KeeperSide Hustle Index
Add a review
← All hustles
Professional services

Insurance sales

You sell insurance policies and earn commission on what clients buy, plus renewals. You need a state license, and building a book takes time.

3.8Last review 2 weeks agoLow data
Add a review
Low data. These numbers come from just 2 reviews, so treat them as an early signal, not a reliable average — they'll sharpen as more people report.
Median monthly earnings
$563
Middle 50%: $375 – $750
Effective hourly
$16.25
Earnings over the hours people logged
Hours per week
13 hrs
Median across reviews
Startup cost
$100–500
To get up and running
Time to first $100
3–6 months
From starting out
Monthly expenses
Under $50
To keep it running
Schedule flexibility
Fully on my own terms
Most common answer
Would recommend it
50%
1 of 2 say yes or probably yes
What people make in a month
Gross earnings people entered themselves, before expenses and taxes. 2 reviews.
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
Under $100
$100–250
$250–500
$500–1,000
$1,000–2,000
$2,000–3,500
$3,500–5,000
$5,000–10,000
$10,000+
By platform
How many reviewers use each platform. Many people work more than one.
Upwork
1 reviewer
How it scores
Happiness7.5 / 10
Would do it again50%
Schedule flexibility5.0 / 5
Pay predictability1.0 / 5
What surprised people most
Every option reviewers could pick, most common first. 2 reviews.
How much time it takes
2
How much I could earn
1
How little I could earn
1
How difficult it is to get started
1
How difficult it is to find customers or clients
1
Taxes — how much I owe
1
How competitive the market is
1
Unexpected expenses
0
Nothing really surprised me
0
Reviews
Everyone here is anonymous. Nobody sees who wrote what.
· 2–5 years in · 2 weeks ago
Monthly $250–500Hours 10–20 hrs/moHourly $25.00

I get burnt out really quickly with how many are struggling to find and pay for Health Insurance. It's a lot of work with little reward.

Upwork· 6–12 months in · 2 weeks ago
Monthly $500–1,000Hours 80–120 hrs/moHourly $7.50

I love the flexibility and being able to work from home and spend time with my kids. I hate being in charge of my own marketing; it's the hardest part of my business. I would recommend you keep a stable 9-5, W-2 position while you're building your business; this is a long-term project. Use the W-2 to pay your bills, and dedicate as much extra time as possible to building your business so that it can replace your 9-5 one day and you'll have true financial freedom. The only thing I would change, if I could, would be how difficult it is to find clients. For some people it's easy, for others it's like climbing a mountain. I would make it easier if I could.

Already doing this?

Most people doing insurance sales overpay on taxes — here's the full write-off guide.

👔 23 Tax Write-Offs for Independent Insurance Agents

From advertising costs to continued education fees, we’ve gathered the best write-offs for independent insurance agents in one place.

Side hustle income means side hustle taxes.
Keeper — the tax app behind this index — finds the write-offs for whatever work you do.
Explore Keeper