Your AEP payout workflow decides how smoothly January unfolds. The season is intense, the data volume is high, and every payout error becomes a problem that echoes for months. The agencies that win in January are the ones that prepare for it now.

This guide breaks down a clean, repeatable AEP payout process agencies can use to prepare, calculate, and release commissions without late nights, blown spreadsheets, or messy agent escalations. You can apply it with or without automation, but the benefits multiply fast when software does the heavy lifting.

This is your blueprint for a calmer January, stronger cash flow visibility, and fewer commission fires.

Clean Your Data Early

Data cleanup affects every downstream task in January. You can complete most of this work before AEP ends.

Confirm All Agent Contracting Updates

Many agencies adjust contracting during AEP. Carriers update status. Uplines rearrange. New agents join. Agents switch writing numbers or move between teams. These changes impact who gets paid in January.

Your goal is a clean, verified list that reflects:

• Active and terminated statuses

• Writing numbers

• Hierarchy position

• Commission rate assignments

• Contract effective dates

Gather All Carrier Documents

Carriers issue many statement formats. Some are PDF. Others are CSV. A few are portal-only. You want everything in one location before AEP closes.

Create a folder structure by:

• Carrier

• Market (ACA, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement)

• Month

• Statement type

This reduces scavenger hunts and gives your team a single destination.

Review Assignment-of-Commission Rules

AEP increases the odds of an agent writing a policy under the wrong assignment. You want to confirm:

• Who owns the contract

• When changes took place

• Whether the carrier processed the update

• How overrides apply

Incorrect assignment is one of the top causes of payout disputes in January. Cleaning it up now saves hours later.

Organize Carrier Statements

January is the highest volume statement month of the year. You can reduce chaos by preparing for known patterns.

Identify High-Risk Carriers

Some carriers consistently release late statements. Others release several versions. A few issue corrections days before payout. Build a priority list.

Mark carriers as:

• On time

• Usually delayed

• Historically inconsistent

• High discrepancy volume

This helps your team process clean statements first and avoid bottlenecks.

Standardize File Naming Conventions

When dozens of statements hit your inbox, manual labeling slows everything down. Use a simple naming template.

CarrierName_Month_Year_Type.csv
CarrierName_Month_Year_Final.pdf

You reduce confusion and prevent accidental overwrites.

Extract Key Values

Every payer has different fields. Build a consistent list of what you pull into your system:

• Policy number

• Member name

• Effective date

• Agent ID

• Commission amount

• Rate

• Chargebacks

• Adjustments

Agencies who automate this step save days. Agencies who stay manual often reach January deadlines with missing records.

Audit Your Book of Business

Before you calculate payouts, you want alignment between booked policies and carrier data.

Match Policies to Statements

Confirm that every active policy appears in your records. For missing entries, check:

• Did the agent enter the application?

• Was the policy submitted through a different channel?

• Did the carrier delay issuing the policy number?

Unmatched records cause large payout gaps if you do not resolve them early.

Check Effective Dates

January 1 effective dates dominate AEP. But some clients choose February or March. Confirm dates for correct rate application.

Resolve Chargebacks

AEP often includes clients switching plans multiple times. Review:

• Terminations

• Plan changes

• Duplicate submissions

• Mid-season cancellations

Chargebacks hit January payouts hard. You want real-time clarity so agents understand why totals fluctuate.

Calculate With Accuracy

Once your data is aligned, you can start your commission calculations.

Apply Hierarchies Automatically

Manual hierarchy calculation is one of the most error-prone processes in agencies. A single incorrect upline assignment can misdirect thousands of dollars.

Using software to apply hierarchy logic ensures:

• Correct override routing

• Proper rate application

• Accurate scaling across teams

This is where Comissio provides exponential value. The system applies complex logic instantly, at scale, without rework.

Reconcile Commission Rates

Validate that every agent has the correct rates. Common AEP issues include:

• Agents accidentally assigned outdated rates

• Wrong market rate applied

• Incorrect state variations

• Missed rate changes during contracting

Rate accuracy determines payout accuracy.

Validate Results Against Carrier Files

Before generating reports, confirm:

• Totals match carrier statement amounts

• Policies align with expected payouts

• No agents are missing

• No uplines are skipped

Agencies who skip validation face the most disputes in January.

Release Payouts Smoothly

January payouts shape agent satisfaction. You want distribution to be predictable, transparent, and accurate.

Create Agent-Level Statements

Agents want to see:

• Each policy

• Each carrier

• Every rate applied

• Adjustments and chargebacks

• Total payout per carrier

• Final total

Structured statements reduce support volume and improve trust.

Use One Channel for Distribution

Send statements through one consistent method. Many agencies use email. Others use a portal. The key is consistency.

Track Acknowledgment

You want a record that agents saw their statements. This helps resolve disputes faster.

Document All Exceptions

Create a small log for:

• Manual adjustments

• Late submissions

• Unique agent requests

• Carrier corrections

This becomes your internal history for future payout cycles.

Strengthen Your 2026 Workflow

AEP is a cycle. Every January payout becomes an early signal for next year.

Measure Bottlenecks

Review where your team spent the most time:

• Carrier imports

• Hierarchy corrections

• Rate issues

• Chargeback reconciliation

• Statement cleanup

Patterns reveal where you need workflow improvement.

Automate High-Churn Tasks

Manual work becomes a blocker in January. Automation reduces repetitive tasks and increases accuracy across:

• Carrier imports

• Rate validation

• Hierarchy routing

• Split assignments

Comissio automates these steps in minutes. The time saved compounds during high-volume seasons.

Build a Repeatable Process

Document steps your team repeats:

• Data prep

• Import structure

• Validation

• Calculation

• Agent statement creation

• Exception handling

A repeatable system reduces burnout and strengthens leadership visibility.

January payouts become easier when your agency follows a repeatable framework. AEP carries heavy demand, but your payout process does not need to. You can prepare your data, organize statements, validate everything cleanly, and release accurate commissions with less strain on your team.

This is where Comissio gives agencies a scalable advantage. Clear rules. Clean data. Confident payouts.

Your payout process can be simple.
Your team can avoid chaos.
Your agents can trust every number.
Your next cycle can start stronger.