Insurance Lead ROI Calculator

Plug in your own numbers to see what a lead program actually costs per issued policy and per dollar spent. This is the calculation every agent should run before scaling any lead source.

Short answer:

Per-lead price is noise. The metric that matters is cost per issued policy, calculated as (per-lead cost) / (contact rate × write rate). Use the calculator below to see it for your mix.

Your numbers

Monthly leads purchased Per-lead cost ($) Contact rate (%) Write rate on contacted leads (%) Average commission per issued policy ($)

Monthly spend$1,500

Contacts per month40

Issued policies per month4.8

Cost per issued policy$313

Gross commission$2,880

Monthly profit$1,380

ROI92%

Break-even write rate2.5%

This calculator runs entirely in your browser — no numbers are submitted or stored. Refresh the page to reset defaults.

How to use this calculator

Every agent buying insurance leads should know six numbers about their operation. Put them into the calculator above.

Monthly leads purchased. Total record count across all sources.
Per-lead cost. Weighted average across your mix. If you buy aged at $2 and real-time at $20 evenly split, use $11.
Contact rate. Percentage of leads you actually reach for a meaningful conversation (not just a one-ring dial).
Write rate. Percentage of contacted leads that become issued policies. Measured on contacts, not total leads.
Commission per issued policy. Average across your book.

The calculator outputs the two numbers that matter most:

Cost per issued policy. The only per-unit cost number that tells you if a program pencils.
Break-even write rate. The minimum write rate at which the program covers its own lead cost. Anything below this number loses money; anything above it generates profit.

Realistic benchmark numbers

If you are unsure what to plug in, here are industry-typical ranges to start from and then calibrate against your own reality:

Aged contact rate: 5% to 20% over a full 10 to 14 touch cadence.
Aged write rate (on contacted): 1% to 8%.
Real-time contact rate: 30% to 60% with a fast dialer.
Real-time write rate (on contacted): 5% to 25%.
Commission ranges: FE $400-$800 issued, term life $300-$700, IUL $1,500-$5,000+, Medicare Supplement $200-$400 renewable, ACA $150-$400 issued, mortgage highly variable.

What the break-even write rate tells you

Break-even write rate is the single most useful number in this calculator. If your break-even is 2.5% and you are writing 4%, you have a 60% margin cushion. If your break-even is 8% and you are writing 10%, you are running on a narrow edge — any slippage in contact rate, commission, or lead cost will push you into losses.

New agents often look at per-lead price first. Veterans look at break-even write rate first and tune contact rate and write rate to stay comfortably above it.

How to improve each lever

Contact rate: Speed to first dial on real-time, cadence depth on aged, caller ID health, script opener quality.
Write rate: Carrier appointments that match the prospect\'s needs, quote speed, discovery call quality, follow-up discipline after the first conversation.
Per-lead cost: Move from marketplace to direct provider, use bulk codes, test aged for nurture and reserve real-time for staffed dialer hours.
Commission per policy: Product mix toward higher-premium verticals, better renewal terms, conservation discipline.

Example calculations

Example 1 — Aged life program. 500 leads × $1.50 = $750 spend. 10% contact = 50 contacts. 3% write rate = 1.5 policies. $500 commission. Revenue: $750. ROI: 0%. This is a break-even program; a 1-point improvement in either contact or write rate flips it profitable.

Example 2 — Real-time final expense. 150 leads × $15 = $2,250 spend. 45% contact = 67.5 contacts. 12% write rate = 8.1 policies. $500 commission. Revenue: $4,050. ROI: 80%. This is a working program — and per-policy cost is $278 versus $500 on the aged example above.

Example 3 — IUL real-time form-filled. 40 leads × $65 = $2,600 spend. 50% contact = 20 contacts. 15% write rate = 3 policies. $2,500 commission. Revenue: $7,500. ROI: 188%. IUL carries per-policy costs in the $800-$900 range but the commission absorbs it comfortably.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a "contact" for this calculator?

A meaningful conversation — the agent reached the consumer, had a dialogue, and had the opportunity to quote. A one-ring dial or a voicemail does not count as a contact. Agencies that count voicemails as contacts inflate their own numbers and underestimate true write rate.

Should I use per-paid-policy or per-issued-policy commission?

Use per-issued (sometimes called per-written) commission if that is what you are paid. If you are paid on a chargeback-adjusted basis after conservation, use that net number. The key is consistency — match the commission unit to the write rate unit.

Why does the calculator show break-even write rate?

Break-even tells you how much margin cushion you have. If your actual write rate is comfortably above break-even, the program is resilient to small slippages. If it is near break-even, small slippages in lead quality or commission turn the program into a loss.

How many leads do I need to trust these numbers?

At least 100 to 200 records through a full cadence before the rates stabilize. Smaller samples are dominated by statistical noise. A single agent having a lucky week can skew write rate meaningfully on 20 leads.

Is the calculator stored or submitted anywhere?

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser; no numbers are sent to any server. Refresh the page to reset.

Try ClosrLeads for yourself

Start with aged at $1.00 per lead or spin up real-time. TCPA consent on every record, replacement policy on invalid contacts.

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