How Much Does A Life Insurance Agent Make Their First Year? 
Life insurance policies do not pay any commission to the agent until the policy is put into effect , and with medically underwritten policies , this can take months . Most people looking to start out in the life insurance business do not have the wherewithal to live on little to no income for months , so count on a draw or salary to pull them through the first year . However , this may need to be paid back , in addition to the expenses of starting up . So the first year can be very tough . If you get past that , your odds of succeeding will have improved greatly . 