Insurance Lead Cost Calculator
Last updated · June 2026
A free calculator for agencies, FMOs, IMOs, and call centers to model the unit economics of an insurance lead program — cost per lead, cost per appointment, cost per acquisition, revenue per lead, break-even lead cost, and monthly and annual revenue potential. Adjust the inputs to your own funnel benchmarks; the model recomputes instantly.
Estimates only. Real-world economics depend on producer skill, speed-to-dial, persistency, chargebacks, carrier mix, and compliance posture. Not a guarantee of results.
How to use the calculator
Start with your current monthly lead volume and per-lead cost, then enter your funnel benchmarks from the last 90 days. If you don't have your own numbers yet, the defaults reflect typical exclusive Medicare Advantage economics: 75% contact rate, 30% appointment rate, 33% close rate, and $650 average first-year commission. The tool will surface the two numbers that matter most — cost per acquisition and break-even lead cost — so you can stress-test whether your current lead price is profitable at your real funnel conversion.
What each output means
Cost per acquisition (CPA) is total monthly lead spend divided by issued policies. It is the single most important number in any lead program and the only one that lets you compare exclusive vs. shared, vertical vs. vertical, or vendor vs. vendor on equal footing.
Revenue per lead is monthly first-year commission divided by leads purchased — the gross revenue a single record produces on average.
Break-even lead cost is the maximum you can pay per lead before the program loses money on a first-year-commission basis. Programs with strong renewal economics can run above break-even on year-one and still be profitable lifetime; programs without renewals cannot.
Benchmark conversion rates by vertical
Use these as starting points if you're modeling a vertical you haven't run yet — then replace with your own numbers as soon as you have 90 days of production data.
| Vertical (exclusive) | Contact | Appt | Close |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicare Advantage | 70–85% | 25–35% | 28–38% |
| Medicare Supplement | 70–82% | 28–38% | 25–35% |
| Turning 65 (T65) | 72–85% | 30–40% | 30–40% |
| Final Expense | 68–80% | 25–35% | 22–32% |
| Life / IUL | 60–75% | 22–32% | 20–30% |
Frequently asked questions
What is a good insurance lead cost?
It depends on vertical and exclusivity. Exclusive Medicare Advantage leads typically run $35–$75, exclusive final expense leads $25–$55, exclusive life and IUL leads $40–$120, and exclusive Medicare Supplement leads $40–$80. Shared leads run a fraction of those rates but require much higher dial volume and produce a higher cost per issued policy in most agencies.
How much should Medicare leads cost?
Exclusive Medicare Advantage leads typically cost $35–$75 per record during AEP and $25–$60 outside AEP. Exclusive T65 leads run $45–$90 because of the narrow age window and intent quality. Exclusive Medicare Supplement leads run $40–$80. Live transfers for Medicare run $55–$120 depending on screening depth.
What is a good insurance lead conversion rate?
On exclusive leads, a healthy benchmark is 70–85% contact rate, 25–40% appointment rate from contacts, and 25–40% close rate from appointments. On shared leads expect roughly half those numbers because of competing buyers and consent friction. Persistency and chargebacks also matter — a high close rate with poor persistency is not a profitable program.
How do agencies calculate cost per acquisition?
Cost per acquisition (CPA) equals total lead spend divided by issued policies. Example: 200 leads at $45 each is $9,000 spent. If 70% contact, 30% book an appointment, and 33% close, that's 14 policies — a $643 CPA. Always use issued policy count, not submitted apps, so chargebacks and not-takens are reflected.
How many leads are needed to write one policy?
Using the same benchmarks — 75% contact, 30% appointment, 33% close — an agency writes one policy for roughly every 13–14 exclusive leads. Shared leads typically need 25–40 records per issued policy. The exact ratio depends on vertical, producer skill, speed-to-dial, and lead quality.
Related resources
Compare lead models in the exclusive vs. shared insurance leads guide, review the insurance lead buyer's guide, or explore vertical programs: Medicare leads, life insurance leads, and final expense leads.
When you're ready to model your own program against real OneLife economics, visit the OneLife Lead Center, calculate your SEO ROI to compare organic traffic economics, review the Medicare lead generation benchmark report, see the broader insurance marketing benchmarks, model state-level economics with the insurance lead ROI calculator, or read how we measure partner results.