agent Attachment

Commission Schedules should be individually attached to Agents when Organization and Role Defaults cannot be used because there is no pattern to the Commission Schedule assignment. Look up the desired Agent in the Contacts module.

1. From the Contact Detail Screen, Click Tabs button on the main menu bar and select Commission Roles and Schedules from the drop-down menu.

The Commission Roles and Schedules Tab appears on the bottom half of the Contact Detail Screen, displaying the Commission Schedules currently attached to the agent.

2. To attach a new Commission Schedule to this Agent, click the Assign Schedule button at the bottom of the Tab.

The Assign Schedule box appears on the right-hand side of the table.

3. Select a Carrier, Product, and Schedule from the drop-down lists. Allow time for each subsequent list to re-load once you have made a selection.  If you have a long list of Carriers or Products, you can start typing the name of the Carrier, Product, or Schedule to quickly jump to that portion of the list.

It is not necessary to make a selection on the Product drop-down list.  If you select the Carrier, but leave the Product blank, the Schedule drop-down list will display any Schedule for that Carrier, regardless of Product.

4. Once you have selected the desired Schedule, if that Schedule has an assigned Start and /or End Date in the Commission Schedules Administration area, those dates will appear.

The dates you populate in the Start Date and End Date fields will need to fall within the main Schedule’s Start and End Dates.

5. Populate a Start Date and End Date for this Agent’s attachment to this Schedule as desired.

6. Click the Apply button to save your changes.

The new Schedule displays in the table.

7. When finished attaching Commission Schedules to the Agent, select OK.

8. Repeat the process to attach Roles to additional Agents.

Edit Commission Schedules

The Type column lists how the Schedule was attached to the agent, either through Hierarchy, Role, Organization or Agent manual Attachment. Only Schedules attached by the Agent method will be able to be edited from this screen.

In determining which commission schedule to apply to an application, the system looks first for a schedule attached via the manual Agent attachment.  If it finds a schedule via this attachment, it uses that schedule.  If it does not find a schedule via the manual Agent attachment, it looks for a schedule attached via the Role Default.  If it finds a schedule via this attachment, it uses that schedule.  If it does not find a schedule via the Role Default attachment, it looks for a schedule attached via the Organization Default. If it finds a schedule via the Organization Default, it looks for a schedule attached via the Hierarchy Default.

Schedules attached via Role Default Hierarchy and/or Organization default are attached to the Role, Hierarchy and/or Organization respectively, not the agent.  The agent, by default, receives the schedule by belonging to the Role, Hierarchy and/or Organization.  As a result, it is not possible to delete a commission schedule attached to an agent by a Role, Hierarchy and/or Organization – the schedule belongs to the Role, Hierarchy and/or Organization and not the agent, so it cannot be deleted from the Agent.

In the instance where the schedule attached to the agent via a Role, Hierarchy and/or Organization default is not the schedule that should be applied to the agent, simply attach the correct agent schedule to the agent via the manual agent attachment.  Based on the rules described above, after the correct agent schedule has been attached via the manual Agent attachment, the system will recognize this schedule first and apply this schedule to the corresponding applications.

Edit an Agent’s Attachment to a Commission Schedule

1. To edit an Agent’s attachment to a Commission Schedule, right click and select View/Edit Attachment on any row with the Type of Agent. 

The Edit Schedule box will appear on the right-hand side of the screen, displaying the selected Schedule’s current details.

If the Schedule has an assigned Start and/or End Date in Commission Schedules Administration, those dates will appear as Schedule Start/ End on this screen.

2. Edit the Start Date and End Date for this Agent’s attachment to this schedule.

3. Click Apply to save your changes.

Delete Commission Schedules

To Delete a Commission Schedule attachment to an agent, right-click on any row in the table with the Type of Agent and select Delete.

 

Agent Schedule PDF Administration

Within the Administration Commissions, you can choose to show (or hide) a logo, organization name, agent name, and/or disclaimer on the agent schedule PDF.

 

Access Agent Schedule PDF

1. To access the administration area to define a logo and disclaimer, go to Administration > Commissions > Agent Schedule PDF Administration.

The Agent Schedule PDF Administration screen displays.

 

Make Agent Schedule PDF Selections

1. From the Agent Schedule PDF Administration screen, make all appropriate selections.

The selections made here are set for all users and all Organizations in the system.

2. Click OK to save your changes to the Agent Schedule PDF Administration screen.

 

Commissions and the Contacts Module

There are 4 areas within the Contacts Module related to Commissions.  When looking up an individual agent, you can access these Tabs from the Contact Detail screen to find more about a particular Agent’s commissions:

• Commission Assignment
• Agent Commission Schedule PDF
• Special Deals
• Commission Roles and Schedules
• Commission Summary

 

Commission Assignment

Commission Assignments are for assigning an agent’s commission to another individual in the system.  For example, a trainee might have to assign all his commissions to the trainer until he starts doing business on his own, or an Agent’s commissions might be assigned to the Agent’s corporation.

View Agent’s Commission Assignments

1. To view an Agent’s Commission Assignments, search for the Agent.

2. Select the Commission Assignment sub-menu from the Tabs menu on the top menu bar.

The Commission Assignment tab appears.

Currently existing Commission Assignments will appear on the table.

Add a Commission Assignment

1. To add a new Commission Assignment, click the New Assignment button at the bottom of the tab.

2. Enter the SSN/Tax ID of the individual receiving all of the commissions. If you do not know the SSN/Tax ID, you may search for a contact in the system by clicking on the Search button next to the field.

