Commercial insurance submission checklist: everything your package needs

A complete submission package gets quoted faster, generates fewer carrier callbacks, and positions you as the professional every underwriter wants to work with. An incomplete one creates delays, frustration, and sometimes declines on risks that would have been written if the information had been there from the start.

Use this checklist before sending any commercial submission. It covers the core documents every package needs plus the line-specific supplements that trips agents up most often.

Every submission — regardless of line

• Underwriting summary / cover letter — business description, operations, loss context, reason for shopping, coverage requested
• ACORD 125 — fully completed, no blank fields
• Five-year loss runs — signed and dated by current carrier
• Prior carrier declaration pages (current policy period)
• Signed application (where required by carrier)

General liability (ACORD 126)

• ACORD 126 fully completed
• Annual gross revenue (current and projected)
• Subcontractor use — percentage of revenue, types of work subcontracted, whether you collect certificates
• Products and completed operations exposure description
• List of all locations / job sites
• Any work performed outside the primary state
• GL supplement if carrier requires one (common for contractors, habitational, hospitality)

Commercial property

• ACORD 140 fully completed
• Building age, construction type (frame, masonry, fire-resistive), square footage
• Year of last roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC update
• Sprinkler status — wet, dry, or none
• Alarm monitoring — type and monitoring company
• Replacement cost valuation — building and contents separately
• Business income / extra expense limits requested
• Any unusual contents, equipment, or inventory

Workers compensation

• ACORD 130 fully completed
• Payroll by classification code — current and prior year
• Number of employees by class
• States where employees work
• Current experience modification factor (if available)
• Owner / officer inclusion or exclusion elections
• Three-year loss runs if experience mod is below 1.0 or above 1.2

Commercial auto

• Full vehicle schedule — year, make, model, VIN, garaging location for each vehicle
• Driver list with date of birth and license number for each driver
• MVRs (motor vehicle reports) — most carriers pull their own, but some require agent submission
• Radius of operation
• Use of personal vehicles for business (hired/non-owned auto exposure)
• Any vehicles with special equipment or modifications

Professional liability / E&O

• Carrier-specific application (most carriers use their own form for PL/E&O)
• Description of professional services provided
• Client list or revenue breakdown by service type (for some classes)
• Prior acts coverage needed — yes/no and retroactive date
• Any known circumstances or potential claims

Common items agents forget

• Loss runs not signed — unsigned loss runs from the current carrier are often rejected. Make sure they're carrier-issued with a signature or stamp.
• Subcontractor certificates — for contractor risks, some carriers require evidence that you collect certificates from subs.
• Completed supplemental applications — many carriers have class-specific supplements that are required before a quote can be issued.
• Prior carrier decpages — not just the current period; some carriers want to see two years of declarations.

The fastest way to make sure nothing gets missed is to collect all of this information systematically during client intake — before you start building the submission. See how a well-designed intake form captures everything on this list in a single client conversation.

Never miss a field again

AgencyAssist collects everything on this checklist during client intake and maps it directly to the right ACORD fields — no blanks, no callbacks.