Overview

Access to commission data in NextAgency is controlled through user roles and permission settings. This article explains the available access levels and how to configure them for your team.

Commission Access Levels

Configuring Commission Permissions

1. Go to Settings > Agency Settings > Users.
2. Click on Actions > Edit.
3. Enable 'Commissions: View, add, edit and delete commissions' to grant commission access.
4. Enable View Personal Commissions/Splits Only alongside  Commissions to restrict to read-only.
5. Save. Changes take effect on the user's next page load.

Note: Only Admin Brokers can assign commission permissions. A user cannot grant permissions they do not themselves hold.
 

Sub-Agent Management Access

Creating, editing, and deleting sub-agents is a separate permission from general commission access. A user can have full commission visibility without being able to modify sub-agent records — useful for finance staff who need the numbers but should not change who earns them.

1. Go to Settings > Agency Settings > Users.
2. Click on Actions > Edit.
3. Enable Sub-Agents to allow creating and editing sub-agent records.
4. Save. Changes take effect on the user's next page load.
   
   
   

Writing Brokers and Commission Visibility

Writing Brokers with view-only access have a scoped view:

• On the Members tab, they see only splits assigned to their own profile.
• They cannot see splits assigned to other brokers or sub-agents.
• They cannot see raw carrier commission amounts — only their allocated share.

Recommended for individual producers who should see their own book without seeing the agency's full commission picture.

Best Practices

• Grant full access only to staff directly responsible for managing commission data.
• Use view-only for finance or reporting staff who need visibility but should not change records.
• Use Writing Broker view-only for producers who only need to see their own allocations.
• Review commission permissions periodically, especially after staff changes.

Overview

When you import a commission file, NextCommission checks incoming records against existing data to identify potential duplicates. Understanding how this works — and when to allow or block duplicates — helps you avoid double-counting while accommodating corrected carrier statements.

What Counts as a Duplicate?

An incoming record is flagged when an existing record matches on all six of the following fields simultaneously:

A partial match on fewer than all six fields is not considered a duplicate.

Handling Duplicates During Import

• Skip duplicates — Flagged rows are not imported. Use for fresh statements where you do not want to re-enter records already on file.
• Allow duplicates — Flagged rows are imported alongside existing records. Use when a carrier has reissued a corrected statement and you need both versions on file.

Common Reasons to Allow Duplicates

• The carrier sent a corrected or amended statement for a prior period.
• Importing a test or audit copy you plan to remove afterward.
• Two distinct policies share identical values across all six fields (uncommon but possible).

Tip: If you import with duplicates allowed, use the Posted filter to distinguish new records (not posted) from originals (already posted).

Reviewing Duplicates Before Importing

1. Upload your file and complete the column mapping step.
2. Click Continue. Flagged rows are highlighted in the validation results.
3. Review each flagged row and choose skip or allow.
4. Proceed with the import.

Overview

Posting a commission marks it as finalized — reviewed, validated, and ready for accounting. Unposted commissions are still in progress; posted commissions are the official record.

What Does Posting Mean?

• Signals the record has been reviewed and is final.
• Makes it filterable as a distinct status in statement views and commission reports.
• Excludes it from the Not Posted view, so you can focus on records still needing attention.

Note: Posting is a status marker only — it does not trigger any payment or notification.

Posting Commissions

1. Navigate to Carriers > Actions > Commissions.
2. Open the statement you want to finalize.
3. Confirm splits are assigned, amounts are correct, and any validation issues are resolved.
4. Click Actions > Post and confirm when prompted. All records in the statement are immediately marked as posted.
   
   

Filtering by Posted Status

Available via Filters on the Commission Statements page and on any statement detail page.

Best Practices

• Post the statement only after all splits have been assigned and validated.
• Once commission statements are posted, they cannot be reverted.
• Use the Not Posted filter at month-end as a checklist before closing the books.

Overview

Commission custom fields let you capture agency-specific data on commission records — a Territory dropdown, a Notes text field, an Audit Flag checkbox, and more. Custom fields appear on commission records during import and on the statement detail page.

Where to Find Commission Custom Fields

1. Go to Settings > Configuration Settings > Custom Fields in the main navigation.
2. Select the Commission Custom Fields tab.

Available Field Types

Creating a Custom Field

1. Click Add Custom Field.
2. Enter a Name — must be unique within your account.
3. Select a Field Type. For Dropdown fields, add the options users can select.
4. Click Save. The field is immediately available on all commission records.
   