Commission Assignments automatically default to All Carriers.

3. To create a Commission Assignment based on a specific carrier, click the drop-down box and select your desired Carrier.

4. Enter the Start Date and End Date in their respective fields.  These dates are based on the Application Entry Date that the Commission Assignment should be valid for.

The Entered By, Entered On, Changed By, Changed On fields are all read-only.  The system will automatically populate these fields based on the User ID of the person making the entry/change in the system.

5. Select OK or Apply to save your changes.

End-Date a Commission Assignment

A Commission Assignment cannot be deleted; however, it can be end-dated.

1. To end-date a Commission Assignment, double-click on the record.

2. Change the End date on the Commission Assignment Detail screen.

3. Select OK.

All Start and End dates in the Commission module refer to the Signed Date of the Application.

 

Agent Commissions Schedule PDF

An Agent Commission Schedule PDF is generated through the Contact record in Agency Integrator. From the Contacts module, search for the desired agent.  From the Contact Detail screen, click Actions menu and select Agent Commissions Schedule PDF.

A modal window will appear allowing you to select the Carrier and the Lines of Business to be included on the PDF output.

Once the desired selections have been made, click the Generate PDF button and separate window will open with a PDF of the Agent’s attached Schedules for the selected Carrier(s) and Line(s) of Business.  From here, you can print, save, or do any other actions your PDF reader allows.

 

Special Deals

A Special Deal is a unique commission arrangement between you and an Agent, above and beyond what the agent is set to get paid on his or her Commission Schedule.

Access Special Deals

1. From the Contact Detail screen, click Actions > Special Deals.

The Special Deals Tab displays.

Add a Special Deal

1. To add a Special Deal, click on the New Special Deal button.

2. The fields on the right-hand side of the screen will default to All, but you can filter the cases you want to apply the Special Deal to, based on Organization, Carrier, Plan, Individual Applicant, or Type of Plan.

Save a Special Deal

1. Once the desired criteria have been chosen, click Apply or OK to save.

2. Choosing Apply will refresh Special Deals Tab, allowing you to see all of the Contact’s Special Deals, whereas OK will leave the Contact’s record, but will also save your changes.

Delete a Special Deal

1. To delete a Special Deal, right click the record and choose Delete.

2. Select Yes when asked to confirm the deletion.

 

Commission Roles and Schedules

To view an Agent’s attached Commission Schedules and Commission Roles, click Tabs button and select Commission Roles and Schedules from the drop-down menu.

The Commission Roles and Schedules Tab appears on the bottom half of the Contact Detail Screen.

View Commission Schedules

By default, the Tab will display all Schedules attached to the Agent. The View drop-down list will show Schedules.

1. You can filter the list of Schedules by choosing criteria from the Carrier or Product drop-down lists.  Once selected, the table will re-load, showing only Schedules that fit the selected criteria from the drop-down lists.

For example, if you are trying to find out which Schedule the Agent uses for Prudential, select Prudential Life Insurance CO. from the Carrier drop-down.  The table re-loads with all Prudential schedules attached to the agent, for all products.

2. To further filter the list and determine which Schedule is attached to a specific Product, make a selection from the Product drop-down list.  If the table re-loads but is blank, you know that the Agent is not attached to a Schedule with that particular product, and the system won’t be able to calculate Estimated Commissions for that Product.

Assign Commission Schedules

1. To attach a new Commission Schedule to this Agent, follow the instructions for using Individual Agent Attachment.

Edit Commission Schedules

1. To edit an Agent’s attachment to a particular Commission Schedule, right click on any row with the Type of Agent and select View/Edit attachment. 

The Edit Schedule box will appear on the right-hand side of the screen, displaying the selected Schedule’s current details.

If the Schedule has an assigned Start and/or End Date in Commission Schedules Administration, those dates will appear as Schedule Start/End on this screen.

2. Edit the Start Date and End Date for this Agent’s attachment to this schedule.

3. Click Apply to save your changes.

Delete Commission Schedules

1. To Delete a Commission Schedule attachment to an agent, right-click on any row in the table with the Type of Agent and select Delete.

View Commission Roles

By default, the Commission Roles & Schedules Tab will display all Schedules attached to the Agent.

1. Change the View drop-down to Roles, and the table will re-load, displaying all current Commission Roles attached to the agent.

2. You can filter the list of Roles by choosing criteria from the Carrier and/ or Product drop-down lists.

Once selected, the table will re-load, showing only Roles that fit the selected criteria from the drop-down lists.

 

Commission Summary

1. To view a summary of an Agent’s paid Commissions, from the Agent Detail screen, click the Tabs menu on the top menu bar and select Commission Summary from the drop-down.

The Commission Summary Tab appears. By default, the table will display paid Commissions from all Carriers, all Dates and Paid Sources:

2. To sort the list of cases, click on any column header to re-load the list.

You will see two Totals at the bottom of the table:

Total for Placed Apps: The Total for the entries currently displayed on the table only

Total: The Total Paid Commissions to the Agent, this number will not change, regardless of the Criteria selected

Commission Summary Criteria

1. To filter the table to show a different list of Applications, populate the fields in the Criteria area at the top of the table:

You will be able to filter your list by any combination of one or more of the following Criteria:

• Carrier: Pick the Carrier from the drop-down list or start typing the Carrier Name in the field to quickly jump to a specific Carrier
• Statement Date: To only view payments from a specific date range, enter a Start or End Date.  This refers to the Statement Date as entered on the Commission Statement Batch.
• Paid Source: Agent Commission Payment, Hierarchy Override Payment, Agent Special Deals Payment, or Miscellaneous Adjustments

After selecting one or more of the Criteria options, the Commission Summary List will re-load according to your new criteria. In the example below, the Commission Summary List shows all American General payments of the Hierarchy Override source for all dates.

