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What is an insurance underwriter and how to become one
Insurance underwriters evaluate applicants for insurance. They determine whether or not a prospective customer should be insured and, if so, recommend an appropriate premium to take on that level of risk. Insurance underwriters use software to help analyze the risk profile of clients and to calculate costs.
They work closely with insurance agents who have direct contact with customers and actuaries who perform complex calculations to determine the likelihood that accidents and other mishaps might befall a category of clients. Additionally, they specialize in many different insurance types, including auto, homeowners, marine, commercial, personal/professional liability, and travel.
A bachelor's degree is typically the only requirement to get a job as an insurance underwriter, but relevant coursework may help in many instances.
Experienced insurance underwriters can earn well into six figures. However, if they work in specialized fields, such as health care, workers compensation, or marine insurance, they will most likely have the most significant earning potential.
What's a day at work look like for an insurance underwriter?
Robert Hoyt, Ph.D.
Department Head and Dudley L. Moore Jr. Chair of Insurance, University of Georgia
Avg. Salary $64,163
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate -4%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%
Asian 5.73%
Black or African American 9.24%
Hispanic or Latino 9.91%
Unknown 2.49%
White 72.26%
Genderfemale 66.62%
male 33.38%
Age - 43American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 43Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Insurance underwriter career paths
Key steps to become an insurance underwriter
Explore insurance underwriter education requirements
Start to develop specific insurance underwriter skills
Skills Percentages Health Insurance 11.40% Insurance Underwriting 8.11% Insurance Coverage 7.86% Customer Service 7.83% Underwriting Guidelines 6.53% Complete relevant insurance underwriter training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New insurance underwriters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an insurance underwriter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real insurance underwriter resumes.Research insurance underwriter duties and responsibilities
- Manage patient's records, appointments, and account balances while adhering to HIPPA standards.
- Manage A/R, A/P, credentialing, surgery scheduling, and coordinate patient referrals to other physicians.
- Manage operating procedure and accounting systems for payroll, operating expenses, supplies and inventory management and commercial accounts.
- Prepare all HCFA billing with proper ICD-9 codes and CPT codes for accurate turn around time on payments.
Prepare your insurance underwriter resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your insurance underwriter resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an insurance underwriter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable insurance underwriter resume templates
Build a professional insurance underwriter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your insurance underwriter resume.
Apply for insurance underwriter jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an insurance underwriter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first insurance underwriter job
Are you an insurance underwriter?
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Average insurance underwriter salary
The average insurance underwriter salary in the United States is $64,163 per year or $31 per hour. Insurance underwriter salaries range between $35,000 and $116,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do insurance underwriters rate their job?
Insurance underwriter reviews
Remote work, banking hours and benefits
High pressure, Toxic work environment when rates increase & people become defensive & scared of layoffs
Remote work opportunity
High pressure environment, constant scrutiny of job performance
I was fortunate to start via an underwriting training program with a large insurance company. These are difficult to get into now and companies aren't as committed to training. The training offered me a great overview of the industry & various product lines. This offered me flexibility as I learned new products and specialty programs. I enjoy a 9-5 role, great benefits, good bonuses and travel. You also meet many people with variety of education and professional backgrounds and interests and make great long term friendships. The industry welcomes and needs people with many talents. I've enjoyed working remote and with small teams in the office.
Industry goes through high & low pricing cycles with, making lots of money or struggling to make budget. This puts direct pressure on underwriters to produce new business in a crowded space promoting the same basic products. I see younger underwriters now with business degrees, advanced degrees & industry certifications promoted quickly with little experience. Underwriting/computer systems are often dated and inefficient. We spend too much time sitting and looking at double monitors with lots of eye strain.
Updated January 8, 2025
