Basic Premium Factor: What It Is, How It Works (2024)

What Is the Basic Premium Factor?

The basic premium factor is the acquisition expenses, underwriting expenses, profit, and loss conversion factor adjusted for the insurance charge for a policy. The basic premium factor is used in the calculation of retrospective premiums. It does not take into account taxes or claims adjustment expenses, which are instead covered in the other components of the retrospective premium calculation.

Key Takeaways:

  • The basic premium factor is determined after an insurer sets the standard premium.
  • The basic premium factor is the acquisition expenses, underwriting expenses, profit, and loss conversion factor adjusted for the insurance charge for a policy.
  • The basic premium factor is used in the calculation of retrospective premiums and does not consider account taxes or claims adjustment expenses.

Understanding the Basic Premium Factor

The basic premium factor is determined after an insurer sets the standard premium. A policy’s retrospective premium is calculated as (basic premium plus converted losses) multiplied by the tax multiplier. The basic premium is calculated by multiplying the basic premium factor by the standard premium.

The converted loss is calculated by multiplying the loss conversion factor by the losses incurred. The basic premium is less than the standard premium because of the basic premium factor. The function is to provide the retrospective insurance company with funds to cover the administration of the retrospective plan.

How Premiums Are Formulated

The insurance charge adjustment allows the calculation to keep the retrospective premium between the minimum and maximum premiums but does not take into account the severity of claims or the loss limit.

The loss experience of an insurer depends on the frequency of claims and the severity of those claims. High frequency, low severity claims give the insurer a less volatile loss experience than low frequency, high severity claims. This is because an insurer is better able to predict through actuarial analysis what the losses from an insured will be if claims are frequently made.

Insured parties that bring high severity claims are likely to have higher premiums using retrospective premium calculations because they are more likely to hit the maximum premium.

The Role of Actuarial Analysis

Actuarial analysis is a type of asset to liability analysis used by financial companies to ensure they have the funds to pay the requiredliabilities. Insurance and retirement investment products are two common financial products for which actuarial analysis is needed.Actuarial analysis uses statistical models to manage financial uncertainty by making educated predictions about future events. Actuarial analysis is used by many financial companies to manage the risks of certain products.

Special Considerations

The calculations required for actuarial analysis are done by highly educated and certified professional statisticians who focus on the correlating risks of insurance products and their clients. Insurance companies typically use a schedule of estimated standard premiums when determining whether to recalculate the basic premium factor. If the standard premium is outside of the table ranges—typically a percentage above the estimated standard premium—the basic premium factor is recalculated.

Basic Premium Factor: What It Is, How It Works (2024)

FAQs

Basic Premium Factor: What It Is, How It Works? ›

The basic premium factor is the acquisition expenses, underwriting expenses, profit, and loss conversion factor adjusted for the insurance charge for a policy. The basic premium factor is used in the calculation of retrospective premiums and does not consider account taxes or claims adjustment expenses.

What is a premium and how does it work? ›

The amount you pay for your health insurance every month. In addition to your premium, you usually have to pay other costs for your health care, including a deductible, copayments, and coinsurance. If you have a Marketplace health plan, you may be able to lower your costs with a premium tax credit.

How is base premium calculated? ›

Base premium is calculated by multiplying your total remuneration (actual or estimated) by your industry premium rate. For employers with multiple locations, the base premiums will be added together.

What is basic premium? ›

A basic premium is the amount of money you pay for insurance coverage. It is the base price that a company charges for all its policies. Premium calculated is the amount of money that you pay for insurance coverage if you have a specific policy with a company.

How do you calculate the basic premium rate? ›

The premium rate is calculated by dividing the sum insured by the sum assured. This means that if you have a sum insured of Rs 10,000 and a sum assured of Rs 1,000 then your premium rate would be 10%. Calculating the insurance premium rate is a crucial step in the process of purchasing insurance.

How does premium pay work? ›

Extra compensation paid at a “premium rate” for certain hours worked by an employee because such hours are hours worked in excess of eight in a day, or in excess of 40 hours in the week, or in excess of the employee's normal working hours or regular working hours, as the case may be.

How is premium charged? ›

Premiums can be paid through monthly, half-yearly or even annual installments. Customers can also pay the entire amount as a one-time payment for the whole policy term prior to the commencement of coverage in some cases.

How is the premium calculated? ›

Insurance premiums depend on a variety of factors, including the type of coverage being purchased by the policyholder, the age of the policyholder, where the policyholder lives, the claim history of the policyholder, and moral hazard and adverse selection.

How do you calculate premium basis? ›

The premium basis, sometimes called an exposure basis, is based on a value per $1,000 of gross sales, payroll, or other defined metrics. An easy way to understand it is this: the insurer will use either your gross sales or payroll when determining what to charge your business.

What does base premium mean? ›

Base Premium means the premiums that are paid towards the Policy and excludes the premiums paid towards the Riders and does not include any taxes and/or levies.

What is basic premium factor in insurance? ›

The basic premium factor is the acquisition expenses, underwriting expenses, profit, and loss conversion factor adjusted for the insurance charge for a policy. The basic premium factor is used in the calculation of retrospective premiums and does not consider account taxes or claims adjustment expenses.

What is the basic limit premium? ›

In order to price policies with high limits of insurance adequately, actuaries may first determine a "basic limit" premium and then apply increased limits factors. The basic limit is a lower limit of liability under which there is a more credible amount of data.

What is an example of a premium? ›

premium noun [C] (EXTRA)

something extra given or an extra amount charged: You get a lipstick as a premium with the purchase of this makeup. Our customers are willing to pay a premium for a superior product. If you get something at a premium, you pay a high price for it, esp.

How do you calculate premium level? ›

The rule for determining net level annual premiums is this: divide the net single premium for the policy in question by the present value of a life annuity due of $1 for the premium-paying period.

How do you calculate premium pricing? ›

The general formula for price premium is as follows: Price Premium= Your brand's price - Competitor's price (benchmark price) / Competitor's price (benchmark price) x 100.

What is basic premium and gross premium? ›

Basic premium: Your insurance amount before the NCD. Gross premium: Your insurance amount after the NCD. Final premium: The final amount you have to pay to your insurer to activate your insurance policy.

What does it mean if something is a premium? ›

Broadly speaking, a premium is a price paid for above and beyond some basic or intrinsic value. Relatedly, it is the price paid for protection from a loss, hazard, or harm (e.g., insurance or options contracts). The word "premium" is derived from the Latin praemium, where it meant "reward" or "prize."

What is the point of a premium? ›

Definition: Premium is an amount paid periodically to the insurer by the insured for covering his risk. Description: In an insurance contract, the risk is transferred from the insured to the insurer. For taking this risk, the insurer charges an amount called the premium.

What does it mean when someone pays a premium? ›

(priːmiəm ) countable noun. A premium is a sum of money that you pay regularly to an insurance company for an insurance policy.

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