What Can You Do With a Life and Health Insurance License?

A life and healthPre License Why Become A Life Health Insurance Agent Resources insurance license opens one of the most flexible careers in insurance. One license qualifies you to sell five product families that protect families' incomes and futures, and per the Bureau of Labor StatisticsSales Insurance Sales Agents.htm Ooh, the earning range runs from $36,390 at the 10th percentile to $135,660 and beyond at the 90th. Here is what the license actually authorizes, what the work looks like, and where it can take you.

What Products Can You Sell With a Life and Health License?

Life insurance

Term, whole, universal, and variable life policies that pay beneficiaries when a policyholder dies (variable products also require securities licensing through FINRA). Life products carry some of the industry's highest payouts: first-year commissions commonly run 60 to 100% of the annual premium, with renewals of roughly 2 to 5% in later years.

Health insurance

Individual and family major medical plans, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement policies, dental and vision, and critical illness coverage. Health commissions typically run 5 to 20% of premium depending on product, with ongoing renewals, and the Medicare market alone supports entire practices as the population ages.

Disability insurance

Short-term and long-term income replacement, individual policies for self-employed professionals, and group coverage through employers. Disability is one of the most underserved products in the market, which makes it a genuine differentiator for agents who learn it well.

Annuities

Fixed, immediate, and deferred annuities that convert savings into guaranteed income streams, typically for retirement. Variable annuities require additional FINRA licensing. Annuity sales pair naturally with life insurance clients approaching retirement.

Long-term care insurance

Coverage for assisted living, nursing care, and home healthcare costs that Medicare does not pay. Demand grows every year as the population ages, and few agents specialize here, which is exactly the opportunity.

What Does a Life and Health Agent Actually Do?

The work is advisory as much as it is sales. You assess client needs and match coverage to real situations, a primary earner needing income protection, a young professional insuring against disability, a retiree converting savings to income. You translate complex products into plain decisions. You build relationships that generate reviews, referrals, and repeat business as clients' lives change. You prospect consistently, especially in the early years. And you stay current through continuing educationContinuing Education Resources, because products and regulations keep moving.

How Much Can You Earn With a Life and Health License?

• 10th percentile: $36,390, typical first-year territory while your book builds
• 25th percentile: $45,520
• Median: $60,370, and half of agents earn more
• 75th percentile: $91,150
• 90th percentile: $135,660 and up

Life products drive that upper end: large first-year commissions on substantial policies compound with renewal income and referrals over time. Expect your first year near the lower percentiles while you build, and expect movement to track production, not tenure. What your license is worthPre License What Could Your Insurance License Be Worth Resources ends up being a question about how you build, and captive versus independent matters too: captive agents may receive a base salary with smaller commissions, while independent agents typically run commission-only with the higher ceiling.

What Career Paths Does the License Open?

1. Insurance sales agent: the standard entry point, selling directly to individuals and families
2. Independent broker: representing multiple carriers with more flexibility and a higher ceiling, plus responsibility for your own marketing and expenses
3. Agency owner: recruiting and training agents, earning overrides on team production on top of your own
4. Corporate roles: underwriting, claims, and sales management positions that prefer licensed, field-experienced candidates
5. Financial planning: many planners start with an insurance license, then add investment and retirement credentials

Why Do People Choose This License?

The barrier to entry is low: no degree required, pre-licensing education measured in hours rather than years, and licensing achievable within weeks; our guide to starting from zeroPre License How To Become An Insurance Agent With No Experience Resources covers the full path. The schedule is flexible, income scales with effort rather than a salary band, the work has real stakes since claims arrive at the hardest moments of clients' lives, and demand is durable: the BLS projects steady growth with roughly 47,000 openings each year nationally.

How Do You Get a Life and Health License?

1. Complete pre-licensing education. Most states require roughly 20 to 40 hours covering life and health products plus state law.
2. Pass your state exam. Typically 100 to 150 questions with a 70% passing score.
3. Apply through your state. Application, background check, and fingerprinting where required, with processing measured in days to weeks.
4. Get appointed by carriers. Captive agents are appointed by their company; independents contract with multiple carriers.

If you are still choosing between lines, our first licensePre License Which Insurance License Should I Start With Resources guide compares the paths.