When agents opt into HealthSherpa’s bonus programs, they are prompted to accept a Joint Marketing Agreement (JMA). By default, bonus dollars earned are paid directly to the individual agent. This includes all payouts from the Enrollee Assistance Program, Medicare Referrals, Broker Bonus, and Associates Program.
However, primary agency administrators can choose to have bonus dollars paid out at the agency level instead. This enables agencies to distribute bonuses to their downline agents according to internal agreements. To do this, the agency must be placed on an Agency JMA.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Setting up an Agency JMA
Setting up an Agency account on HealthSherpa allows you to compliantly link HealthSherpa accounts together in a variety of structures. Agency administrators have increased visibility into the agency downline to better assist with troubleshooting and varied control over certain agent settings.
Any HealthSherpa for Agents account that is not already linked to an agency on HealthSherpa can be made into an Agency Account. The user who first creates an agency on HealthSherpa becomes the “primary administrator” (aka “primary admin”) for the agency. Learn more about creating an agency account here.
Step 1: Changing your payout settings
As a primary agency administrator, navigate to your Agency page within your HealthSherpa account then select the Settings tab. From here, go to the Payout Settings section.
By default, bonus dollars earned are paid directly to the individual agent. If you would like to have bonus dollars paid out at the agency level instead, select Change payout structure.
As a primary agency administrator, you will be prompted to select your role and your desired payout structure.
If you’re a primary agency administrator on HealthSherpa, and are an authorized representative for your agency (i.e. in charge of the agency), you will proceed to step 2 after making your selections.
If you’re a primary agency administrator on HealthSherpa, but you are not an authorized representative for your agency (i.e. you are not in charge of the agency), after making your selections you’ll be asked to fill out a contact form.
You will need to fill out the contact form to have a HealthSherpa representative reach out to verify your role and begin the JMA contract process.
Only primary agency administrators have access to the ‘Change payout structure’ menu option. All other agency admins will be prompted to contact their agency owner if they wish to change where payouts should go for the agency.
Step 2: Beginning the Agency JMA contract process
As a primary administrator with administrative authority for your agency (i.e. in charge of the agency), you will receive an email from HelloSign to begin the Agency JMA contract signing process. Complete the Agency JMA contract you receive from HelloSign.
To have the Agency JMA resent:
Navigate to your Agency page within your HealthSherpa account
Select the Settings tab then go to to the Payout Settings section
Choose the ‘Edit settings’ option
A window will launch where you may select ‘Resend contract’ if needed
Step 3: HealthSherpa Agency JMA review
HealthSherpa will review your Agency JMA request and verify your agency’s information. Once approved, HealthSherpa will sign your Agency JMA and you will receive a confirmation email notifying you of the approval.
You will also receive a countersigned version of the Agency JMA from HelloSign.
Once you receive the confirmation email, your new payout structure is considered active. Your agency’s payout settings will now direct all bonus payments to the agency instead of your direct downline agents.
Your direct downline agents will receive an email informing them of the change.
Once your agency is placed on an Agency JMA, primary agency administrators will need to reach out to Agent Support if they want to revert payout settings back to the individual agent.
Submitting a W-9 so your agency can receive payouts
Once your settings have been updated with the contractual Agency JMA, primary agency administrators will need to submit a W-9 so that HealthSherpa knows where to send your agency’s bonus payouts.
To submit a W-9 and share taxpayer details, primary agency administrators will go to the Agency page and select the Settings tab. From here, go to the Agency payout section and choose the ‘Set up W-9 payout details’ button.
When filling out your W-9, make sure to include entity or agency name, and Social security number or Employer Identification Number (EIN).
Setting up direct deposit
After submitting your W-9, you’ll be automatically prompted to create a Bill.com account. Setting up a Bill.com account is optional; however, you will need to complete this step if you prefer to receive payouts via direct deposit.
If you do not set up a Bill.com account, payouts will be sent to the address entered on your W-9 via paper checks.
Agency JMA payouts reporting
Agencies on an Agency JMA have access to a unique export within their Agency page which allows them to generate reports of the bonus dollars received. The Payout program report section allows Agency admins to end their desired payout date range to generate a report of all bonus dollars paid to their agency during the specified timeframe.
Additional Resources
For agency specific needs, contact our HealthSherpa Agency Success Team at Agency.Success@healthsherpa.com.
If you are having any technical issues using HealthSherpa, please contact our Agent Support team at (888) 684-1373, at agent_support@healthsherpa.com, or via chat from within your account.
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