The Total for Placed Apps amount on the bottom of the table displays the total dollar amount of those specific payments only.

2. You can continue to change Criteria on this Tab to display alternate combinations of payments.

 

Commissions and the Applications Module

There are three areas within the Applications module related to Commissions.  When looking up a particular Application, these tabs can be accessed from the Application Detail Screen to find out more about commissions on a particular Application:

• Premium
• Agents (Commission Splits)
• Commission (Actuals, Estimated, Summary)

 

Premium Tab

It is important to enter the Estimated Annualized Commissionable Premium for Commission estimates to calculate correctly. To add Premium detail to an application or to review or edit existing premium information, search for an Application. From the Application Detail screen, the Premium tab is the default tab that will appear at the bottom of the screen.

 Est Annualized Comm Premium

The fields in the commission estimate information section are intended to estimate commissions received.  In this section, the premium is broken out along the lines of how it is to be commissioned.  Each field in this section can correspond to commission rates on carrier schedules.

After all pertinent fields are entered, select OK to return to the Application Detail screen.

 

Agents Tab (Commission Splits)

To view the Commission Splits on an application, search for the Application. From the Application Detail screen, click on the Agents tab.

 

Commission Summary Tab

The Commission – Summary tab displays First Year Actual and Estimated commissions together, for all parties: Agent (in green), Hierarchy (in orange), ECP (in purple), and Agency (MGA) (in blue).

See the diagram below for further explanation on the layout of and values found on the Commission – Summary tab.

 

Commission – Estimated

The Commission – Estimated tab displays a summary of the total estimated commission rates to be paid out for the first year, entries can be filtered by: Year, Based on, Rate, Based Amount, Payout, Payment Type, Paid By, Payee, Rate Source, Description.

Add a Rate

A User Right is required to add a new rate.  Click the Add Rate button and complete your selections as desired.  Click OK to save your changes.  Note that the Description of your rate will display “Manual.” This will aid in troubleshooting and discerning which rates are from a Schedule vs. rates that have been manually added or edited.

If you add a manual Rate to an Application, it will not be removed when the Regenerate Rates button is clicked.  To remove the rate, it will need to be manually deleted.

Edit a Rate

To edit a Rate, a User Right is required.  Right-click and select Edit Rate, or double click to open the selected rate and make changes.  Once you have edited a rate, the Description column will change to display “Manual” rather than the name of the Schedule, Special Deal, etc. that the rate comes from.

Edit a Rate Source

Right-clicking and selecting Edit Rate Source will take you into the Schedule, Special Deal, Override Share, ECP, etc. that the rate comes from if your User ID has the Rights to access those areas.  If you have the proper user Rights, you can edit the rate at its source for all applicable applications from this shortcut, rather than having to locate and navigate to the exact Schedule or other source of the rate.

Delete a Rate

Deleting a rate requires a user Right.  If you have access, you can right-click and select Delete Rate and the rate will be removed from the Application.  Note that the Rate Source is not removed or changed, only that particular rate. If you click Regenerate Rates, the rate you deleted may re-appear if the Schedule, Special Deal, etc. that it came from is still applicable to the Application.

 

Commission – Actuals

The Commission – Actuals tab reflects actual commissions paid via the Commissions Module (Posted Batches).  This tab displays entries for all commission paid entries related to the case.  These will be identified by a combination of carrier ID and policy number. Entries are sorted by Statement Date with the newest at the top. Entries can be filtered by: Statement Date, Payment Year, Payment Type, Rate, Based Amount, Payout, Payment Type, Paid By, Payee

Right-Click and Double-Click Options

Double-clicking the detail entry will open the Statement Batch Header of the selected entry, if the user has Rights to access to Posted Batches.

Right-clicking the detail entry will give you options to either visit the Statement Batch Header or the Batch Detail / Payment Detail.

Detailed Payout Amounts

To view the detail or renewal commissions for an entry, click the hyperlinked number, and a detailed view will appear on the right-hand side of the tab.

 

Regenerate Rates

If you have made any changes to how the commissions are determined on the application since its entry (i.e. Hierarchy selection, addition of Special Deals, changes to Override Sharing scenarios, or Commission Schedules) it is necessary to click the Regenerate Rates button.  It can be found on two tabs.

Commission – Summary Tab

Commission – Estimated Tab

The system will then regenerate the estimated commissions on the application based on the current commission scenarios, rather than the ones present at the time the Application was entered.

The estimated commission on the application will automatically regenerate when a User or Auto-Receipting makes one of the following changes:

• Add/Change the Application Signed Date
• Add/Change the Product
• Add/Change the Carrier
• Add/Remove an Agent
• Change in the Agent Split %
• Add/Remove a Hierarchy

 

Actual Commissions – Statements

Commission Statements will be maintained by your agency in this section. The primary purpose for entering Actual Commission statements is to know within the system the commission amount made on a policy as well to indicate the commission to be paid out by your agency, if any. Another purpose behind entering Actual Commissions statements is to compare the estimated commission against the actual commission received to determine whether the carrier is paying the proper amount.

There are three ways that Commission Statements can be entered:

• Manually
• By importing Commission Statement Template
• By receiving Commission Statement Feeds from participating carriers

Entering Commission Statements requires special security rights. If you need access to this function and do not have it, contact your agency’s Agency Integrator system administrator.

