ACORD Forms
ACORD 88: Personal Insurance Application (Applicant Information Section)
The ACORD 88 is the applicant information section of ACORD's modular personal lines application. It carries everything about the person: applicant and co-applicant details, residence history, employment, prior insurance, and loss history. It does not describe the risk itself; that job belongs to the line section stapled on top, like the ACORD 89 residential section for a home.
What it is
The ACORD 88 is the applicant information section of ACORD's modular personal lines application. It carries everything about the person: applicant and co-applicant details, residence history, employment, prior insurance, and loss history. It does not describe the risk itself; that job belongs to the line section stapled on top, like the ACORD 89 residential section for a home.
The modular design is the point. One 88 pairs with whichever line sections the submission needs, so the applicant's information gets keyed once whether you are placing a home, an auto, a boat, or all three. ACORD introduced the sectional approach in 2008 as the replacement for the single-form ACORD 80, and after agent pushback both formats have coexisted since 2009. Some markets ask for the 80; others want the 88 plus sections.
When it's used
- Personal lines submissions to markets that use ACORD's sectional application format.
- Multi-line placements, where one applicant section supports the residential, auto, watercraft, or umbrella sections attached to it.
- Remarketing a personal lines account: the applicant information travels unchanged while the line sections carry each risk.
Section-by-section walkthrough
Identification
Your agency's details, the carrier, policy numbers, proposed effective and expiration dates, and whether the transaction is new business, a renewal, or a policy change.
Watch for: Not marking the transaction type. A policy change keyed as new business confuses everyone downstream.
Applicant information
The primary applicant: legal name, date of birth, marital status, contact information, and identifiers the carrier requires.
Watch for: Nicknames where legal names belong. The applicant section feeds every attached line section, so an error here repeats across the whole submission.
Co-applicant information
The same detail for a co-applicant, typically a spouse or partner.
Watch for: Leaving the co-applicant off when both names hold title or share the household. Underwriters want the full picture of who is insured.
Residence history
Current and previous addresses with years at each.
Watch for: Gaps in the address history. Short lookback answers invite questions instead of preventing them.
Employment information
Employer, occupation, and years employed for the applicant and co-applicant.
Prior coverage
Previous carriers, policy numbers, expiration dates, and limits for the lines being placed.
Watch for: Unexplained lapses. Continuous coverage matters in personal lines rating, and a gap without a note in remarks costs the client money.
Loss history
Prior losses for the years requested: dates, types, descriptions, and amounts.
Watch for: Losses omitted because they happened under another carrier. The reports the carrier orders do not care who paid the claim.
General information
The yes/no questions: other policies in the household, prior declines or cancellations, financial history, additional residences, and recreational exposures.
Watch for: A yes with no explanation. Every yes needs a remark or the file comes back.
Payment plan and additional interests
Billing arrangements plus mortgagees, lienholders, and loss payees with their details.
Watch for: Missing loan numbers on the mortgagee entry. The servicer matches by loan number, not by goodwill.
Forms and signatures
The list of attached sections and endorsements, then the applicant and producer signatures.
Watch for: The attachment list not matching what was actually sent. If the form says a residential section is attached, attach it.
In Relay
ACORD Generation is live in Relay. It drafts the ACORD 88 from the client record and the documents you already have, and a person reviews every field before anything goes out. See how →
Common errors
- Applicant details that conflict with the attached line sections, since the 88 feeds all of them.
- Co-applicant missing when two people hold title or share the risk.
- Prior coverage gaps with no explanation in remarks.
- Loss history that does not match the carrier's reports.
- Sections listed as attached but never included in the submission.
Common questions
What is the difference between ACORD 88 and ACORD 80?
The 80 is a single, self-contained homeowners application. The 88 is the applicant half of a modular application: it carries the person, and line sections like the ACORD 89 residential section carry the risk. ACORD moved to the sectional format in 2008, brought the 80 back in 2009 after agent demand, and both formats remain in use.
Can one ACORD 88 support several policies?
That is the design. The applicant information section pairs with the line sections a submission needs, so a home and auto placement shares one 88 instead of duplicating the applicant details on two standalone applications.
Can Relay fill out an ACORD 88?
Yes. ACORD Generation is live in Relay: it drafts ACORD forms from the client record and 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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