What is the Salary of an Insurance Account Manager?

Not all job listings are transparent about pay. Most employers also don’t consider it appropriate to ask about compensation during an interview.

This frustrating combination of job hunt norms means you could potentially waste hours applying to a job, preparing for the interview process, participating in interviews, and getting your hopes up just to be offered a job that doesn’t pay as much as you’re looking for. How disappointing.

Money isn’t everything, but we aren’t blind to the fact that it’s definitely an important factor when considering a career. I mean, a dream job isn’t really a dream job if it’s not properly supporting you and paying the bills, right?

So before you consider pursuing a role as an insurance account manager, you probably want to know how much you can expect that role to pay.

In this article we’ll tell you just that. We’ll use our industry expertise to give you a range of potential salaries for insurance account managers, then get into the factors that could specifically influence the salary for a role.

Range of an insurance account manager salary

We know what you’re here for: to find out the salary of an insurance account manager. 

Well we’re sorry to tell you, but we really can’t give you a precise answer. That’s because the salary of an insurance account manager can vary widely depending on several factors.

Generally, you can expect an average insurance account manager salary to be between $45,000 and $75,000.

We know -- that’s kind of a wide range, so we’ll get into all the factors that influence that number below.

Factors that influence an insurance agent’s salary

Most jobs don’t really have a set salary. A salary will always depend on the specifics of the role and the person filling it. And an insurance account manager is no different. Let’s get into some of the factors you can expect to play a role in an account manager’s salary.

Location

With all types of jobs, the geographic location of the company will influence the salary, as the cost of living varies around the country.

Here in MA where our agency is located, you might see an account manager role pay a little more on average than comparable roles in the south, for instance.

Licensure

Believe it or not, not all insurance agents need to be licensed. 

Some insurance account managers just operate under the authority of the agency license (although they may not be able to perform certain tasks without a license). 

And as you can imagine, a licensed insurance agent is eligible for higher compensation than an unlicensed one.

Work schedule

It goes without saying, but how much you work will also affect your pay.

You will earn more money as a full-time account manager than a part-time one.

Prior experience 

Experience is a huge factor in determining your salary as an account manager in several regards. 

For one, more years of experience generally makes you a more attractive candidate, so you may be offered more money.

But the type of experience you have is also really important.

Experience doesn’t mean much if it isn’t relevant to the specific account manager role you’re applying for. And because the duties of account managers can vary, it’s not uncommon for experience to not align with a specific role you may be applying for.

For instance, different account managers may specialize in different types of insurance. Some may just handle claims or mostly process work, while others may talk to clients, sell new policies and more.

So if your prior experience aligns with the duties of the role you’re applying for, you can probably expect a better offer.

Job duties

Like we mentioned above, each account manager has different responsibilities.

If you’re applying for an account manager role with more duties, higher stake responsibilities, or a leadership or management aspect, you can probably expect a higher salary.

Insurance type

As you know, there is an abundance of insurance types out there. And some are more complex than others.

So depending on the type of insurance you specialize in, your salary may vary.

For example, the salaries for commercial account managers are typically larger than personal lines, because the premium/revenue size of those clients are larger, and the service work is more complex. But if you handle more higher end personal lines clients, you could expect a higher salary than just typical auto/home clients.

Amount of clients or premium

Some agents handle a lot more than others -- and not just when it comes to job duties.

If you’ll be handling more clients or a larger amount of total premium than another account manager, you may very well be compensated for it.

Size of agency

Like any type of company, insurance agencies can be all sorts of sizes. And that’s an unexpected factor that can actually influence account manager salary.

Generally, the larger the agency, the larger the premium/revenue generated. Usually this means that the agency can afford to pay more for salary, but it could also mean that you are handling more clients than you would at a smaller agency.

Compensation structure:

It’s not uncommon for insurance agencies to practice different compensation structures.

For example, some agencies pay a straight salary, some offer incentive plans, and some offer commissions on top of a base salary. 

Depending on how the agency sets up their compensation package, you might earn more for the same work as you would with another agency.

Interested in making a living as an insurance account manager?

If you’ve stuck around to the end of the article, chances are you’re still interested in pursuing an insurance account manager role.

You learned what you can expect to earn, and you understand the factors that may play into determining your salary.

But you’ll need to make sure more than just the salary is a match for you. 

You’ll also want to be sure the career is right for your skills and interests. If you want to find out if you have the right assets to make a good insurance account manager, check out this article: 7 Qualities You Need to be a Successful Insurance Account Manager.

And if you're interested in learning about an account manager role with Berry Insurance, head on over to our career page.