How Does An Agent Get Paid On Life Insurance? 
Agents that are hired by an agency may be paid a salary by that agency . Agents that sell independently , or in an agency that pays according to production , get paid commission . The sale of a life insurance policy will pay the agent a commission if the policy is retained for up to a year . Some policies will pay a `` residual '' commission -LRB- much smaller than first year commission -RRB- for each year the insured person keeps the policy . 