4. Entering Applications

This is the most important page in the library. A returned policy — an application the carrier kicks back because something was entered wrong — costs you the commission, delays the client’s coverage, and hurts our standing with the carrier. Almost every returned policy traces to a mistake on this page. Follow it exactly and yours won’t come back.

Before you submit — the pre-flight checklist

Run this list on every application before you hit submit. Do not skip it because you’re in a hurry. Being in a hurry is how policies get returned.

Client identity

• Full legal name spelled exactly as it appears on their ID
• Date of birth matches the ID (a wrong DOB changes the rate and voids the app)
• Social Security number entered and double-checked digit by digit
• Current physical address (not a P.O. box where the carrier won’t allow it)

Coverage details

• Product and face amount match what you actually presented and the client agreed to
• Term length or product option is the one quoted
• Rate class matches the health answers (don’t submit “Preferred” if the health questions don’t support it)

Beneficiary

• Beneficiary full legal name and relationship entered
• Beneficiary percentages add up to 100%
• A contingent beneficiary listed when the client wants one

Health & underwriting

• Every health question answered — no blanks
• Medications and conditions listed honestly and completely
• Height and weight entered

Payment — the #1 cause of returns

• Bank routing and account number entered correctly and re-read
• First payment (draft) date set to a day funds will actually be there — a returned first draft is the single most common reason a policy lapses in month one
• Payment mode (monthly / annual) matches what the client agreed to

Replacement

• If this policy replaces existing coverage, the replacement form is completed and attached. A missing replacement form is an automatic kickback.

Submit, then confirm

1. Submit through the carrier’s e-app portal, not a paper app, whenever the carrier offers it. E-apps catch missing fields before they become returns.
2. Get the confirmation / policy number and log it in the CRM.
3. Watch for a carrier request. If underwriting needs more info, they email within a few days. Respond fast — a stalled request becomes a declined application.

If a policy still comes back

1. Read the return reason carefully — the carrier states exactly what’s wrong.
2. Fix only what they flagged and resubmit; don’t rewrite the whole thing.
3. Log what caused it. If the same reason shows up twice, tell your partner so we fix the process, not just the one app.

The returned-policy cheat sheet

The five things that cause almost every return:

1. Wrong first-payment date — client’s account was empty on the draft day.
2. Missing replacement form — replaced an existing policy without the form.
3. DOB or SSN typo — one wrong digit.
4. Blank health question — an unanswered field the carrier won’t waive.
5. Beneficiary percentages that don’t total 100%.

If you only remember one thing

Check the first payment date and the replacement form on every single application. Those two account for most returned policies at AGM.

Next step

Application submitted and logged? Move it into your pipeline and set the first follow-up in the CRM Follow-Up SOP.