ACORD Forms
ACORD 131: Umbrella / Excess Section
The ACORD 131 is the umbrella and excess section of a commercial submission. It attaches to the ACORD 125 and gives the umbrella underwriter two things: the shape of the whole account, and a schedule of the underlying policies the umbrella will sit on top of.
What it is
The ACORD 131 is the umbrella and excess section of a commercial submission. It attaches to the ACORD 125 and gives the umbrella underwriter two things: the shape of the whole account, and a schedule of the underlying policies the umbrella will sit on top of.
The underlying insurance schedule is the spine of the form. Every primary policy the umbrella attaches over gets listed with its carrier, limits, effective dates, and premium. If the schedule does not match the primary policies in the same submission, the umbrella quote waits.
When it's used
- New umbrella or excess liability submissions, attached to the ACORD 125.
- Adding an umbrella to an existing package at renewal.
- Remarketing an umbrella, where the underlying schedule has to be rebuilt for each new carrier.
Section-by-section walkthrough
Identification
Agency, carrier, policy number, effective dates, and named insured, consistent with the ACORD 125.
Policy information
Whether the request is umbrella or excess, the occurrence and aggregate limits requested, the retained limit, and retroactive dates where claims-made coverage applies.
Watch for: Leaving the umbrella versus excess choice blank. They are different products, and the underwriter cannot quote without knowing which one you want.
Employee benefits liability
Limits and retained amounts if the umbrella extends over employee benefits liability, plus the benefit programs involved.
Locations and operations
The applicant's operations by location, with room for up to six: nature of business, annual payroll, gross sales, and employee counts. These exposure numbers size the risk for the umbrella underwriter.
Watch for: Gross sales and payroll that disagree with the ACORD 126 hazard schedule in the same submission.
Underlying insurance
The schedule of underlying policies: general liability, business auto, employers liability, and any others the umbrella attaches over. Carrier, policy number, effective dates, limits, and annual premium for each.
Watch for: Underlying limits below the umbrella carrier's attachment requirements. Check the carrier's minimum underlying limits before submitting, not after.
Care, custody, control
Property of others in the applicant's care: what it is, whether it is real or personal property, and the values involved.
Vehicles
Counts of owned, non-owned, and leased vehicles, plus hauling operations and the distances they run.
Additional exposure questions
A long run of yes/no questions covering aircraft, watercraft, hazardous cargo, media activities, and the other exposures an umbrella inherits from everything below it.
Watch for: A yes with no explanation. Umbrella underwriters price uncertainty, and unexplained exposures read as uncertainty.
Remarks
Explanations and context, including anything about the underlying program that does not fit the schedule.
In Relay
ACORD Generation is live in Relay. It drafts the ACORD 131 from the client record and the documents you already have, and a person reviews every field before anything goes out. See how →
Common errors
- An underlying schedule that contradicts the primary policies or quotes in the same submission.
- Underlying limits below the umbrella carrier's required attachment point.
- Umbrella versus excess left unselected, which changes what is being quoted.
- Effective dates on the underlying schedule that do not run concurrent with the proposed umbrella term.
- Exposure questions answered yes with nothing in remarks.
Common questions
What is the difference between umbrella and excess on the ACORD 131?
An umbrella sits over multiple underlying policies and can be broader than the underlying coverage in places, subject to a retained limit. An excess policy follows the terms of the underlying policy and adds limit. The 131 asks you to pick one because carriers quote them differently.
Which underlying policies go on the schedule?
Every policy the umbrella attaches over. General liability, business auto, and employers liability are the usual three. List carrier, policy number, effective dates, limits, and premium for each, and make sure they match the rest of the submission.
Can Relay draft an ACORD 131?
Yes. ACORD Generation is live in Relay. It drafts the section from the client record and the underlying policy documents you already have, and a person reviews everything before it goes out.
Related forms
Part of the Relay ACORD form library. Updated 2026-07-11. See how we source content.
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