Initial vs. Renewal Medicare Commissions Explained

Every Medicare Advantage commission comes in two flavors: the initial you earn in year one, and the renewal you earn every year after.

Initial

Your year-one payment for enrolling a new client — $694 in most states on 2026 street-level rates. Biggest single check, but it happens once.

Renewal

From year two, as long as the client stays, you earn $347/yr in most states — no new application. Renewal is 50% of the initial maximum, by CMS design.

Why it matters

• Chasing only initials is a treadmill.
• Building renewals is a snowball.
• One lapsed client erases all future renewals from that client.