Glossary
Dec page (declarations page)
The dec page, short for declarations page, is the front section of an insurance policy that states the specifics: named insured, carrier, policy number, policy period, coverage limits, deductibles, premium, and the schedule of forms and endorsements attached. It is the fastest way to see what a policy actually provides.
Why agencies live in dec pages
When a prospect walks in from another agency, the dec page is the first document you ask for. It shows current coverage, limits, and premium, which is everything you need to quote apples to apples. It is also the source document staff re-key from when building new applications.
The part that gets skipped is the forms schedule at the bottom. Two policies with identical limits can provide very different coverage depending on which endorsements are listed there. Reading that list is how you catch an exclusion the client does not know they have.
The dec page vs the full policy
The dec page states the numbers. The policy forms state the rules. Coverage disputes get settled by the forms and endorsements, not by the dec, so the dec page is a summary to work from, never the final word on whether a loss is covered.
It is also different from a certificate of insurance. A certificate is evidence of coverage issued to a third party. The dec page is the insured's own statement of what they bought.
In Relay
Relay's Document Parsing reads dec pages into structured policy data, so limits and deductibles stop getting re-keyed by hand. See how →
Common questions
Is a dec page proof of insurance?
It is commonly accepted as evidence of coverage by lenders and landlords, but many third parties require a certificate of insurance instead. When in doubt, issue the cert.
Where do you get a dec page?
It is issued with the policy at binding and again at each renewal. Agents can usually pull a current copy from the carrier portal, and clients receive it with their policy documents.
Part of the Relay insurance operations glossary. Updated 2026-07-11. See how we source content.
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