How To Guides

It can be overwhelming to read and understand a page of car insurance declaration pages. It can be overwhelming to read and understand because of the sheer amount of numbers and insurance jargon. But it is not that difficult.

This guide will explain how to read a declaration page.

An auto insurance declaration page can be a quick snapshot of your auto policy, reduced to one or two pages. It can be found at the beginning or as a standalone document. It provides all the information necessary to create an auto insurance policy.

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  Who is Covered.
  

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  What cars are covered.
  

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  Coverage begins and ends.
  

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  What types of coverage are you paying for?
  

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  This table shows you the cost of coverage and any discounts that you may be eligible for.
  

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  The policy number.
  

A page of insurance declarations can help you get a good understanding of your policy. It is not intended to provide an exhaustive overview of all the details in your contract.

Your declaration page can be used as a quick reference guide when you need to refresh your knowledge about what coverage you have, the length of your policy and how much it costs. You must ensure that all vehicle and personal information are correct when you sign up for a policy, or renew one you already have.

Note: The car insurance declaration page is not proof of insurance to law enforcement or DMV. We recommend that you keep an auto insurance ID card in your glove box or on your smartphone.

Although every declaration page is different, the basic information and policy can be expected.

The remainder of the declaration page will explain how you are protected in case you have to file a claim. It’s full of insurance terms and dollar amounts that can make it difficult to follow.

This is a list of common terms that you will likely come across and what they mean.

Types of coverage. It’s likely that you will see an itemized list of multiple coverage types (the ones that you pay for), with no clear definitions on the declaration page. Learn more about how they work in our types of car insurance explanationer.

Deductible. A deductible is an amount that is taken from a claim payout. If your claim payout is $1200 and your deductible $500, your insurance company will pay $700.

Discounts. All discounts that you are eligible for will be listed on your car insurance declaration page.

Limitations on coverage. Limits refer to the maximum amount that your insurer will pay to cover a specific type of claim. These are usually listed next to each coverage type on your declaration page.

Premium. Premium is the cost of your auto insurance policy. A declaration page lists the premium for each coverage type. This allows you to see the cost of each vehicle covered by the policy. You can also sum up premiums, which may be expressed in an annual or 6-month total.

Non/unstacked and stacked. You may see the terms “stacked” or “non/unstacked” on your auto declaration page if you pay for uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage , or UMBI and UIMBI, and have multiple vehicles on your policy or your name is on multiple car insurance policies. Stacked coverage means you can combine UMBI and UIMBI coverage limits for multiple vehicles under a single policy (or across numerous policies your name is on) if you need to make an uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury claim. Non/unstacked coverage will only cover the vehicle’s maximum limit.