Glossary · Insurance agency commissions
Direct bill commission download
A direct bill commission download is a carrier’s direct bill commission statement delivered electronically into an agency management system, line by line, instead of as a PDF or spreadsheet someone keys in. Agents often shorten it to “commission download.”
What it means
On direct bill business the carrier collects the premium and pays the agency a monthly commission statement. The download is the same statement sent as data. ACORD’s P&C data standards page describes AL3 as “a one-way, batch communication method for policy and commission data,” and Ivans lists the “Direct Bill Commission Statement (DBCS)” on its Ivans Download page.
How it works: the carrier has to offer it and the system has to be set up to take it. Applied Epic’s help on direct bill reconciliation puts the two routes side by side: transactions can be added “via import if the carrier sends commission in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet” or “via download, if the carrier supports Direct Bill Commission Download.” Other systems word it differently; the carrier-by-carrier setup is the same idea.
How it shows on a commission statement
The download replaces typing, not checking. Each downloaded line still has to be matched to a policy in your book and compared with the rate you expect. Lines the system can’t match usually wait in a holding queue, and policies with no line at all are invisible unless someone looks for them.
What Lapidar reads. Lapidar does not read AL3 files or connect to Ivans or to your management system’s download. It reads the statement files carriers let you save: CSV, XLSX and PDF.
Example
| Policy | Premium | Expected rate | Expected | Downloaded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EX-60211 | $1,400.00 | 12% | $168.00 | $168.00 |
| EX-60224 | $2,100.00 | 15% | $315.00 | $262.50 |
| EX-60239 | $900.00 | 12% | $108.00 | — |
Both highlighted lines arrived without an error message. EX-60224 was paid at 12.5%, and EX-60239 is missing from the download altogether. The rates are invented; your commission schedule sets the real ones.
Commonly confused
- Commission download vs policy download. Policy download updates coverage and premium; commission download posts what the carrier paid. A carrier can offer either without the other.
- Commission download vs reconciliation. The download delivers the statement; reconciliation checks it.
- Direct bill vs agency bill. The download covers direct bill statements; on agency bill the agency collects premium and keeps its commission itself.
Common mistakes to check
- Treating a posted download as a checked statement.
- Clearing unmatched lines from the holding queue without finding the policy.
- Not noticing a carrier’s download stopped arriving.
Questions
What is a commission download?
A carrier’s direct bill commission statement sent electronically into an agency management system, line by line, instead of as a document someone keys in.
Do all carriers offer direct bill commission download?
No. The carrier has to support it, and your system has to be set up for it. Others send a spreadsheet, a PDF or a portal page.
Is a commission download the same as a policy download?
No. They are separate feeds. A carrier can send your policies by download but your commission statement as a PDF, or the reverse.
Does a commission download catch underpayments?
Not by itself. It delivers what the carrier paid. Whether that is right takes a comparison with your book and your commission schedule.
Sources
- ACORD, Property & Casualty Data Standards. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
- Ivans, Ivans Download product page. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
- Applied Systems, Applied Epic help: Direct Bill Reconciliation (2023.2). Retrieved October 13, 2026.
Lapidar is commission reconciliation software for independent insurance agencies, in its founding pilot. Related: policy download.