California FAIR Plan
The FAIR Plan just cut your commission. Move your book to carriers who pay.
Starting October 15, 2026, FAIR Plan renewals pay 3% instead of 8% and new business pays 7% instead of 10% — while premiums climb. Underwrite helps you turn that shrinking book into placements: import it, enrich every home, and re-market the ones that can move to carriers and wholesale partners.
What changed
The California FAIR Plan announced a commission restructuring, citing substantial growth in policies in force as traditional insurers pulled back. Effective October 15, 2026, producer commissions drop on Dwelling Fire, Commercial / Commercial High Value, and Businessowners (BOP) policies:
| Commission | Before | After Oct 15, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New business | 10% | 7% | 30% lower |
| Renewals | 8% | 3% | 62.5% lower |
Policies written or renewed before the cutover keep today's rates. The FAIR Plan also noted recently approved premium increases — so your clients pay more while your renewal commission falls by nearly two-thirds.
Why it matters for your book
If a chunk of your book sits on the FAIR Plan, every renewal after the cutover earns a fraction of what it used to — on policies that are already the hardest to service and the most expensive for your clients. The FAIR Plan was never meant to be permanent: its own guidance reminds brokers to place coverage in the traditional market whenever it is available.
As carriers cautiously re-enter hardened California markets, many homes that landed on the FAIR Plan can be re-shopped. The hard part has always been knowing which ones — and proving to a carrier that the risk is writable. That is exactly what Underwrite is built to do.
Turn your FAIR Plan book into placements
Bring your book into Underwrite and work it in one place — no stitching together vendor portals or re-keying every address.
Import your book
Upload a CSV of your FAIR Plan policies, or follow our per-AMS export steps. Messy export? Our AI cleanup maps the columns and normalizes carriers, premiums, and dates before import.
Enrich every home
Each address is enriched with wildfire, flood, wind, and earthquake risk, replacement cost, and an insurability read — the picture a carrier needs to say yes.
Re-market in one click
Select the homes you want to move and request quotes from our wholesale partners (and carriers) who write coverage the FAIR Plan is meant to be a last resort for.
Place it and keep your commission
Move admitted-eligible homes back to the traditional market — better coverage for your client, and a commission that a 3% renewal can’t match.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is changing with California FAIR Plan commissions?
Effective October 15, 2026, the California FAIR Plan is cutting producer commissions from 10% to 7% on new business and from 8% to 3% on renewals, on Dwelling Fire, Commercial / Commercial High Value, and Businessowners (BOP) policies. CEA business is unaffected.
Do the cuts apply to my existing book?
Policies written or renewed before October 15, 2026 keep the current rates (10% new, 8% renewal). The reduced rates apply to business written or renewed on or after that date — so every FAIR Plan renewal after the cutover earns 3% instead of 8%.
How does Underwrite help me respond?
Underwrite lets you import your FAIR Plan book (by CSV or AMS export), enriches every home with risk and insurability data, and lets you re-market the homes that can move to wholesale partners and carriers in a couple of clicks — so the renewals losing commission become placements you can actually win.
Which policies can move off the FAIR Plan?
The FAIR Plan is California’s insurer of last resort, and its own guidance reminds brokers to place coverage in the traditional market whenever it is available. As carriers re-enter hardened markets, many homes that landed on the FAIR Plan can be re-shopped to admitted or surplus-lines carriers. Underwrite’s enrichment shows you which ones are the best candidates.
How do I get started?
Apply for a broker account, import your book, and start re-marketing. It is free to bring your book in and see the insurability read on every home.
Bring your FAIR Plan book to Underwrite
Import it, see the insurability read on every home, and re-market the ones that can move — before your renewals reprice to 3%.