 

Access Commission Statements

1. To access Commission Statements, select Administration > Actual Commissions > Statements from the Commissions drop-down.

The Statement Batch List screen appears.

The Statement Batch List screen displays the Active Batches you have entered in your system, or that have been downloaded from the carrier feed. A Batch is a group of carrier commission records usually making up a commission statement. An Active Batch is defined as a batch that has not been completed or reconciled. A Posted Batch is defined as a batch that has been completed, reconciled and Posted to the books.

When initially accessing this screen in your system, it will be blank.

 

Add a Batch Manually

1. Click the Add Batch button.

The Statement Batch Header screen appears.

2. Enter your Batch Description; click the drop down arrow next to Organization and Carrier to select the Organizations and Carrier. Enter the Statement Date. If you would like to enter a Deposit Control Number for your internal purposes, you may do so.  Enter the Deposit Amount, and Deposit Date. The deposit amount can be used to reconcile the entries after the entries have been made.

The Date Created, Created By, Posted By, and GA Number fields are read only fields. The system will automatically populate these fields based on the User ID of the person making the entry in the system.

The Hash Totals Box displays the total of the commission entries. These numbers can be compared to the Deposit Amount for reconciliation. When initially entering the screen. This section will be blank.

3. Select Next the Commission Batch Detail List tab will appear.

 

Add Batch Details Manually

When you initially access this tab, it will be blank.

1. Select Add Batch Detail button or F6 to add entries for the batch.

2. Enter the Policy Number, Payment Type, Paid To, and the Rate Base.

3. Select a payment type option. (“Miscellaneous Transaction” was formerly called “Commission Adjustment”)

4. Select a rate base option. The Rate Base identifies the premium that the commission payment is based on. The selections are from the application premium screen.

5. Select OK.

The Statement Batch Detail screen appears with the estimated commissions fields populated.

Application is in Agency Integrator

If the application is in Agency Integrator, then the following fields will be pre-populated.

Application is in Agency Integrator, But Policy Number Didn’t Pull Information

If the application is in Agency Integrator, but the policy number didn’t pull up the information, it is possible to search for the application to find the correct policy.

To search for the application in Agency Integrator, click the Search button next to the policy number field. The Application Search screen appears. Enter in the case’s search criteria and select Search. Choose the case from the list of cases returned by the Application Search Results screen and double click or right-click and chose Select. The Statement Batch Detail screen returns populated with the information from the transferred case.

Application Is Not In Agency Integrator

If the application is not in Agency Integrator, the Agent field can be manually populated with the agent carrier code or last name of the agent receiving the commission, or you can add the case to the system by using the Quick Case Add feature.

 

Quick Case Add

1. To add the application to Agency Integrator using the Quick Case Add feature, click Add Quick Case button.

The Commission Quick Case Add screen appears.

2. Fill in all applicable fields.

3. Once you have completed adding the Commission Quick Case Add information, click OK to continue.

The Statement Batch Detail screen appears populated with the information entered on the Commission Quick Case Add screen.

Scrolling Through Batch Entries

If there are multiple Entries in your commission batch, you can jump to the next or previous Batch Detail without navigating back to the Statement Batch Header screen. Click the Previous or Next buttons, and you will be taken to the Next Statement batch detail in the list. There is a number indicator which shows where you

 

Statement Batch Detail Screen Tabs

There are seven tabs on the bottom of the Statement Batch Detail Screen:  Schedules, Adjustments, Premium Detail, Custom Fields, Commission Summary, and Commission – Estimated, and Commission – Actuals.

Schedules Tab

This tab contains the payments from Commission Schedules, and manual entries made on the Commission Estimated Payout tab on the Application.

Adjustments Tab

Visit the Adjustments tab to review the adjustments that will be made on this application once the batch is Posted. This tab will be blank upon first accessing the Statement Batch Detail screen, because adjustments have not yet been processed.

Process Adjustments

To process automatic Adjustments, save the Batch Detail, either by clicking the Apply button or the OK button at the bottom of the screen.  Automatic Adjustments will be processed at that time according to the values you have populated, and all automatic adjustments that exist for this application, including Hierarchy Override payments, Agent Commission Payments (to be paid by the MGA), ECP (Employee Compensation Share), Special Deals, manual entries made on the Commission Estimated Payout tab, etc.

Adding Adjustments

1. To add a manual adjustment to a record, right click the record and select Add Adjustment from the Commission Batch Detail List tab.

The Commission Adjustment Maintenance screen appears.

Required Fields on this screen are Paid Source and Adjustment Amount.

2. Click the down arrow next to the Paid Source field to indicate the type of adjustment payment.

3. Enter the amount of the adjustment in the Adjustment Amount field. Adjustments should be added as positive numbers if the amount is going from the MGA commission to an Agent. If the amount is being subtracted from the contact/agent, then use a negative number.

• The MGA paid checkbox defaults to checked, indicating the adjustment will be paid by the MGA and will be included in the MGA Commissions Pay Report.
• The Paid checkbox is the paid flag that indicates that the adjustment has been paid to the Agent
• The Check Number is the number of the check used to pay the agent
• The Check Date is the date the check was issued to the agent
• The Payee is the person or company receiving the money.
• The Agent Responsible is the agent that is responsible for the adjustment.

4. When finished entering the adjustment, click OK.

The Commission Batch Detail List tab re-appears with a Y populated in the Adj column of the record that was adjusted.

To edit or delete an adjustment, right-click and select Edit or Delete.

