Glossary
ACORD
ACORD, the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development, is the nonprofit standards body for the insurance industry, founded in 1970. Agencies know it for ACORD forms: the standardized applications, certificates, and binders that carriers across the market accept, like the ACORD 125 commercial application or the ACORD 25 certificate of liability insurance.
Why standard forms matter
Before common forms, every carrier had its own application, and an agency marketing one account to five carriers filled out five different packets. ACORD forms let an agency collect the data once and submit it anywhere. The standardization runs deeper than paper: ACORD data standards, including the AL3 format, sit underneath AMS downloads and carrier connectivity, including IVANS.
The forms agencies touch most
ACORD 25 (certificate of liability insurance), ACORD 125 (commercial insurance application), ACORD 126 (general liability section), ACORD 130 (workers compensation application), and ACORD 140 (property section) cover a large share of daily commercial work. A typical commercial submission is a stack of them: the 125 plus a line-specific section form for each coverage being quoted.
One thing operators often miss: ACORD forms are licensed, not public domain. Most agencies get access through their AMS, a comparative rater, or an ACORD license, which is why the forms feel free even though they are not.
In Relay
Relay's ACORD Generation fills ACORD applications from your client data, so nobody re-keys the same FEIN five times. See how →
Common questions
What does ACORD stand for?
Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development. It began in 1970 as an industry effort to standardize agency and carrier paperwork.
Are ACORD forms free to use?
No. ACORD licenses its forms. Agencies typically get access through their AMS, a rater, or an ACORD licensing program, so the cost is bundled into tools they already pay for.
Part of the Relay insurance operations glossary. Updated 2026-07-11. See how we source content.
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