How Medicare Agents Get Paid (The Full Flow)

Step by step

1. You submit the enrollment.
2. The carrier processes and approves it and the plan gets an effective date.
3. The carrier reports the enrollment and pays commission per the CMS schedule for that product and state.
4. You're paid the initial (prorated by effective month).
5. Every year the client renews, a renewal is paid automatically — no new sale.

Who cuts the check

For MA and Part D, commission originates from the CMS-set schedule; depending on contracting, payments come directly from the carrier or route through your upline agency, but the street-level amount per enrollment is the CMS maximum.

Chargebacks

If a client cancels or disenrolls shortly after the plan starts, the carrier can charge back part or all of the commission already paid — normal, and why placement quality and retention matter. Right plan, right client, keep them happy, and chargebacks stay rare.