ACORD Forms
ACORD 125 vs 126: What's the Difference?
If you process commercial insurance submissions, you've filled out both forms — often without a clear sense of why you need two. Here's what each one actually captures, and when both are required.
ACORD 125: Commercial Insurance Application
ACORD 125 is the base application for commercial lines. It's the form that establishes who the applicant is and what their business does — regardless of which type of coverage they're requesting.
Typical fields include:
- Named insured, mailing address, and entity type
- SIC/NAICS classification codes
- Premises information and locations
- Prior carrier and loss history
- Nature of business and years in operation
Almost every commercial submission starts with a 125, regardless of whether the agency is quoting general liability, property, auto, or workers' comp.
ACORD 126: Commercial General Liability Section
ACORD 126 is a line-specific supplement. It only applies when the submission includes general liability coverage, and it captures the underwriting detail a GL policy actually needs — none of which lives on the 125.
Typical fields include:
- Coverage limits — general aggregate, each occurrence, products/completed operations, personal & advertising injury
- Classification codes with payroll/sales exposure per class
- Prior GL carrier and claims history
- Additional coverages and endorsements requested
Do You Need Both?
Yes, for any GL submission. The 125 is the foundation; the 126 attaches to it. The same pattern holds across other lines — pair the 125 with ACORD 130 for workers' comp, or ACORD 140 for commercial property. The 125 doesn't change; the supplemental form does.
Key Fields Compared
| Field type | ACORD 125 | ACORD 126 |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | All commercial lines | General liability only |
| Coverage limits | Not included | Aggregate, per-occurrence, etc. |
| Classification codes | General business type | Per-class payroll/sales exposure |
| Used standalone? | Yes — base for any submission | No — always paired with 125 |
Automating Both Forms
Because the 125 and 126 travel together on nearly every GL submission, manually re-keying both into an AMS or carrier portal doubles the data entry for a single quote. NovaClaim extracts and validates both forms — and the rest of the ACORD library — automatically, so the fields land in your system without a second pass.
Request a Free Audit