How to hire an underwriting assistant

How to hire an underwriting assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step underwriting assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an underwriting assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new underwriting assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an underwriting assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an underwriting assistant, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an underwriting assistant to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an underwriting assistant that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of underwriting assistants.

   Type of Underwriting Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Underwriting Assistant	Financial clerks do administrative work for many types of organizations. They keep records, help customers, and carry out financial transactions.	$13-26
   Loan Closer	A loan closer is primarily in charge of handling and closing loan documentation, ensuring accuracy and smooth transactions. A loan closer's responsibilities revolve around liaising with clients to guarantee that they adhere to every term in the contract, preparing necessary reports and documents, monitoring payment progress, and ensuring that they have a deep understanding of the obligations under the contract... Show more	$14-24

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Insurance Policies
   • Data Entry
   • Loss Runs
   • Strong Analytical
   • Insurance Applications
   • Underwriting Process
   • Professional Customer Service
   • Underwriting Support
   • Assist Underwriters
   • Inspection Reports
   • Loss Control
   • General Liability
   • Underwriting Guidelines
   • ISO

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create and manage a file documentation checklist for all UW's and UT's.
   • Manage midterm transactions of assign book of business including: endorsements, cancellations and non-renewals.
   • Process documentation within manage database systems and ImageRight system for the legal binding of commercial insurance risk.
   • Assist underwriters in expediting new business, processing endorsements and/or modifying existing policies while achieving broker relationships.
   • Request ledger pages on the AS/400 and review for accuracy.
   • Specialize in processing commercial, development, residential, and SBA loans.

   More underwriting assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your underwriting assistant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An underwriting assistant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, underwriting assistants' average salary in colorado is 18% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level underwriting assistants 48% less than senior-level underwriting assistants.
   • Certifications. An underwriting assistant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an underwriting assistant's salary.

   Average underwriting assistant salary

   $41,000yearly

   $19.71 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level underwriting assistant salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 9, 2025

   Average underwriting assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$47,180	$23
   2	New Jersey	$46,779	$22
   3	Pennsylvania	$46,648	$22
   4	Connecticut	$46,499	$22
   5	Delaware	$46,328	$22
   6	Massachusetts	$45,842	$22
   7	California	$42,478	$20
   8	Ohio	$41,535	$20
   9	North Carolina	$41,425	$20
   10	Illinois	$41,163	$20
   11	Nevada	$40,716	$20
   12	Minnesota	$40,425	$19
   13	Washington	$40,403	$19
   14	Oregon	$40,322	$19
   15	South Carolina	$39,920	$19
   16	Arizona	$39,739	$19
   17	Tennessee	$39,536	$19
   18	Georgia	$39,338	$19
   19	Nebraska	$39,160	$19
   20	Alabama	$38,930	$19

   Average underwriting assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Berkshire Hathaway	$77,319	$37.17	7
   2	Apple	$66,902	$32.16
   3	AIG	$63,991	$30.76	43
   4	W. R. Berkley	$56,824	$27.32	23
   5	Markel	$53,886	$25.91	53
   6	Justworks	$53,717	$25.83
   7	Chubb	$51,167	$24.60	45
   8	Kensington Vanguard National Land Services	$47,360	$22.77
   9	National Life Group	$46,294	$22.26
   10	XL America Inc	$46,248	$22.23
   11	MMC	$45,448	$21.85
   12	BERKLEY TECHNOLOGY SERVICES	$44,921	$21.60	62
   13	Mutual of Omaha	$44,139	$21.22
   14	USI Insurance Services	$43,736	$21.03
   15	Brown & Brown	$42,186	$20.28	2
   16	Bass Underwriters	$41,050	$19.74	6
   17	Everest Holdings LLC	$41,050	$19.74	2
   18	Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Human Resources & Compensation Consulting Practice (formerly Companalysis)	$41,050	$19.74	6
   19	Parsyl	$41,050	$19.74
   20	The Independent Traveler	$41,044	$19.73	22

4. Writing an underwriting assistant job description

   A good underwriting assistant job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an underwriting assistant job description:

   Underwriting assistant job description example

   **This is a hybrid position and offers the opportunity to work 50% of time remotely and 50% of time in the office.
   
   Conduct initial processing of submissions, renewals, endorsements, and other incoming documents based upon established guidelines and authority. Prepare, gather, and research underwriting information pre-bind and post-bind and process new and renewal submissions, binders, and policies with a high degree of productivity and quality. Input new business submissions and route to underwriting staff as directed. Build and maintain positive business relationships with various constituencies, including but not limited to fellow employees and assigned producers. Assist in identifying and implementing process and technology improvements.
   Responsibilities I. Conduct initial processing of submissions, renewals, endorsements, and other incoming documents based upon established guidelines and authority. This may include review and research of various external data sources to be used in the underwriting process. II. Complete pre-bind and post-bind tasks as assigned by Underwriting, including preparing initial new business, renewal and endorsement quotes for underwriter review and issuing new and renewal business and endorsements as instructed. Following up with producers for outstanding underwriting information, such as loss runs and completed inspections. III. Input new business submissions, and route to underwriting staff as appropriate. Input includes data entry of pertinent customer information, and uploading submission documents to the Policy Administration System (PAS). IV. Work collaboratively in a team environment to attain corporate and team goals and enhance customer satisfaction and experience. Assist others in work processes to accomplish team workload expectations. V. Build strong working relationships with underwriters and assigned brokers.
   VI. Remain current and continue to develop technical knowledge and expertise according to CM Vantage's business niche. VII. Contribute to the CM Vantage team, provide feedback, make suggestions regarding improvements, discuss issues, develop efficiencies, and identify and assist in resolving conflicts. VIII. Participate/lead assigned projects as necessary. Qualifications 1. Prior Experience: Three or more years of experience in insurance servicing, or related fields. 2. Education: Bachelor's degree or comparable industry experience may be considered with a high school diploma or equivalent required. 3. Necessary Knowledge and Abilities: • Solid technical knowledge of commercial insurance processing.
   • Detail and service oriented.
   • Self-directed, highly productive, and innovative.
   • Skilled in building relationships, sound judgment, making decisions, and influencing others.
   • Possesses a customer-centric service philosophy.
   • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
   • Thorough understanding or ability to learn new lines of business, including insurance procedures, processes, and product lifecycle management.
   • Ability to promote a team environment of creative innovation.
   • Understanding of CM Vantage's mission, philosophy, goals, and objectives.
   • Proficient in all standard business software, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Internet Browsing; creating and managing pdf files; and Microsoft Windows.
   Church Mutual is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. #li-hybrid We can recommend jobs specifically for you! Click here to get started.

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find underwriting assistants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your underwriting assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit underwriting assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting underwriting assistants requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new underwriting assistant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the underwriting assistant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an underwriting assistant?