Insurance Agent
Insurance agents help clients work out what they need covered and arrange a policy with the insurer they represent.
- Median salary
- $81,100
3.7%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 17,300
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +2.6%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 41/wk
+1h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Insurance agents work for an insurer or an agency, selling that company's life, health, property and business cover to individuals and small businesses. They work through a client's circumstances, explain what a policy does and does not cover, and stay with the policy through applications, changes and renewals. The role sits close to broking, but an agent represents the insurer's own products rather than comparing policies across the market.
How much do insurance agents earn?
The median full-time salary for an insurance agent is $81,100 per annum, before tax, up $16,700 since 2018.
Pay is usually a base salary plus commission, so what you take home depends on how much new business you write and how many renewals you keep. Product type shifts the mix, with life and business cover generally carrying higher commissions than straightforward general insurance policies. Branch and call centre roles lean more on the base, while agency roles lean on what you sell.
What does an insurance agent do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Sitting down with clients to work out their circumstances and the risks they need covered
- Explaining policy features, exclusions and premiums in plain language so a client knows what they are buying
- Working through quotes and cover options against a client's budget and risk tolerance
- Processing applications and policy changes in the insurer's underwriting and CRM systems
- Chasing renewals and following up lapsed policies, because keeping existing clients matters as much as finding new ones
What skills do insurance agents need?
Employers look for regulatory compliance, selling and negotiation, financial analysis and modelling, backed by CRM software (Salesforce, Dynamics 365) fluency and strong client relationships and advisory.
Specialist skills
- Regulatory compliance
- Selling and negotiation
- Financial analysis and modelling
Software and tools
- CRM software (Salesforce, Dynamics 365)
- Insurance underwriting platforms
- Microsoft Office suite
- Email and scheduling systems
General skills
- Client relationships and advisory
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving
Is the job growing?
About 17,300 people work as insurance agents in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 2.6% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become an insurance agent?
Here's the path most insurance agents take, step by step.
- 1Finish Year 12 or a qualification in business or financial services
There is no degree requirement for the role, and the most common qualification among people doing the job is Year 12 or below, held by about 30% of them.
- 2Get a start in a customer-facing role
Call centres, bank branches and sales teams are the usual entry points, and the moves into insurance agent work most often come from call centre operators, personal bankers and sales representatives.
- 3Meet the training standards for the products you sell
Selling general insurance requires a Tier 1 or Tier 2 general insurance qualification through a provider such as ANZIIF or another approved course, and your employer then signs you off on its own products. Life insurance products have their own requirements.
- 4Build a client book and keep your records current
Renewals, referrals and repeat business are what grow an agent's income over time, and continuing professional development each year keeps your authorisation current.
Ready to apply as an insurance agent?
Whether you're working toward becoming an insurance agent or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can an insurance agent move to?
Moving into Insurance Broker typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $52,900 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance Broker Insurance agents move into broking to advise across multiple insurers, carrying product knowledge and client relationships into a wider market.Known move | +$52,900 | 93% | minimal |
| Insurance Risk Surveyor Insurance agents can train as risk surveyors, assessing properties and risks for underwriters using their insurance background. | +$15,100 | 37% | reskill |
| Insurance Investigator Insurance agents can become investigators, using insurance knowledge and attention to detail to examine suspicious claims with further training.Known move | +$9,900 | 45% | reskill |
| Personal Banker Insurance agents move into personal banking, using sales and client advice skills to recommend banking products and manage relationships.Known move | +$2,600 | 71% | minimal |
| Claims Assessor Insurance agents move into claims assessment, applying policy knowledge and client handling to evaluate cover and settle claims.Known move | −$21,300 | 50% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as an insurance agent?
The typical insurance agent is 40 years old; 58% are women, 90% work full-time, and full-timers average 41 hours a week.
- 40
- Median age
- 58%
- Female share
- 90%
- Full-time
- +1h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being an insurance agent?
Most of the day is conversation, on the phone or across a desk, with the paperwork fitted around it. The rhythm follows both the sales cycle and the renewal calendar, so busy stretches writing new business sit alongside quieter weeks servicing clients you already have. It suits people who are comfortable asking direct questions about money, health and family, and who can explain the same policy wording again without sounding tired of it.
