ACORD FormsCommercial Insurance Application

ACORD 125 — Commercial Insurance Application

The ACORD 125 is the foundation of every commercial insurance submission. It captures the general business information that underwriters need before evaluating any line of coverage — general liability, workers comp, commercial auto, or property. Every commercial account starts here.

What the ACORD 125 is used for

The ACORD 125 — formally titled the Commercial Insurance Application — is a standardized form maintained by ACORD (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development). It is submitted alongside line-specific supplements: the ACORD 126 for general liability, ACORD 130 for workers compensation, ACORD 127 for commercial auto, and ACORD 140 for commercial property.

Without a complete ACORD 125, carriers cannot evaluate the risk. It is the most commonly required commercial form across all lines and all carriers.

What the ACORD 125 covers

Applicant information
  • Legal business name and DBA
  • Physical and mailing address
  • Contact name, phone, and email
  • Business entity type (LLC, corporation, sole proprietor, partnership)
Business description
  • Nature of operations — what the business does in detail
  • Number of full-time and part-time employees
  • Annual gross revenue
  • Years in business
Operations detail
  • All locations where business is conducted
  • Subcontractor usage and percentage of work subcontracted
  • Work performed outside the state
Prior insurance
  • Current carrier name and policy number
  • Policy expiration date
  • Limits currently carried
  • Reason for shopping or leaving current carrier
Loss history
  • All claims in the prior 3 to 5 years
  • Date of loss, type of loss, amount paid, and amount reserved
  • Open claims status

Forms used alongside the ACORD 125

The ACORD 125 collects general business information. Line-specific supplements are required for each coverage type being quoted:

ACORD 126General LiabilityACORD 127Commercial AutoACORD 130Workers CompensationACORD 131Commercial UmbrellaACORD 140Commercial Property

Common mistakes that delay submissions

Vague business description
Writing "contractor" when the underwriter needs to know: residential or commercial, new construction or remodeling, what trades are performed.
Missing FEIN
The Federal Employer Identification Number is required on most commercial submissions. A missing FEIN causes delays.
Incomplete location list
Every location where work is performed or where employees are based should be listed, including storage yards and remote offices.
Skipping small claims
Claims that were closed with no payment still need to be listed. Underwriters flag incomplete loss histories.
Wrong entity type
LLC, corporation, and sole proprietor have different implications for coverage. Selecting the wrong one creates problems at binding.

How AgencyAssist automates the ACORD 125

Collecting the information required for an ACORD 125 typically means scheduling a call, emailing the client a list of questions, and then manually entering their answers into the form. AgencyAssist replaces that process entirely.

Agents send clients a plain-English intake link. Clients answer questions about their business in plain language — no ACORD knowledge required. AgencyAssist maps every answer to the correct ACORD 125 field and generates a completed, submission-ready PDF. The same intake collects data for every other required form simultaneously, so one client conversation produces an entire submission package.

Complete ACORD 125 forms in minutes, not hours

Send your client an intake link. Get a complete submission package back automatically.

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Related resources

What is an ACORD 125 form? Complete guide for agentsACORD 125 vs. ACORD 130 — when to use each formACORD form mistakes that delay submissionsACORD form library — all standard commercial forms