What is an Auto Insurance Policy Declaration Page?

A policy declarations page – also known as an insurance declarations page, a dec page, or common policy declarations – is a summary of your insurance policy. It contains all of the essential information you need to know about who and what your car insurance policy covers.

The declarations page is a summary of your policy. It does not include following:

• Details: For the details, you’ll need to read your actual insurance policy.
• Exclusions: You won’t see a complete list of exclusions, or excluded coverages from certain claims types.
• Definitions: You won’t find any car insurance definitions or explanations of coverages.

Here’s what your declarations page covers:

• Agent contact information
• Annual mileage
• Coverages: Common coverages include bodily injury, property damage, medical payments, uninsured motorist, collision, and comprehensive.
• Deductibles: Some coverages have a deductible, which is the amount you’ll pay before your auto insurance kicks in.
• Discounts: Your policy declarations page will also include any car insurance discounts you’ve taken advantage of.
• Driving history: Your driving history includes tickets, accidents, and DUIs, which affect car insurance premiums.
• Endorsements: An endorsement, also called a rider, adds, excludes, changes, or deletes insurance coverage. You could have an endorsement that increases a limit, for example, and supersedes your original policy.¹
• Limits: Your limits are the maximum amount your insurance company will pay under a covered claim. Common liability insurance limits, for instance, are 100/300, or $100,000 for a single person injured in an accident or $300,000 for two or more people injured in an accident. But while 100/300 is a split limit, you could opt to have a single limit that encompasses your maximum liability.² Coverages and limits go hand in hand, as each coverage type will have a limit.
• Names of loss payees: This includes you and any additional insured people on your policy.
• Policy form numbers
• Policy number
• Policy period: Your policy period includes your effective date (when your policy starts) to its expiration date.
• Premium: Your premium is the amount you’ll pay for car insurance; in other words, it’s the cost of car insurance.
• Rating information: Your rating information determines the amount in premiums you’ll need to pay in order to insure a risk. Rating information is divided into guaranteed costs and loss-sensitive rates. While guaranteed costs don’t change during the policy period, loss-sensitive rates change based on the losses or claims you file.³
• Vehicles covered: Your vehicles are your insured property, so your declarations page will have descriptions of the cars that the policy covers, including their VIN, year, make, and model. Learn how to add vehicles to your policy.
• Your address

Note that every type of insurance, from homeowners insurance to car insurance, includes a policy declarations page.

The declarations page is a summary of your policy. It does not include following:

• Details: For the details, you’ll need to read your actual insurance policy.
• Exclusions: You won’t see a complete list of exclusions, or excluded coverages from certain claims types.⁴
• Definitions: You won’t find any car insurance definitions or explanations of coverages.

You’ll need to show your policy declarations when you’re buying a new car or shopping for new car insurance so that you can compare the exact coverages you have.⁵

The main benefit of a declarations page is that it summarizes your insurance coverage and conditions without you having to read your entire insurance policy. Of course, we recommend reading your policy before you sign it, but if you need a quick reminder of your coverage, the declarations page is convenient.

What is the difference between a declarations page and an insurance policy? This is a frequently asked question about car insurance. While a policy includes a declarations page at the beginning, the declarations page isn’t the only part of the policy. The policy also includes the following:

• Coverage forms
• Insurance ID card
• Policy forms

Think of the policy as the umbrella that the declarations page falls under.

Here are some other terms you might find useful when navigating your car insurance policy.

Insurance Policy

Your insurance policy is a contract between you, the insured, and your insurance company, the insurer. It states both parties’ responsibilities and coverages.

Causes of Loss Forms

Causes of loss forms are part of your exclusions, specifically excluded perils. Your insurance policy might exclude damage from catastrophic events like a biochemical attack, freezing, or rain damage from a window you left open.⁶

Coverage Form

A coverage form is a section of your policy that defines your policy terms and includes your insuring agreement, as well as other provisions of your coverage, like any endorsements, exclusions, conditions, coverage details, and covenants.

Your policy declarations page is just the tip of the iceberg. To truly understand your insurance policy, read it from start to finish and ask your agent any questions you have. One of the things insurance agents do is explain policies, so don’t be afraid to ask questions, even those whose answers may seem obvious.