# Question for insurance Dopers: Why the screwy payment schedules? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 30, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-insurance-dopers-why-the-screwy-payment-schedules/178652 "2003-05-30T23:04:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-insurance-dopers-why-the-screwy-payment-schedules/178652/1 "2003-05-30T23:04:25Z")
Why is it that insurance policies seem to have the screwiest payment schedules? In my experience I’ve usually had to pay every other month. Or with my current company it’s a two-month down payment, followed by four monthly payments, followed by two months without payment. These last two free months, presumably, are to give me time to save for the next 6-month renewal, when another two-month payment will be expected. So what’s up with that? Since insurance tends to be the biggest expense after housing and car payments, it would be a lot more convenient for many people to have the bills come once a month, like most other things. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-insurance-dopers-why-the-screwy-payment-schedules/178652/2 "2003-05-31T00:22:30Z")
IANAIS…But you are paying on a total. If you could pay it all at once you would only have one payment. I pay 5 months, have a month break and then 5 more.