If you make any changes or add new rates on this screen, upon clicking Apply or OK, you will see a pop-up window appear asking if you want the system to regenerate automatic adjustments, based on that new value:

If you click Yes, your adjustments (on the Adjustments tab) will be re-generated based on any values you changed.  If you click No, the adjustments will remain unchanged.  Note that manual adjustments will not be affected by this process.  They will remain unchanged.

 

Premium Detail Tab

To view the Premium tab on the Application, you can simply click on the Premium Detail tab, review or make your desired changes and click Apply.  Any changes made to this tab from the Statement Batch Detail screen will immediately reflect on those tabs on the Application Detail screen as well.

 

Custom Fields Tab

Like other types of Custom Fields, Commissions Custom Fields must first be created in the Custom Fields Administration module, then, once created, they will be visible on the Custom Fields tab on the Statement Batch Detail screen.

 

Commission – Summary

To view the Commission Summary tab on the Application, you can simply click on the Commission – Summary tab, review or make your desired changes and click Apply.  Any changes made to this tab from the Statement Batch Detail screen will immediately reflect on those tabs on the Application Detail screen as well.

 

Commission – Estimated Tab

To view the Commission Estimated tab on the Application, you can simply click on the Commission – Estimated tab, review or make your desired changes and click Apply.  Any changes made to this tab from the Statement Batch Detail screen will immediately reflect on those tabs on the Application Detail screen as well.

Commission – Actuals

To view the Commission Actuals tab on the Application, you can simply click on the Commission – Actuals tab, review or make your desired changes and click Apply.  Any changes made to this tab from the Statement Batch Detail screen will immediately reflect on those tabs on the Application Detail screen as well.

These fields can be used to track any information your agency desires.  These fields are also available to report off of in Report Builder.

 

Action Menu Items

Actions menu items allow you to quickly access other screens from the Statement Batch Detail screen.  Your options include:

• Application Detail
• Commission Alert
• Agent Detail
• Application comments
• Save and New

 

Save and New

1. If you are entering multiple payments for this Batch, click Save And New button to save the record you just entered and clear the screen in order to quickly add another entry.

2. Repeat the process of adding payments until the entire statement has been entered.

3. When complete, Select OK.

The Commission Batch Detail List tab re-appears with the payments populated in the table.

 

Commission Batch Detail List Columns

Once you have added at least one Batch Detail, you will see information populated in the Commission Batch Detail List tab.  The columns are listed below.

 

Import Commission Statements

To start the process of Importing Commission Statements, simply create a new batch using the current process.

1. Click Administration > Commissions then hover over Actual Commissions, and select Statements. 

2. On the Statement Batch List screen select the Add Batch button.

The Statement Batch Header screen appears.

3. Populate all required fields as per the current process.

4. Select Next to save the Header details.

The Commission Batch Detail List tab displays.

There are two new links found on this screen: Download Template File and Import Statement Details.

 

Download the Template File

To import your carrier statements into Agency Integrator, they must first be input into the Commission Statement Import Template to ensure uniformity of carrier data for processing.  To access this new template, click on the Download Template File link and the template will open in Excel:

You do not need to download the template file each time you input a new Statement. Feel free to save a copy to your computer and populate and change that version with each new Statement you process.

 

Populate the Template

The Commission Statement Import Template has rules assigned to each column of data to assist with the import to Agency Integrator.  Rules must be adhered to, or the system will report errors and may not successfully import the Statement.

• Columns may not be added or removed from the template. Even if a column is blank and contains no data, it must be left on the spreadsheet.
• Columns with red font are required and must be completed before importing the template.
• Columns with black font are not required and do not need to be completed before importing the template.
• Exact spacing on entries is required. For example, in the Paid Source column, you must enter “Agent Commission” not “AgentCommission.”
• Exact capitalization on entries is not required
• You can combine multiple Statements on to one import template, as long as they are from the same Carrier.
• By hovering over any column, a comment box will appear with information on what data is allowed in that field, and the way it needs to be formatted for successful import:

Certain fields within the template will overwrite case data if there is a matching case within Agency Integrator.  Those columns are:

• Comm Premium (Commissionable Premium)
• Modal Comm Amount (Modal Commission Amount)

Other fields within the template will keep the data from the case within Agency Integrator, even if a different value is found in the template data.  Those columns are: Insured Name, Mode, Modal Premium, Payee SSN, Payee Name, Agent Name.

Once you have completed the Commission Import Statement Template, save as an Excel workbook. Now you are ready to import the template into Agency Integrator.

 

Import the Template File

1. To import the completed template into your environment, click the Import Statement Details button on the Commission Batch Detail tab:

The Import Statement modal window displays.

2. Click Select Upload File link, browse for your completed template file, and select it.

Increment Policy Year by 1

Before clicking the Import button, you need to choose whether or not to check the Increment Policy Year by 1 box.  If the carrier you are uploading the statement for considers the first 12 months of the policy to be year 0, you will want to check the Increment Policy Year by 1 box.  This value also determines the correct First year/Renewal indicator on the statement.

If the Carrier you are uploading the statement for considers the first 12 months of the policy to be year 1, you do not need to check the box.

 

Process the Template File

Once you have selected the Excel file to upload, the system will indicate that the file is done loading.

1. Click the Import button.

The data will load onto the Commission Batch Detail List tab, and you will receive a message showing the number of records loaded.

If the import data was inputted without errors, you can continue with your usual commission adjustment and review process before posting the batch.  To continue with the adjustment and review process, click the “x” in the top right-hand corner of the Import Statement window to close it.

