Strategic Agency Partners review for insurance agencies: fees, carrier access and book ownership
Strategic Agency Partners is a network of independent agencies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Members pool their premium with common carriers to earn higher profit sharing while keeping their own appointments.
Its managing director has told trade press there is no entry fee and no cut of commission. Members pay a network fee that SAP doesn't publish.
An appointment is what lets an agency sell for a carrier.
A commission split is the share of every commission the network keeps before paying you. Profit sharing, or contingency pay, is a yearly carrier bonus tied to low losses and growth. Owning the book means the clients and expirations, the renewal records, belong to you.
- Best for
- Established New Jersey and Pennsylvania agencies that want better profit sharing
- Entry fee
- $0, per trade press
- Network fee
- A minimal fee, quoted when you apply
- Commission share
- 0%, per trade press
- Carrier access
- Your own appointments, with premium pooled under group contracts
- States
- NJ and PA
Our take
SAP suits an established agency in its two states that already has good carriers and wants more profit sharing. SAP's managing director told trade press that you keep all base commission, and SAP holds no stake in your agency.
It isn't built for startups or agencies outside New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The network fee and the notice period aren't public.
Pros
- No entry fee or commission cut, per trade press
- Pooled profit sharing
- Selected members can write NJM business insurance
- Optional Utica National E&O
- Help buying other agencies
Cons
- Only New Jersey and Pennsylvania
- Network fee is not published
- No startup path
Who they take
- Requirements
- A growth focus and a solid reputation
- States
- New Jersey and Pennsylvania
- Lines
- P&C
What it costs
Strategic Agency Partners charges no entry fee and takes no cut of commission, as its managing director has told trade press. It charges a network fee that it calls minimal but doesn't publish.
| Fee | Amount | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Entry fee | $0 | Not charged |
| Commission kept | 0% | Not charged |
| Network fee | Quoted when you apply | Set in your agreement |
As of October 2026. The entry fee and commission terms come from interviews with SAP in Insurance Business and Rough Notes.
How you get carrier access
Your own appointments
Carriers pay base commission straight to your agency.
The network's code
SAP pools members' premium with common carriers to earn higher profit sharing. Selected members can also write NJM business insurance through its group status.
- Carriers
- Travelers, Selective, The Hartford, Hanover and NJM in commercial lines. Plymouth Rock, Travelers, Hanover and FMI in personal lines
How you get paid
- Who the carrier pays
- Your agency, for base commission
- Commission schedule
- 100% of base commission to you, as SAP told trade press
- Profit sharing
- Pooled premium earns higher profit sharing, which SAP shares with members
Your book and leaving
SAP says member agencies stay 100% independently owned and that it holds no stake in any of them.
- Who owns the expirations
- SAP publishes nothing on this. Ask for the agreement before you join
- Selling or buying
- SAP helps members buy other agencies and plan for retirement or a sale
Term and exit
- How to leave
- With proper notice, SAP says
Technology, E&O and support
Technology
- No required software
- Discounts on AMS360, QQCatalyst, PL Rating and AgencyZoom
- Optional Zywave tools
E&O
An optional Utica National E&O program with limits up to $20 million, based on underwriting.
Help you get
- One-on-one consulting
- A marketing consultant
- An annual meeting with education sessions
- Help buying agencies and planning succession
Who owns the network
- Owner
- Privately held, founded by member agencies
- Buys member agencies
- No
Strategic Agency Partners alternatives
- Combined Agents of AmericaMember-owned, for established agencies in the central states
- IronpeakNo duesNo entry fee or dues, profit sharing from $100,000 in premium
- RenaissanceMonthly fee with a first-year earnings guarantee, 23 states
- FirstChoice$500 a month, per PIA associationsFlat monthly fee, your own appointments and, it says, no noncompete
- Smart ChoiceNo monthly feeNo entry or monthly fee, keeps 30% until a set commission level, then nothing
See every option in insurance agency clusters and networks.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Strategic Agency Partners cost?
SAP's managing director told trade press there is no entry fee and no commission cut. Members pay a network fee that SAP keeps private.
Do I own my book with SAP?
SAP publishes nothing on who owns the expirations. Ask for the agreement before you join.
Does SAP own any of my agency?
No. SAP says member agencies stay 100% independently owned.
Which states does SAP cover?
New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by Strategic Agency Partners, reviewed in October 2026, together with our team's experience working with insurance agents and agency owners since 2008.
Corrections
Vendors change their pricing all the time and they don't email us when they do. So if you see a price on here that's gone up, a plan Strategic Agency Partners quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Strategic Agency Partners has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.