How to become an Insurance Underwriter
Official title: Insurance Underwriters
Also called: Account Underwriter, Automobile and Property Underwriter, Commercial Lines Underwriter, Health Underwriter, Life Underwriter, Personal Lines Underwriter, Underwriter, Underwriting Consultant
Review individual applications for insurance to evaluate degree of risk involved and determine acceptance of applications.
Main tasks
- Examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors such as applicant health, financial standing and value, and condition of property.
- Decline excessive risks.
- Write to field representatives, medical personnel, or others to obtain further information, quote rates, or explain company underwriting policies.
- Evaluate possibility of losses due to catastrophe or excessive insurance.
- Review company records to determine amount of insurance in force on single risk or group of closely related risks.
- Decrease value of policy when risk is substandard and specify applicable endorsements or apply rating to ensure safe, profitable distribution of risks, using reference materials.
- Authorize reinsurance of policy when risk is high.
How to become one
Insurance underwriters typically need a bachelor's degree to enter the occupation. Certification may be beneficial.
Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree
Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Ways in
- College: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 35 universities in the US
- Licence: A licence is required in 38 states.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $81,370 a year The middle half earn $64,620 to $110,390.
- About 125,600 people work in this job now, and about 120,800 are projected by 2035. (-3.8%)
- People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.
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Questions people ask
How do I become an Insurance Underwriter?
Insurance underwriters typically need a bachelor's degree to enter the occupation. Certification may be beneficial.
How much does an Insurance Underwriter earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $81,370 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $64,620 to $110,390.
Is an Insurance Underwriter a growing career in the US?
Employment is projected to fall 4% by 2035, from about 125,600 to about 120,800 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become an Insurance Underwriter?
Usually. 64% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of an Insurance Underwriter?
People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.