 

Error Handling

If there is one error in the data you import, the file will not upload or process, and you will need to fix the errors on the spreadsheet and re-upload. The error handling process differs depending on how many errors were found.

Imported Data with Fewer than 15 Errors

If the imported data has less than 15 errors in the excel file (required fields left blank, data that doesn’t contain one of the set responses, etc.) a red warning box will appear at the bottom of the Commission Batch Detail List tab notifying you of the errors.  The box will contain which row on the Commission Import Statement Template contains the error to assist in correcting the imported data.

To fix the imported data, open up your saved excel file, proceed to the rows that the warning box referenced, and correct the data.  Save the excel file with the changes and then repeat the steps to import the statement template.  If all of the errors were corrected, you will be able to continue with the commission adjustment and review process.

Imported Data with More than 15 Errors

If the imported data has more than 15 errors in the excel file, a red warning box will appear at the bottom of the Commission Batch Detail List tab notifying you that there are excessive errors in the file.  Click the Download error.txt link to download a text file that contains the list of errors.

The text file will open by default in Notepad or Word pad, depending on what software you are using.  If you prefer to view the file in an Excel format, choose to Save the file instead of opening it.  Find the saved file, right-click and select Open With, choose Excel, and the file will open in an Excel workbook.

To fix the imported data, proceed to the rows that the Downloaderror.txt file referenced, and correct the data.  Save the Excel file with the changes and then repeat the steps to import the statement template.  If all of the errors were corrected, you will be able to continue with the commission adjustment and review process.

 

Delete a Batch Detail

1. To delete an entry from the Batch, right click the entry and select Delete.

The Delete Batch Detail screen appears.

2. To delete the highlighted entry, select Yes.

 

Policy Level Commission Alert

Complete the following steps to set a policy level Custom Alert message. While active, the alert will appear any time a user is entering a commission statement and enters the policy number.

1. Click Actions the Commission Alert from the Statement Batch Detail screen.

The Commission Alert tab on the Application Detail screen appears.

2. Click Add Alert button and type the message that you would like to automatically pop-up the next time the policy number is entered on a commission statement.

3. Click OK to save the message. Click OK on the Application Detail screen to return to the Statement Batch Detail screen.

To view a commission Alert, the next time the policy number is entered on a commission statement.

The Commission Alert box automatically appears, displaying the message entered by the original user.

4. Click Ok to continue to the Statement Batch Detail screen.

To Delete a Commission Alert you need to click Actions and select Commission Alert. The Commission Alert tab on the Application Detail screen appears. Right click on the Commission Alert and select Delete.

Reviewed Check Box

There is a Reviewed checkbox on each Batch, so that you can have a way to indicate that a batch has been reviewed.  Use of the Reviewed check box is not required, but could be helpful depending on your workflow.

Search Within a Batch

Depending on the number of entries in the Commission Statement, the detail for the Batch can be very long. The Search section of this screen allows you to enter search criteria in order to locate a specific entry. The criteria used for the search depends on the sort you select on this screen. To sort the records in the list by Policy #, click on the Policy # column header. Enter your search criteria in the Search field and click Search. To sort by Insured, click on the Case Name column header. Enter your search criteria in the Search field and click Search.

View All Adjustments

Select the All Adjustments tab to view the adjustments that have been generated for the entire Batch, including those that have been automatically generated.

 

Reconcile Commission Statement Batch

The system does not require the batch header to reconcile with the batch detail. The process of reconciling the commission statement batch is optional.

Notice that the data in the Entry summary box has automatically updated based on the entries made to the Batch.

Confirm that these totals match the Deposit Amount. When the totals match, you are ready to Post the Commission Statement Batch.

 

Post a Commission Statement Batch

When all of the adjustments are complete, the Batch needs to be posted. Posting the batch will make the commission entries viewable from the Paid Application and Agent records. This process also generates the information for the MGA Pay Commissions Report.

From the Statement Batch List screen, right click on the Batch to be Posted and select Post Batch.

A message screen appears, confirming that you want to Post the Batch, select Yes.

The Statement Batch List screen re-appears. Now that the Batch has been Posted, it no longer appears in the list.

Paid Application Commission View

To view the Commission Actuals, Estimated, and Summary tabs from the application detail screen, hover over the Tabs Menu then select Commission.  You will have three options Actuals, Estimated, and Summary.

Once selected, these tabs can be Pinned or Starred like any other tab for easy access.

 

Commission – Actuals

The Commission – Actuals tab reflects actual commissions paid via the Commissions Module (Posted Batches).  This tab displays entries for all commission paid entries related to the case. These will be identified by a combination of carrier ID and policy number. Entries are sorted by Statement Date with the newest at the top.

Right-Click and Double Click Options

Double-clicking the detail entry will open the Statement Batch Header of the selected entry, if the user has Rights to access to Posted Batches. Right-clicking the detail entry will give you options to either visit the Statement Batch Header or the Batch Detail / Payment Detail.

 

Commission – Estimated

The Commission – Estimated tab displays a summary of the total estimated commission rates to be paid out for the first year.

Add a Rate

A User Right is required to add a new rate.  Click the Add Rate button and complete your selections as desired.  Click OK to save your changes.  Note that the Description of your rate will display “Manual.” This will aid in troubleshooting and discerning which rates are from a Schedule vs. rates that have been manually added or edited.

If you add a manual Rate to an Application, it will not be removed when the Regenerate Rates button is clicked.  To remove the rate, it will need to be manually deleted.