   

Reordering Fields

Drag and drop any field to change its display order on commission records.

Editing or Deleting a Field

• Click the edit icon to update a field's name or dropdown options.
• Click the delete icon to remove the field permanently.

Warning: Deleting/changing the field type of a custom field removes all data stored in that field across every existing commission record. This cannot be undone.

Using Custom Fields During Import

Custom fields appear as mapping targets in the column mapping step — map a column from your carrier file directly to a custom field to populate it automatically on import.

Using Custom Fields on a Statement

On the statement detail page, click the Custom Fields button on any commission row to view and edit that record's custom field values.

Overview

A commission statement groups all commission records from a single carrier for a given period. Statements are the entry point for every commission import — file upload, manual entry, or copy from a prior period.

Accessing Commission Statements

1. Navigate to Carriers in the main navigation.
2. Select a carrier from your carrier list > Actions > Commissions.
3. The Commission Statements page lists all statements on file for that carrier.

Creating a New Statement

1. Navigate to Carriers > Actions > Commissions.
2. Choose your import method: file upload, manual entry, or import from a previous statement.
3. Complete the mapping and import steps. The statement appears in the list once created.
   
   

Importing from a Previous Statement

1. Click on Enter statement and select Get Previous Data.
2. Choose which prior statement to pull from.
3. Adjust the paid-to-date and any changed values before finalizing.

Use Previous Policies to look up and link historical benefit records to the new statement.

Filtering the Statements List

Filtering Commissions Within a Statement

After opening a statement, use Filters to narrow records by Payment Type, Client Name, Coverage Type, Paid to Date, Date Received, Policy Number, Group Number, Premium Paid, Commission Rate, Commission Amount, or Net Commission Amount.

Bulk-Updating the Date Received

1. Open the statement and select the records to update.
2. Click Actions and choose Update Date Received.
3. Enter the new date and click Save. A confirmation prompt appears before changes are applied.

Overview

When a group case has employees linked to it, NextAgency can automatically cascade commission splits from the group level down to each member record — called split inheritance. Set splits once at the group level; the system propagates them to every linked employee.

How Inheritance Works

1. Configure a commission split on a group case and check 'Enable Employees to Inherit Group Splits.'
2. NextAgency automatically applies the same allocation rules to all employees and dependents linked to the case.
3. When a commission is imported for any group member, the inherited split rules apply using the same rate type, filters, and cap settings as the parent.

Note: Inheritance is processed in the background. Changes to a parent split may take a moment to propagate.

When to Use Inheritance

• Your sub-agent arrangement applies equally to all members of a group.
• You want to manage compensation from one record rather than updating hundreds of employee-level splits individually.

When Not to Use Inheritance

• A specific employee has a different sub-agent or rate than the rest of the group.
• An individual member has a unique arrangement — separate broker, different product, etc.

Breaking Inheritance for a Specific Record

1. Open the commission splits for that employee's record.
2. Find the inherited split and select Unlink from Inheritance.
3. The record now has a standalone split, independent of the group.
4. Configure the new split period with the correct terms for that individual.

Unlinking affects only the record you edit — all other employees continue to inherit from the group.

Re-Linking to the Parent

To reconnect a record after unlinking, delete the standalone split and re-enable inheritance. The background worker will re-propagate the parent configuration.

Overview

When you assign a commission split to a sub-agent or business manager, you configure one or more split periods. Each split period defines how much the recipient earns, which commissions it applies to, and optionally a maximum they can earn. This article covers every option available when setting up or editing a split period.

Commission Rate Types

Filtering Which Commissions a Split Applies To

Product Type

Select one or more product types (Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, etc.). Click Select All to include every product type. New types can be added in Agency Settings.

Carrier

Optionally restrict the split to specific carriers. Leave blank for all carriers.

Compensation Type

Choose which compensation types this split covers — Commission (default), Override, Bonus, and/or Fees. Multiple types can be selected.

Benefit Effective Date Range

Restricts this split to commissions tied to benefits whose effective date falls within a specific window. Leave blank to apply to all benefits regardless of effective date.

Split Start Date and End Date

Split Start Date is required. End date is optional — if left blank, the system defaults to 12/31/9999 (no expiry).

Setting a Split Cap

The Split Cap sets a maximum dollar amount the recipient can receive within a given period.

Tip: Leave Split Cap blank if there is no maximum.

