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.
Data cleanup affects every downstream task in January. You can complete most of this work before AEP ends.
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
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.
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.
January is the highest volume statement month of the year. You can reduce chaos by preparing for known patterns.
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.
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.
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
Adjustments
Agencies who automate this step save days. Agencies who stay manual often reach January deadlines with missing records.
Before you calculate payouts, you want alignment between booked policies and carrier data.
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.
January 1 effective dates dominate AEP. But some clients choose February or March. Confirm dates for correct rate application.
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.
Once your data is aligned, you can start your commission calculations.
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.
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.
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.
January payouts shape agent satisfaction. You want distribution to be predictable, transparent, and accurate.
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.
Send statements through one consistent method. Many agencies use email. Others use a portal. The key is consistency.
You want a record that agents saw their statements. This helps resolve disputes faster.
Create a small log for:
Manual adjustments
Late submissions
Unique agent requests
Carrier corrections
This becomes your internal history for future payout cycles.
AEP is a cycle. Every January payout becomes an early signal for next year.
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.
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.
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.