CMS just released the CY2027 compensation rates, and they’re back to the old numbers. Here’s what you need to know about your 2027 pay, why the rates look familiar, and what comes next.

Medicare Advantage & Section 1876 Cost Plans

Your 2027 compensation rates depend on where your clients live. These are maximums—the most carriers can legally pay you.

• Most regions: $725 initial • $363 renewal
• CT, PA, DC: $816 initial • $408 renewal
• CA, NJ: $902 initial• $451 renewal
• PR, USVI: $495 initial • $248 renewal

Standalone Plans

• PDP Initial: $130
• PDP Renewal: $65
• MA Referral Fee: $100
• PDP Referral Fee: $25

Note: Renewal rates apply from year 2 forward for the same plan type.

In August 2025, a federal court vacated parts of CMS’s 2025 rule that had changed how compensation is calculated. The government didn’t appeal. This means CMS reverted to the pre-2025 methodology for calculating 2027 compensation rates. Unless there’s another legal ruling, expect these rates to hold through 2027.

June 29, 2026
New voluntary CMS fields go live. Carriers can now report per-plan compensation rates and flag plans paying $0 commission.

July 31, 2026 (11:59 PM ET)
Hard deadline. Carriers must submit all compensation data and executive attestation. No changes allowed after this date.

Before AEP
Carrier compensation data becomes public on cms.gov.

Three separate callouts in the memo point to one underlying concern: carriers steering enrollments away from unprofitable plans by limiting visibility and zeroing out agent compensation.

Signal 1: Enrollment Forms Must Be Easy to Find
CMS flagged carriers whose online tools are too complex or bury enrollment forms. If it’s hard for clients to find and apply, it’s a compliance problem.

Signal 2: Decision Tools Must Show All Plans
If a carrier offers a plan, it must show up in their decision tools. Carriers can’t quietly de-market less profitable plans by excluding them from tools.

Signal 3: New Reporting on $0-Compensation Plans
Carriers can now voluntarily disclose which plans pay $0 commission. CMS doesn’t create data fields unless they plan to use them later. This is the groundwork for future enforcement.

What this means: CMS is building visibility into compensation practices. Watch this space. More regulation on plan steering could be coming in 2028 and beyond.

You still need 85% on Parts A, B, C, D, and plan-specific training before you can market plans in 2027. CMS will publish updated training guidelines on its Managed Care Marketing page later this year.

This stuff can get tangled. That’s what we’re here for.

Your IAD Advisor is your first call for questions about what these rates mean for your specific book.

IAD Support: Contact us for details.

We’ll post updates as carriers publish their 2027 contracts and as CMS releases the training guidelines.