Edit a Rate

To edit a Rate, a User Right is required.  Right-click and select Edit Rate, or double click to open the selected rate and make changes.  Once you have edited a rate, the Description column will change to display “Manual” rather than the name of the Schedule, Special Deal, etc. that the rate comes from.

Note that this action will edit the rate on that particular Application only, it will not change the Schedule, Special Deal, Override Share, etc. that the rate comes from.  To do that, you will need to edit the Rate Source instead.

Delete a Rate Source

Right-clicking and selecting Edit Rate Source will take you into the Schedule, Special Deal, Override Share, ECP, etc. that the rate comes from if your User ID has the Rights to access those areas.  If you have the proper user Rights, you can edit the rate at its source for all applicable applications from this shortcut, rather than having to locate and navigate to the exact Schedule or other source of the rate.

Delete a Rate

Deleting a rate requires a user Right.  If you have access, you can right-click and select Delete Rate and the rate will be removed from the Application.  Note that the Rate Source is not removed or changed, only that particular rate.  If you click Regenerate Rates, the rate you deleted may re-appear if the Schedule, Special Deal, etc. that it came from is still applicable to the Application.

 

Commission – Summary

The Commission – Summary tab displays First Year Actual and Estimated commissions together, for all parties:

• Agent (in green)
• Hierarchy (in orange)
• ECP (in purple)
• Agency (MGA) (in blue)

See the diagram below for further explanation on the layout of and values found on the Commission – Summary tab:

 

Regenerate Rates

If you have made any changes to how the commissions are determined on the application since its entry (i.e. Hierarchy selection, addition of Special Deals, changes to Override Sharing scenarios, or Commission Schedules) it is necessary to click the Regenerate Rates button.  It can be found on two tabs.

The Commission – Summary Tab:

And the Commission – Estimated Tab:

The system will then regenerate the estimated commissions on the application based on the current commission scenarios, rather than the ones present at the time the Application was entered.

The estimated commission on the application will automatically regenerate when a User or Auto-Receipting makes one of the following changes:

• Add/Change the Application Signed Date
• Add/Change the Product
• Add/Change the Carrier
• Add/Remove an Agent
• Change in the Agent Split %
• Add/Remove a Hierarchy

 

Agent Commission Summary

To view an Agent’s commissions, search for the Agent. From the Contact Detail screen, click Actions and select Commission Summary.

The Commission Summary tab will appear:

A list of the commissions associated to the Agent is displayed. The list can be narrowed by Carrier, Statement date and Paid Source by entering your criteria in the upper section of the screen.

 

Actual Commissions – Posted Batches

Posted batches can be viewed and administered in the Actual Commissions module. This option allows you to delete batches, modify detail records or adjustments, as well as add check numbers and dates.

 

Access Posted Batches

To access Posted Commission Batches, select, Actual Commissions then Posted Batches from the Commissions drop-down menu.

The Posted Commission Batch Search screen appears.

Commission user that posted the batch Or, any combination of the above options

Enter the search criteria and click the Search button.  To view all Posted Batches, leave the information blank and select the Search button. The Posted Commission Batch Select screen appears displaying a list of the batches meeting the search criteria, sorted by Carrier.  Select a posted batch by double-clicking on the batch line item.

To change the way, the batches on the screen are sorted, click on the column heading that you would like to sort upon.

You can also right-click on a batch detail line item to see additional detail about the payment such as adjustments or the batch detail header.

 

View Posted Batches

To view the detail policy records within a posted batch, double-click on the batch.  The Commission Batch Detail List tab appears, listing all of the policies within the selected batch.

To view the specific commission detail regarding a specific policy within the batch, highlight the policy and double-click.  The Posted Commission Detail screen appears, showing additional details for the selected policy, including premium, commission schedules, etc.

From the Actions menu on the Statement Batch Detail screen, you can drill down to see more detail related to:

• View Adjustments to see the specific adjustments paid for that batch detail item.
• Application Detail to see details about the policy that was included in the batch.
• View Batch Header
• Commission Alert to add a Commission Alert for the case record.
• Premium Detail to see the premium detail screen from the case record.
• Agent Detail to see the agent information from the case record.
• Application Comments
• Add Batch Detail
• Commission Estimated Payout

 

Modify Posted Batch Adjustments

The Posted Commissions Adjustments List screen lists all adjustments associated within the selected batch.

To view the detail for a specific adjustment, double-click on the adjustment.  The Posted Commission Adjusted Detail screen appears.

From this screen you can enter the check number and check date that was used to pay the adjustment, the Paid Flag, and the notes.  After viewing or changing information on this screen, select OK to return to the Posted Commissions Adjustment List screen.

If there are adjustments that you are not paying as part of a posted batch or want to hold for payment later, you may mark the report as completed, and then come back into the adjustments you are holding and uncheck the paid box.  The next time you run the MGA Pay Commissions Report, those adjustments that were not marked as paid will appear on the report as needing to be paid.  If there are only a few adjustments that you are paying out of an entire posted batch, you may also choose to not check the ‘Mark as completed’ box and then come back into the adjustments you are paying and check the paid box.

 

Delete Posted Batches

To delete a Posted Batch in its entirety, including the Batch Header, all records within the batch, and any commission adjustments related to the posted batch, highlight the batch and select Delete.  The Deleted Posted Commission Batch Confirmation screen appears.  Enter your user ID to log the deletion of the Posted Commission Batch.

Delete Specific Entries Within a Posted Batch

To delete a specific policy entry within a posted batch, including the policy’s corresponding adjustments, highlight the policy from the Posted Commission Detail List screen, right-click and select Delete.