Comment Field

Use Comment for internal notes — contract reference numbers, reasons for specific date ranges, etc.

Validation Rules

• Overlapping dates: A new period overlapping an existing one for the same sub-agent, coverage type, and carrier is rejected with a link to the affected case.
• Percentage cap: Combined percentage splits for the same coverage type, carrier, and compensation type cannot exceed 100%.
• Duplicates: An exact duplicate (same effective date, end date, coverage type, and compensations) will be rejected.

Carrier Connect simplifies commission statement imports for agencies by automatically downloading carrier commission statements and making them available for review and processing. This guide explains how the process works and what agencies need to ensure for a smooth import experience.

How It Works:

1. Carrier Connect Downloads Statements: Carrier Connect retrieves commission statements from participating carriers.

2. Statements Appear in NextAgency: The downloaded commission statements are listed under Carriers > Pending Imports in NextAgency.
   
   
   
   
   

3. Import: You can change the carrier by clicking Change Carrier. Click Finish to start and complete the import process. To remove a file from the list, click Delete.

Key Requirement for Successful Imports

For the commission statements to appear in NextAgency, the carrier names in Carrier Connect must exactly match the carrier names in NextAgency. Any discrepancies in naming may result in statements not being imported properly.

Please get in touch with NextAgency support if you need any assistance!

NextAgency is our flagship offering, providing a comprehensive agency management system complete with customer relationship and marketing tools. NextAgency delivers a host of automation tools, seamless integrations with various software platforms, and robust reporting capabilities. 

NextCommission is our commission tracking and sub-agent management tool. NextCommission enables agencies to easily upload commission statements, track compensation (commissions, overrides, fees and bonuses), generate sub-agent commission statements, and produce incisive business reports.

To deploy the solution that best fits their needs, agencies can purchase NextCommission as a fully-integrated add-on for NextAgency or as a stand-alone product: NextCommission Solo. As those needs evolve, agencies may easily transition between NextCommission versions..

Here is a summary of the differences between the two products:

And here is a much more detailed comparison of their features:

You can download the detailed comparison here:

Here's how you can add commissions manually in NextAgency:

1. First, go to the Carriers from the Partners drop-down and select the carrier you want to add commissions for.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Next to the Carrier record, click Actions > Commissions.
   
   
3. You will see a list of all commission statements that you have received from this carrier. From here, you can manually enter commissions one by one by clicking Enter Statement. Alternatively, you can import a spreadsheet of commissions by clicking Import Statement.
   
   
   

After you click Enter Statement, you will get a set of fields that you can fill in with the commission statement data. However, you can also click Get Previous Data and get a list of all commission statements that you have previously uploaded into the system.

In this list, you can review the statement details, and then click Import to pre-populate the fields and edit them according to the latest data.

 Validate the Commissions. 

After that, click Upload Commissions.

 As a result, the system will add the statements to the list.

Do you use the same commission split over-and-over? Do you need to apply this common commission schedule to multiple cases? You could do it one client at a time. Yawn. It's a lot faster and easier to apply a commission schedule to multiple cases at once. Here's how:

Creating a Commission Schedule

1. In the navigation bar, click on Sub-Agents.
2. Click on the Schedules tab.
3. In the upper-right corner of the Schedules page, click on Add Schedule.
   
   
   
   
   
4. In the Add New Schedule window that pops up, give your commission schedule a descriptive name and fill in the following data.

• Coverage Type: Select the type of the coverage for your schedule.
• Commission Rate Type: Select one of the three options - percentage, per employee per month, or flat amount. For example, if you select Percentage and enter 50 in the Commission Split field, it will mean that this sub-agent is receiving 50% of the commission on this case.
• Commission Split: Enter the size of the commission.
• Compensation: Select the compensation type(s) for your schedule.
• Comment: Add Comments to the schedule.

 5. When ready, click Add.

Assigning the Commission Schedule

To add the commission schedule to multiple cases at once, select the required cases in the table on the homepage, and then click Actions > Assign Sub-Agent above the table.

In the Manage Split Settings window that pops up, select the sub-agent and choose the schedule in the Schedule field. The system will automatically fill in the fields related to this schedule. All you have to do is select the effective date. Please note that we only allocate commissions to sub-agents that are received. So if you set the effective date of the schedule to a date before the first case you are working on, it will not mess up the splits with the cases that have a later effective date. When ready, click Save.