What people like
- You get to know your clients. Cover is renewed year after year, so relationships build instead of resetting, and a good share of new business comes from people you have already helped.
- The pricing work is done for you. Quoting platforms and insurer systems handle the numbers, which leaves more of your time for the conversation about what a client actually needs.
- Results show up quickly. Policies written and renewals kept are recorded in the system, so you generally know how the month is tracking without waiting for a formal review.
- You can start without a degree. Employers train you in their products, and the compliance side is covered by short qualifications rather than a three-year course.
What people find hard
- Part of your pay depends on what you sell. With base plus commission, a slow month shows up in your pay, and targets are a standing part of the job rather than an occasional push.
- You carry the compliance paperwork. Every recommendation has to be documented and the files are checked, so the admin continues after the client has gone.
- Conversations about health, money and risk can be hard. Talking someone through a declined application or a pre-existing condition is part of the role, and it is not always comfortable.
- A lot of the job is follow-up. Renewal notices, unanswered calls and lapsed policies mean persistent chasing, which can feel repetitive.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ insurance agents?
Financial and Insurance Services employs the largest share of insurance agents.
Top employing industries
- 1Financial and Insurance Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Year 12 or below | 30.1% | |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degree | 23.2% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 18.7% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 14.9% | |
| Postgraduate | 7.5% |
Will AI replace insurance agents?
Insurance agent work is moderately exposed: the admin around a policy is already heavily automated, while the conversation that decides what a client buys is not. Quoting engines and CRM systems handle pricing and record-keeping, and AI tools can draft explanations and summarise a client's file, which takes time out of the paperwork. The judgement about what cover suits someone's circumstances, and the conversation that gets a policy signed, still come from the agent.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Sitting with clients to work out what needs coveringFact-finding is a conversation about a household's circumstances, budget and health, and the details that change a recommendation often come out in passing rather than from a form.30%low
- Preparing quotes and comparing cover optionsInsurer platforms generate and price quotes automatically, but an agent still weighs exclusions and affordability against what a particular client can commit to.25%moderate
- Processing applications and policy changesEntering client details into underwriting and CRM systems and checking forms against requirements is the most repetitive part of the week, and the most automated.25%high
- Explaining exclusions, conditions and premiumsAI can draft a plain-English summary of a policy, though working through what one exclusion means for one client happens in the conversation.20%moderate
Common questions about becoming an insurance agent
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do insurance agents earn?
Insurance agents earn $81,100 per year before tax, based on full-time workers, though pay commonly combines a base salary with commission, so individual earnings move with sales and renewals. Agents handling complex life or business cover often earn more than those selling straightforward general insurance policies.
How do you become an insurance agent?
You need to meet the training standards for the products you sell, usually a Tier 1 or Tier 2 general insurance qualification through a provider such as ANZIIF, and then your employer's product training. Most people enter through a customer-facing role in a call centre, bank branch or sales team rather than straight from study, and no degree is required.
Are insurance agents in demand?
Insurance agents are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 2.6% over the decade to 2035. Openings are mostly with insurers, agencies and call centres, and entry-level hiring favours people with customer-facing experience.
Will AI change insurance agent work?
It already has, on the admin side: quoting engines price policies automatically, and CRM and underwriting systems handle record-keeping that used to be manual. AI tools can also draft policy explanations and file summaries, which shortens the paperwork. What they do not do is sit with a client and work out what needs covering, so the advice and the sale stay with the agent.
What can insurance agents move into?
Insurance agents move into broking, where you advise across multiple insurers rather than for one, carrying your product knowledge and client relationships into a wider market; insurance brokers earn $52,900 more. Personal banking uses the same sales and client advice skills for banking products, while claims assessment applies your policy knowledge to deciding cover and settling claims, though claims assessors earn $21,300 less. Experienced agents also set up their own authorised agency, where earnings follow the book of business you build.
Related roles
- Insurance Broker
- Claims Assessor
- Insurance Investigator
- Personal Banker
- Insurance Risk Surveyor
- Call Centre Operator
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