 

Commissions Statement PDF Administration

Once the proper Rights have been assigned, click Administration on the top menu bar. Next, Click on Commissions and then on the sub-menu bar, click on Actual Commissions then Commission Statement PDF Administration.

The Commission Statement PDF Administration screen will appear.  Selections made here are set as default selections for all users in the system. However; when running the Statement, Users will have the ability to change these default settings for that one specific run-time. Make your desired selections.

• Display Payee’s Mailing Address: This option will add an extra sheet of paper between each Payee that will contain the Payee’s default mailing address. If printing your Statement, folding this sheet will allow the address to display through a standard #10 window envelope.
• Display Payee’s Default Organization: If checked, the Payee’s primary Organization name will appear on the header of the PDF output.
• Include Payment % Column: If you check this box, the percentage of the overall commission available on the case that is paid to the agent will appear as a column on the PDF Statement. This percentage does NOT display the rate on the Schedule, it displays a value resulting from a calculation. For example, an agent might be at the 85% commission level with a carrier, but because the report displays 18% in that column on a particular payment, the Agent could get confused and contact you, asking why the statement doesn’t reflect his commission level.  Most agencies should leave this option unchecked.
• Include Payments from Carrier to Payee: If you do not enter and post Carrier payments to the Agent/Payee, leave this box unchecked to avoid additional Total lines (displaying $0.00) on the Statement. Most agencies should leave this option unchecked.
• Title: Tile that will be displayed on your Commission Statement PDF.
• Output: PDF – Generate Only, PDF – Generate and Send Memos or Excel. Note that the Excel option produces a very simple data-only version of the Statement.  No logos or formatting will appear using Excel, so most agencies should use the PDF option.
• Memo Template: Use iPipeline’s default Memo Template or use your own custom Memo Template.
• Logo: Select which of your system Logos (if any) should appear on the Statement. You can select a Logo of your choosing; or use the Logo associated with the Payee’s Default Organization.  Logos can be managed through Administration, System, Logos.
• Include Posted Date Range: Check box to display Posted Date Range on statement.
• Mask Policy Number: When selected, all but the last 4 digits of the Policy Number will be masked on the resulting memo output. For example, ********37Y3 will be displayed when masked, rather than the full number of 90UY904437Y3. Because this option is now available, all existing and newly-created Commission-type Memo Templates can be changed to be sent via regular Email, rather than Secure Email only. Today, Commission-type Memo Templates are locked down and only allowed to be saved if the Secure method is selected. Note: we highly recommend turning on the Mask Policy Number option when sending any memos via non-secure email.

 

Run Commission Statement PDF for All Payees/Contacts

The Statement can be run agency-wide, returning all payments made between the Posted Dates specified.  This is how the Legacy Report was run:  agency-wide.  There is also an option to run this Statement for one individual payee.  Instructions for that process can be found in the next section.

1. To run the Statement, click Administration ,Commissions , Actual Commissions then Commission Statement PDF.

The Commission Statement PDF screen displays.

The Administrator has pre-determined these selections with the previous steps.  However; these selections can be changed for this one instance only. Changing the options on this run-time screen will NOT change the selections made in Commission Statement PDF Administration.

• Organizations: By default All will be selected
• Carriers: By default All will be selected.
• Include All Sub Organizations: If checked, payments on Applications belonging to any Sub-Organizations of the Organizations checked will also be included in the Statement.
• Hierarchy: Defaults to Not Applicable. This means that payments on all Applications will be returned, regardless of whether the Application is attached to a Hierarchy or not. If you would like to narrow the results to only include payments from Apps in a particular Hierarchy, choose one from the drop-down list.  Note that multiple Hierarchies cannot be selected.

The following selections were pre-determined in Administration. These can be changed if desired:

• Display Payee’s Mailing Address
• Display Payee’s Default Organization
• Include Payment % Column
• Include Payments from Carrier to Payee
• Title
• Output
• Logo
• From Posted Date
• To posted Date
• Posted Date Range: Select the date range of Posted Batches that you would like included on your Statement.  By default, one week ago will be selected as From and today’s date will be selected as To.
• Mask Policy Number

2. Click Run to generate the PDF (or Excel).

The Statement appears in its own window. Make sure to allow pop-ups for Agency Integrator, or this window may be blocked.

 

Run Commission Statement PDF for Individual Payee

Users can generate the Commission Statement PDF for an individual Payee, as opposed to running it for all Payees.

To access, click Contacts and open the Contact record of the Payee you would like to generate a Statement for.  Next, Click on Actions and then Commissions Statement PDF.

The Commission Statement PDF screen will appear:

As mentioned previously, the settings were pre-determined by the Administrator. However, those settings can be overridden, at the time the report is run.

 

Adjustments Administration

Once the proper User Right has been assigned, click Administration on the top menu bar. Next, click on Commissions and then on the sub-menu bar, click Actual Commissions and select Adjustments Administration.

The Adjustments Administration Module identifies commission payouts/adjustments your agency needs to pay out of your override, such as hierarchy payments, special deals, ect. The Adjusted Amounts in this module are generated after you have received commission on a case.

 

Search for Adjustments

The search will be blank until you run a search. You will notice that by default the Unpaid Adjustments box is checked. Enter your parameters and then click Search.

Mark as Paid

After searching, you can individually mark the adjustments and then select Mark As Paid.

Locks

Once you’ve clicked Mark As Paid, you will see a lock icon in the Paid column. The Lock Indicates a Paid Adjustment.

Select all allows you to quickly mark all your search results as paid.